L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation) - Why We Protest

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05-13-2009

post #1 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous

Member

L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Enquête sur la scientologie, une secte qui fait peur [L'Express is the Nr 1 serious weekly newspaper in France]

Quote:

Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult
By François Koch.
Untouchable, the followers of Ron Hubbard? They are the object of a lawsuit in Paris for swindle in organized band which threatens their activity in France. At the same moment, one of their victims publishes a damning testimony on their practices. Because, justice or not, they always have frightening methods.

Ten years later, Aude is always afraid of the scientologists. They badgered her so much. This young person in her 40s with the sweet chestnut eyes agreed to tell her painful adventure only in the bar of a remote Parisian suburbs train station. In 1998, then working in a large hotel of the capital, she fills a personality test distributed by a follower at the exit of the subway. She does not know that it is a trap and the result of this questionnaire is invariably negative. "My companion had just broken, I was alone, depressed, vulnerable. I agreed to take a course intended to give me confidence again, for only 300 francs."

Vendors with a sweet tongue

In the street of Marseilles, members of the church of scientology propose free "stress tests" and sell Ron Hubbard’s books. The prey is crammed, cherished, taken in hand by the vendors with a grounded glibness, with promises of perfect happiness. "I always ended up signing a check to get rid of them. I had to empty my home sparing plan, to contract a loan, to leave my apartment and live in collocation with another follower. But I never saw anything religious in scientology." After a twenty days "purification rundown", with overdosed vitamins and sauna, Aude spent on the whole 140’000 francs (21’341 euros). Ruined, she realizes thanks to its family, rather quickly but too late, that she was victim of a cult. Aude is one of the civil parties of the great lawsuit which will open on May 25th, for at least eleven days of hearing, in the law courts of Paris. " It is the first time that scientology is goes into correctional as a moral person for swindle in organized band” says delightedly the magistrate and former deputy (UMP) Georges Fenech, president of the Interdepartmental mission of vigilance and fight against the sectarian drifts (Miviludes). “It could thus be condemned as such."

"This lawsuit has a vital importance, recognizes Patrick Maisonneuve, scientology’s lawyer. In the event of a judgment against our customer, the scientologists will not be able to exert any more in France." General quarters at the headquarters of scientology! It is the hottest alarm for this sectarian movement created fifty-five years ago in the United States by the science fiction author Lafayette Ron Hubbard, the guru who died in 1986. Not to mentions that scientology must face the same type of lawsuit for "swindle and criminal organization" this year in Belgium. The international and immensely rich cult prepares to take up this difficult challenge.

By a very bad coincidence, a few days before the opening of this lawsuit, ex-follower Alain Stoffen signs an exceptional testimony over his fifteen years of martyrdom. His "Travel in the middle of scientology" (Editions Private), of which L'Express publishes upsetting extracts, reveals a new performance: the Belgian pianist managed to get or a few hours his ultra-confidential "ethics file". Damning documents.

Night of disgust

"When reading them, I vomited part of the night, folded into two with pain, trembling and covered with sweat", Alain Stoffen explains. Why such a nausea? He realizes brutally that the organization - in which he believed so much, and of which he adulated the stars, like the pianist Chick Corea and the trumpet player Mark Isham, two jazzmen - never ceased to trap him, handle him without scruple in order to tap all his money and even beyond. More still nauseating, he discovers many internal denouncement reports, including those of his own wife - she is also a scientologist - proving that those in charge of the cult briskly violated the couple intimacy. Some apprentice gurus even praised to have caused the separation of the Stoffen couple, by choosing all the modalities. By getting his ultra-confidential "ethics file", ex-follower Alain Stoffen understands that the cult in which he believed trapped him. At the end of this night of disgust, Alain Stoffen photocopies 120 pages of his sulfurous file.

Nine months later, in 2002, he initiates a lawsuit for "blackmail, swindle and extortion in organized band, illegal exercise of medicine and pharmacy", assisted by Olivier Morice, a lawyer expert in cults. The prosecution is always in hand of Judge Jean-Christophe Hullin. This judge sent scientology back to the courts for swindle in organized band. But it is also him who signed the withdrawal in another famous Parisian case concerning the cult which has been closed definitively last March, after twenty-six years of procedures - a record! - and after the mysterious disappearance of a large part of the file.

Between French justice and scientology, it is a play of cat and mouse going on for decades. In 1978, the Paris court condemns by contumacy the guru Ron Hubbard to four years of prison for fraudulent schemes. But the legal saga really starts between 1988 and 1996, in Lyon.

