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DBKP is following up the story of the 15-yr-old youth who was issued a summons for carrying a sign that was deemed to be “insulting and abusive”. The 15-yr-old faces a a fine and/or jail while his protest sign was confiscated. Just who was the youth “abusive and insulting” to and who needed the “protection” of the London coppers?

The Church of Scientology

The kid was at a peaceful protest against the Church of Scientology in London on May 10. The youth faces the Crown Prosecution Service. His crime: offending Scientology.
His offensive and abusive statement: ‘Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult.’

The police warned the kid that his sign was illegal under the Public Order Act. What’s interesting about the police’s decision to protect Scientology from being called the “abusive” and “insulting” word cult is that the government has yet to recognize Scientology as a religion.

At late as 1999 the Charity Commission of the British government issued a ruling on whether or not it would grant Scientology “charitable” status. The Commission ruled that the group failed to demonstrate it was “established for the public benefit as to satisfy the legal test of public benefit of a charitable purpose for the advancement of religion or for the moral or spiritual welfare or improvement of the community”. This decision effectively rendered Scientology to non-religion status and yet the police, by their actions on May 10, are actively protecting the group by criminalizing those who peacefully protest against it, calling it a cult.

Why would the London police protect a group who was never officially recognized as a Church?

In 2006 it was revealed after an investigation that the City of London Police have a somewhat incestuous relationship with Scientology. Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley appeared as a “guest” speaker at the center’s grand opening. Scientologists provided the police force with such perks as a £5000 a night Jazz band while coppers were sent invitations to the premiere of Tom Cruises’ movie, Mission Impossible 3 and £500 a head charity dinner. It was alleged that up to 200 officers were targeted by the group.

Outrageous Behavior

Free premier tickets, a swank Jazz band and charity dinner, and guest speaking sounds fairly innocuous until you consider the ramifications. The police protected Scientology, they confiscated the kid’s protest sign and cited his calling the group a “cult”as falling under the aegis of Public Order Act.

The Public Order Act

Ironically the Public Order Act was enacted in response to the vile anti-semitic 1930’s group, the British Union of Fascists. Known as the BUF, the group’s actions led to the government outlawing the wearing of political uniforms and the use of abusive and threatening words.

The 15-yr-old in 2008 London was charged with this crime, that his sign was equivalent to the thugs back in the 1930’s who marched into predominantly Jewish communities and beat up and harassed the innocent citizens.

Even if by some chance Scientology were to be eventually recognized by the British government why should the police be called in to “protect” the organization from people calling it a cult? A real religion would not seek out the police to punish ordinary citizens for calling it names. A real religion forgives its detractors, only cults seek to be secretive and punitive to those who criticize it.

The London Police have become enforcers of the “image” of the Church of Scientology, a multi-million dollar organization with millions of members worldwide, so fragile in it’s self-esteem it must stoop to currying local police into protection and favoritism. Meanwhile ordinary citizens who seek to protest the “church” are now being issued criminal summons.

The issuance of the summons to the 15-yr-old protesting Scientology is a cold, hard fact. Free speech, at least in the matter of so-called religions in London, is dead. If you want to voice your opinion you risk arrest and jail time. This type of behavior by the authorities mimics other countries such as Saudi Arabia and its religious police, Islam’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice or Iran and its Guidance Patrols.

Tehran (AsiaNews) – “We have already admonished and ‘educated’ 32,000 women and 64 men for their clothing and behaviour”, said the Tehran police chief, Morteza Talaei. He was speaking on 23 May, giving a first account of the work of the Police Guidance Patrols (religious police) introduced in the Iranian capital. In all, 7,000 shops have been visited, and 190 were fined for violating the ban on selling non “Islamic” clothes and other goods. More harshly, 230 cars were confiscated because “they were creating problems with women”, according to Talaei. This probably meant women who were only partially veiled in a space not considered by Iranian law to be private. Talaei also talked about 164 pedestrians arrested for similar reasons: 119 women and 45 men. Source - Asian News

A warning posted on the U.S Department of State Travel site details what travelers to Saudi Arabia may expect from the Mutawwa or “religious” police. Could this be in Britain’s future?

The norms for public behavior in Saudi Arabia are extremely conservative, and religious police, known as Mutawwa, are charged with enforcing these standards. Mutawwa are required to carry special identification and usually are accompanied by uniformed police; however, in some cases they have detained persons even without police presence. To ensure that conservative standards of conduct are observed, the Saudi religious police have accosted or arrested foreigners, including U.S. citizens, for improper dress or other alleged infractions, such as consumption of alcohol or association by a female with a male to whom she is not related. While most incidents have resulted only in inconvenience or embarrassment, the potential exists for an individual to be physically harmed or deported. U.S. citizens who are involved in an incident with the Mutawwa should report the incident to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh or the U.S. Consulates General in Jeddah or Dhahran.

This may seem an overly dramatic example yet the London police are now criminalizing a basic right, that of being able to criticize and have an opinion such as the 15-yr-old who wrote that Scientology was dangerous and a cult. How long before other rights fall before the wayside in order to protect a religion or a “so-called” religion such as Scientology?

In the interim, the police, pawns of Scientology, will continue protect a “religion” that isn’t a religion while ordinary citizens suffer the consequences, punished by the legal system for daring to voice their opinion in a peaceful manner.

By LBG

Source - Spartacus - British Union of Fascists
Source - This is Local London - Police Received Gifts from Church of Scientology

Image - Warning Sign