Deceptive tactics reveal a darker menace - Scientology front group PR move backfires

June 12, 2008 - The Church of Scientology has attracted criticism after using a front-group to advertise its controversial founder. Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) held a presentation at a Catholic High School in Vancouver, Canada without disclosing that it was a Scientology organization. The move has backfired, instead drawing attention to the human rights abuses occurring within Scientology.

John Bevacqua, the principal of St. Patrick Regional Secondary School, said that he was not informed of the group's links to Scientology. "It was very unfortunate that they were not as forthcoming as they needed to be," he said in comments to the Vancouver Sun. The incident came to light when year 11 student John Ray Catingub reported the visit in an internet posting, titled "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". He was disturbed by the literature distributed by YHRI, particularly because it listed Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard as a "famous human rights leader" alongside such historical figures as Kofi Annan, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Voltaire.

This is not the first time that the Scientology front-group has come under fire for its deceptive practices. A similar incident in March 2007 alarmed students attending a conference at Parliament House in Sydney, Australia. Canterbury Girls High School captain Alice Craven said students were given forms instructing them to pay a fee to join YHRI. "I feel exploited and taken advantage of and am worried other people at the event may have taken it as a serious human rights forum, when it was pushing a Scientology agenda. Alarm bells began to ring when I noticed a large poster on the stage … emblazoned with a quote from L. Ron Hubbard," she said to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Los Angeles based Church of Scientology is widely known for its celebrity members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but now it is attempting to raise the profile of its former leader, L. Ron Hubbard. The underhanded use of a front-group to further this agenda appears to have backfired.

Critics note the irony of the public relations move, citing multiple human rights abuses committed by the Scientology organization. In January 2008, Frenchwoman Martine Boublil was rescued by Italian Police from three Scientologists who had kidnapped and imprisoned her. Boublil described the experience as "hell". Former Scientologists explain that the arrested individuals were carrying out an "Introspection Rundown" - a procedure written by L. Ron Hubbard, where a person is isolated and speaking to the person is forbidden. Boublil's ordeal bears striking similarities to the 1995 case of Lisa McPherson, a woman who died while in the care of Scientologists at their Clearwater, Florida headquarters.

In February, worldwide protests were held against Scientology's abusive practices and policies. Organized by the internet collective Anonymous, the protesters argued that the tax-exempt Church had betrayed the public trust and harmed its own followers. Since then, monthly protests have been held wherever Scientology has a presence. April's 'Operation Reconnect' focused on the cult-like policy of disconnection, where Scientologists are ordered to cut all contact with friends and family members who are critical of Scientology. The May demonstration highlighted the unusual Scientology policy of Fair Game – a "Mafia-style" revenge policy used by the Church against perceived enemies.

Explaining his objection to the incident at his school, Catingub cited the Scientology campaign known as "Operation Freakout" – a criminal conspiracy uncovered by the FBI in 1977 aimed at silencing author Paulette Cooper. Protesters report being stalked and harassed by Scientologists as well as private investigators working for Scientology.

Anonymous websites have announced that the June protest aims to bring attention to human rights abuses in Scientology's core group, the Sea Organization (Sea Org). Former Sea Org members have made testimonies about their harrowing experiences, which include sentences in an internal prison camp known as the Rehabilitation Project Force. Women describe being coerced into having abortions, because Scientology policy prohibits Sea Org members from having children.



References:

School unaware of link to Scientologists. Janet Steffenhagen. Vancouver Sun. June 11, 2008.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=82f68050-20f0-473e-bec9-ba49458dfbce

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. John Ray Catingub. May 23, 2008.
http://catingub.blogspot.com/2008/05/wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.html

Unwitting high-schoolers lured to forum run by Scientologists. Anna Patty. The Sydney Morning Herald. March 28, 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/unwitting-highschoolers-lured-to-forum-run-by-scientologists/2007/03/27/1174761471748.html#

Ex-Scientology Kids - The Sea Org
http://exscientologykids.com/seaorg.html

Operation: Sea Arrrgh - June 14
http://www.seaarrrgh.com/