“There was a before and an after the Lyon lawsuit, Georges Fenech analyzes, who instructed this case. A turning point. For the first time, in 1988, a follower, Patrice Vic, commits suicide by jumping through the window from the twelfth floor, as he is drowning under debts made for scientology. Eighteen years later, Gloria Lopez is in a similar situation, as she owes 200’000 euros to the cult. She kills herself, by jumping under a train at Colombes (near Paris). Her children initiate a lawsuit."

Tenors to represent the cult
This 1996 manslaughter lawsuit in Lyon constitutes the first great alarm for scientology in France. Thus, the cult retains three very senior Paris lawyers: Olivier Metzner, Patrick Maisonneuve and Jean-Yves Le Borgne. For the appeal, another celebrity: the barristers president Jean-Rene Farthouat. In 2009, the Scientology calls again M. Maisonneuve (see below). At 54 and nearly thirty years of practice, this fine penalist was labelled "lawyer of the Socialist party", because he pleaded for the socialist figures Pierre Bérégovoy, Edmond Herve, Henri Emmanuelli and Gilles Ménage.

There is a before and an after Lyon. Conscious of the stake, scientology puts, at the end of the 80's, a maximum pressure on Judge Fenech, up to some form of intimidation. "I am followed by a PI", says the magistrate, who never returned home using the same way. According to Serge Faubert, the author of A cult at the heart of the Republic (Calmann-Levy), the PI was a former chief of DST [counter-intelligence] having worked within the presidential unit before being paid by Ron Hubbard’s organization. Two years later, similar practices are observed in another swindle case. "The expert and the plaintiffs received blackmail threats, and files were made about judges", says the Marseilles prosecutor, aiming explicitly at "Ron’s followers. Several admitted to have attempted "to compromise the reputation" of psychiatrist expert Jean-Marie Abgrall.

There is a before and an after Lyon. This lawsuit was also almost lost in the basement of the court building. When Fenech’s prosecution case is finished, scientology proposes, as usual, money to its victims in exchange of a desistment: of the original 32 plaintiffs, only 10 resist. Two years later, a written injunction of the Minister of Justice himself, Jacques Toubon, is necessary so that the prosecution fixes a date for hearing." If we were condemned for swindle, we would have had a hard time to recover" , says then to L'Express Danièle Gounord, scientology’s spokesperson. It calls upon four tenors of the Paris bar. At top price but to no avail. The founder of the Lyon branch is condemned for swindle, both on the first procedure and in appeal. Final sentence: three one-year suspended sentences and 500’000 francs. At the same moment, a Marseilles court condemns for swindle the founder of the Marseilles center to two years of prison including eighteen month with deferment and 100’000 francs. He does not appeal.

Quote:

20 trapped deputies

On the site of the Citizens commission for human rights (CCHR), it is easy to note that it was founded in 1969 by scientology, in the United States, to fight the abuses of psychiatry. Nevertheless, between August 2008 and March 2009, 20 deputies (of which 10 of the majority) were trapped by CCDH and put a written question to a minister about "forced hospitalizations".

"Electrometers, vitamins and auditions"

There was a before and an after Lyon… but scientology did recover very well. In 1997, the cult dares to shout victory, because an appeal court writes that "the church of scientology can use the title of religion". Danièle Gounord, everlasting spokesperson for the Paris region followers of "Ron" for twenty years, even continues to claim that "the Lyon appeal court judged that the church of scientology fills the criteria for a religion". And yet, Georges Fenech precise: "The unhappy sentence was erased by the Cassation court." A respectful application of the 1905 law about the separation of churches and State: "The Republic does not recognize any religion."

There is a before and an after Lyon. But the new legal case show that the followers of "Ron" haven’t changed anything with their methods. There is this famous "electrometer", sold to the followers 5’000 euros, even if it is not worth more than 750. "It appears clearly that the apparatus is nothing but a lure intended to give a scientific aspect to an operation which is not so" read the 70 pages order signed by Jean-Christophe Hullin, on September 8, 2008, sending scientology back to court. This apparatus only measures the electrical resistance of the body between the two hands, and the needle movements depend only on the pressure of the fingers on the metal cylinders and their moisture. There are the vitamins, which, in overdose, plunge the follower in an "extreme tiredness state", which causes a "progressive desocialization". As for the famous "auditions", a technique of mental regression towards the past, nothing new either. Expert psychiatrist Jean-Marie Abgrall qualified them of "real instrument of domination able to generate at least emotional disorders and emotional crises, at worse hallucinatory disorders and deliriums likely to lead to death". An analysis which applies to Alain Stoffen’s account. It is undoubtedly why the prosecution wishes him to testify in the lawsuit which will open soon.

