New Scientology center in Berlin riles authorities

[Meshuga]

BERLIN (AFP) - The US-based Church of Scientology will open a giant new center in Berlin Saturday, sparking fears that the hotly disputed group is trying to muscle in on German politics.

The controversial church, whose followers include powerful Hollywood film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta, remodeled a six-storey, 4,000-square-meter (43,000-square-foot) building to boost its profile in the German capital.

Opponents say the group, which has rapidly expanded in Europe in recent years, tries to lure impressionable young people with aggressive recruitment methods and harasses critics.

An internal Church of Scientology document about the gleaming new center in Berlin obtained by AFP indicated that the group sought not only new members but also political influence in Germany.

"In order to implement our planetary salvation campaigns, we must have access to the highest levels of the German government in Berlin," it said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070112/ts_afp/afplifestylegermany_070112211245

Fundies got a hold of the US so Scientology is going for Europe! :-)

[Dr.Phool]

1. Come down to St. Pete.

The fundies can't hold a candle to the Scientologists. They own about half of downtown, tax exempt of course.

[Orrin_73]

2. I have nothing against scientology

no one is pressured to join scientology, its just freedom of religion. You choose whatever religion you follow.

[pnwmom]

4. You're wrong. People are pressured to join, and especially,

not to leave.

But I know a member who was finally kicked out in her late 70's, because she was too old to work for them anymore. Fortunately for her, her family (that she had deserted decades earlier) took her back -- because she had no means of support -- no social security or pension.

[Az]

3. The German gov regularly pimp slaps Scientology

During Clinton's admin Scientology celebs kept making attempts to make nice with Bill in order to get him to put pressure on the German gov to accept that Scientology was a religion. See in Germany they don't recognise it as such.

[BlueJazz]

6. Yep....Scientology is to Religion as.....

Screendoor is to Submarine.
There ARE people in this world who can be led to damage even their own interests.
It just takes No-Good-Sons-Of-Bitches to take advantage of that fact.....

[Missy M]

5. It's them wanting access to the highest levels of the...

German government that bothers me, so they can implement their planetary salvation campaigns. I guess their planetary salvation campaigns didn't work with Bushco.

[BearSquirrel2]

7. I presume ...

I presume that sales of sham psychology services and proprietary intellectual property will be taxed in Europe, unlike the currect policies in the US.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. They are 'boosting their profile' in Britain - giving stuff to the police

So those who turned up in rain yesterday for the opening of its imposing new premises in London had to make do with a pipe band and the solid figure of Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley, local divisional commander of the City of London Police.

There cannot have been many such occasions when Chief Superintendent Hurley has been greeted with such enthusiastic whooping from an audience, his image simultaneously magnified on huge screens.

Under massive red banners hanging from the front of the building and proclaiming DIANETICS - the underlying creed of the church - and SCIENTOLOGY, the officer was wildly applauded when he praised the "positive" work of its members in their anti-drugs work and their assistance in the wake of last year's 7 July bombings.

A similar reception also met speeches by Ian Luder, a City alderman and Dr Aftikhar Ayaz, member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and honorary consul for Tuvalu. Although a regular speaker at Scientology events, the latter confessed he was not a member and when he made references to God at the end of his speech the applause suddenly faded and puzzled looks were exchanged underneath the umbrellas.

Independent, Oct 23 2006

Why are the police so enthusiastic about Scientiology? Hmmm...

Police Scientology gifts inquiry

The City of London Police is carrying out an inquiry amid claims officers accepted gifts worth thousands of pounds from the Church of Scientology.

Some received free invitations to a charity dinner, with Tom Cruise as the guest of honour, details from a Freedom of Information Act request showed.

More than 20 officers were allegedly targeted over a 15-month period.

A City of London Police spokesman said it was ensuring all members of staff were aware of its hospitality policy.

BBC, Nov 26 2006

And then:

The controversial Church of Scientology has been granted a subsidy of more than £270,000 a year in public money, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Scientology's lawyers used European rulings and Government equality regulations to force the City of London corporation to grant an 80 per cent rates discount for its new centre near St Paul's Cathedral. The "church", it is believed, is now pressing to pay nothing at all.

The corporation confirmed that this discount was on the basis that Scientology is a "charity", despite the fact that the Charity Commission has refused to register it. The discount, referred to as a "mandatory rate relief", has been granted even though the Church of Scientology has estimated global assets of $398 million (£203 million), is supported by film stars including Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and was once described as "corrupt, sinister and dangerous" by a High Court judge.

The Scientologists' £10 million, Grade II-listed London centre would normally have incurred £343,045 in non-domestic rates; the organisation has, however, secured a £274,436-a-year subsidy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/10/nscien10.xml

See, this is the trouble with defining religions as charities. All kinds of riff-raff try to get in.