Trafalgar Square is known as a place where a long tradition of Free
Speech have permitted a wide array of viewpoints from being expressed. On
August 31, 2001, however, the new Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone,
banned Scientologists from holding a rally in favor of Narconon, The CoS'
drug rehabilitation program. He was supported in that by Scientology
critics who showed, once more, that "Free Speech" is something
they use to blame the CoS, not something they are able to live up to for
themselves.
On August 31, 2001, the The Evening Standard
reported that Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, banned a rally in
favor of Narconon to take place on that day. "it would not be
responsible for me to allow it to be used to advertise a spurious medical
programme which many drugs professionals are concerned about", he
said. "Nothing about the activities of this group leads me to believe
that this is anything other than a cynical method of promoting the
Scientology creed", the Evening Standard reported him saying.
In an email answer to those who were concerned
over this abridgement of basic rights, the Mayor used typical anti-cult
arguments: "Scientology is a commercial enterprise that harasses its
critics, and preys on vulnerable people", he wrote, "Its
anti-drugs activity is a means to promote and recruit people in to its
organisation, often with devastating consequences."
This is yet another example of the same kind
of tactics that has already been used in religious ostracism against the
group in Germany and France, and which Catherine Wessinger has well
described in her paper about persecution:
In countries in which freedom of religion
purportedly is guaranteed, groups have to be labeled as not really being
religions and as being dangerous in order to legitimate aggressive
persecution by law enforcement agents.
The Mayor was of course immediately
supported in his decision by Scientology critics, who praised his decision
and wrote him in support. Critics also invaded the BBC forum with negative
information about Narconon and Scientology, avoiding to address the Free
Speech aspect which was the real core of the issue. When forced to address
the issue, their answer was to compare Narconon, a legal program
for drug rehabilitation, to illegal activities of the Columbian
mafia, pedophiles, Nazis, and then claim that Scientologists have no
more rights than these to demonstrate on Trafalgar Square.
A couple of Free Speech activists in the
forum stood aghast by the display of intolerance and hatred showed by
Scientology critics. An outside observer, Tom Anderson, summed the
situation most eloquently:
This is the same old pointless argument.
I used to follow in ARS newsgroup postings. Which was litered with nutso
rantings from scientology bashers. I see the same crap here. Can't you
people get a life? On both sides of the argument. In this corner
(weighing in at 120 pounds of pure neurotic hatred) is your anti cult,
anti Scientology, anti religion, anti Catholic, anti jew, anti whatever
nutcase. And in this corner looking almost as silly is the few
Scientologists in here who feel they have to defend themselves from such
lunatics. And in the middle in the striped shirt is the Lord Mayor of
london who secretly is with the skinhead spitting hate, but doing it
using the power his constituents invested in him.
Random Quote :
Disclaimer :
This web site is
NOT created by a Scientologist. It is created by a Scientology EX-MEMBER
who is critical of Scientology. However, this ex-member is ALSO critical
of the anti-Scientology movement. This does not make him a
Scientologist, nor a defender of Scientology.