Quote:

Patrick Maisonneuve: "Individual skids"

"Scientology is a customer like another." Lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve is however well aware that defending a cult is risky for his image. Assuming its statute of mercenary, he prepares himself, like thirteen years ago, to play its penalist partition in favour of the followers of "Ron": "Components of swindle are not gathered in the moral person case: individual skids would not justify its condemnation. The discovery of a paedophile priest does not allow to blame all the Catholic church. I wait until charge shows that scientology is a band of swindlers who had the intention of being so." Defense might have forty followers expressing their satisfaction with scientology’s services "Is this a religion? This debate between scientology and its adversaries will not be mine." Showing its independence with respect to its sulfurous customer, Maisonneuve approves the Court of appeal, which judged in 1999 that a republican jurisdiction does not have to answer this question.

Tom Cruise, sect-symbol

The French public authorities seem defenseless vis-a-vis this swindle company, apparently insubmersible and insensitive to legal decisions. It asserts 12 million followers in the world, as twenty years ago. Including less than 5’000 in France. Its annual receipts are always estimated at 1 billion dollar, including 10 million euros in France. With the election of Nicolas Sarkozy, disciples of "Ron" even opened bottles of champagne. In 2004 Tom Cruise, their best ambassador, could meet him in Bercy, he was then Economy and Finances minister. The sect-symbol ensured that the two men spoke about scientology. And the latter saw this meeting as a recognition of which it is so fond of. "France moves in the right direction, our image is not as negative as in the past", said a delighted Danièle Gounord one year ago. Why? Sarkozy’s chief of staff, Emmanuelle Mignon, has just questioned publicly the "public order disorders" and " abuse of weakness" of which scientology is accused. "A total ignorance of the subject!" stormed deputy Alain Gest (majority).

Such a scandal that Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Fillon [prime minister] must act as firemen. Did they want to show that the public authorities do not slacken their vigilance with respect to the sectarian drifts when naming, last September, Georges Fenech as the head of Miviludes? Without awaiting the answer, the Scientology attack on its pet peeve, qualified as being "hysterical" about the "spiritual minorities". Except that, for the time being, the State appears impotent vis-a-vis a cult much more solid than believed by its adversaries twenty years ago. Because of its extremely grounded methods of mental handling, new victims are always made swindle. Is it necessary to intensify the prevention or to decide a pure and simple prohibition? Whatever the iutcome of the new lawsuit, the public authorities will have to take their responsabilities if they want that scientology ceases to prevail in France.

Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

Last edited by Ann O'Nymous; 05-14-2009 at 11:12 AM..

05-14-2009

post #2 (link to here)

TinyDancer

Super Moderator

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Scientology
Investigation of a sect that is scary

Google Translate

The Google Translation is pretty horrid, but it has whet my appetite for this article. The writer applies the pressure to government to handle the cult. Nice.

"Ultimately, this is not about religious freedom. In Australia there are no limits on what you can believe. But there are limits on how you can behave. It is called the law, and no-one is above it."
Senator Nicholas Xenophon addressing the Australian Senate, November 17, 2009
"Dude, that's fucking egregious."

Last edited by TinyDancer; 05-14-2009 at 12:13 AM..

05-14-2009

post #3 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyDancer

Hopefully, mine will be better...

Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

05-14-2009

post #4 (link to here)

TinyDancer

Super Moderator

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann O'Nymous

Hopefully, mine will be better...

I have no doubt of it.

05-14-2009

post #5 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyDancer

I have no doubt of it.

Please stop derailing my thread.

Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

05-14-2009

post #6 (link to here)

AnonymousConnection Member	Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation) EXCELLENT. We await your translations... /popcorn

05-14-2009

post #7 (link to here)

Anonymous.Akuma BANNING BAIT	Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation) Excellent! My Blog-Take a Look

05-14-2009

post #8 (link to here)

FUCK Member Location: Evansville, IN	Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation) Excellent story Indiana Anonymous at cause! http://indiananon.ning.com

05-14-2009

post #9 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Un ex-adepte témoigne

Quote:

Scientology. An ex-follower’s testimony

For fifteen years, the Belgian pianist Alain Stoffen lived under the influence of the cult. He tells his "Travel in the middle of scientology" (Private), which handled, ruined and destroyed his family. Exclusive extracts.

"Money starts to lack"

[April 1986. Alain Stoffen arrives at the scientology Copenhagen center which can deliver his "state of clear" , for which he already spent 45’511,29 francs.]

- Hold the boxes! Olivier, my auditor, has just put in the hollow of each hand an electrode, a small cylindrical metal tube connected to the electrometer. [...] He expects me to exert a light and progressive pressure on the electrodes which I must then quickly slacken. It is necessary to caliber the sensitivity, he explains. I try but, as I am a little stressed out, my " squeezing of the boxes" is not appropriate. [...] My hands are indeed too dry, he says, to establish a good electrical contact. He gives me a hydrating cream. The following attempt is the good one. [...] I have this impression to meet somebody to whom I can open my secret garden in all confidence, an invaluable and accomplice exchange that I missed so much up to that point. I am unaware that this cordial attitude is nothing but the result of a true training program, or even of a conditioning one pushed to the limit. [...] I start to lack money. My hours credit has been exhausted, I have been required to buy a supplement to finish my program. The cases supervisor was clear: the outcome is close. In my present state, it is inconceivable not to continue hearings. Let us imagine only one moment that I break down and go back again to Paris, a "welcome committee" would wait on the tarmac to fetch me and to put me back in the next flight for Copenhagen by force. For them, not to doing that would amount to dropping me, to betray their engagement. I thus spend the sum of 6’494,97 francs for a few hours of additional hearing. [...]

Threatened by a watchdog

[Following the failure of the first stay, scientology convinces him to go back to Copenhagen in November 1986, on the promise that he will have nothing to pay.]

I am happy to find Olivier, my auditor.
- Don’t worry, he tells me, wanting to be reassuring. Whatever happens, I will take you out here.
Putting me back on track, in the way the case supervisor intended, is not enough: for him, there is no doubt that I will not leave again without my "state of clear" recognition. [...] In a few hours, I am rising out of the ashes. I feel free again. With the promise of the "state of clear", a new life prospect, I feel it in me, and this, for always. [...] Several meetings occur, but, contrary to all expectations, rather than to confirm this state of wellbeing in which I am, they again make me stagger… Not wanting to revive the nightmare of my first stay, I want to stop. However, they do not see it that way: just like the last time, they want to restart this enormous steamroller that crushed me. [...] The following day, I am summoned before one of the persons-in-charge.
- Tou mast fint a vay too pey, he tells me in French with a strong Spanish accent.
There must surely be a misunderstanding, which I try to explain to him. [...] On the spot I am brought in front of the MAA [master at arms]. Once in his office, particularly irritated, I explain to him that, since my meeting with this Chantal in Paris and my arrival here one week ago, I have been told everything and its opposite and that it is high time they make up their minds. [...]
- We have indeed opened an account, which, I tell you, is a completely exceptional measure, valid only for a few hours. There, it is that you have just exceeded the twenty hours. [...]
- How much?
-113’000 francs.
- Excuse me? Is it a joke? I make some calculation: that represents 5’600 francs per hour, almost three times the normal rate! [...]
- But… but I do not have the money…
- You will discuss this with Britta, she is waiting for you, he tells me before giving me leave. Britta is not the only one waiting for me: a man, that I do not know, is at her side. He has a bulldog head. He is built like a wrestler, all in muscles. Wearing a black leather jacket, a chewing-gum in his mouth, he seems nervous. He says he belongs to the Watchdog committee, the henchmen of the world direction, as I will understand later. Watchdog means literally "chien de garde". Suddenly, he shows its hooks. He starts to shout at me:
- Do you know what is our mission? We are here to clear the planet! He is red of anger. We are here to extract humanity out of the mud! … And you, you owe us money… a lot of money!
I would like to explain that there is an enormous misunderstanding, but the words can not leave my mouth, I like am paralyzed.
- I am under the impression that you do not measure the importance of your acts! … That is a treason! [...]
Not armed to face such an amount of violence, I break down in tears.
- I do not want to know how you do it! Call all the people you know, in France, in Belgium, I don’t care, but I want this bloody money now!
I have half an hour, not a minute more, to gather the funds… [...] I can not achieve this, even by putting all my will at it. [...] I feel at the edge of an enormous chasm: I am afraid that the group will reject me and withdraw all help and support, thus closing the doors that would have allowed me to reach the promised state of clear. To be excluded is an extreme punishment, dreaded by all. Again summoned before the MAA, I am forced to make a true conscience examination, to repent. This time, broken, I subject myself to this written confession that a few months before I had refused. [...] All that I made and that I should not have made, all that I did not make and that I should have made… Least skids of a whole life, nothing will escape the "electrometer check" that will ratify this written confession. It is only after having signed a debt receit that I obtain finally from the"captain", the center n°1, the authorization to leave.

Quote:

The scientologist lexicon

State of clear: it is the first stage for the beginner, known as " preclear", in scientology. It would make it possible to get rid of all fears, anxieties and irrational thoughts. This required step would cost between 45’000 and 75’000 euros.
OT: Once clear, the follower must take "the bridge", a series steps to become Operative thetan, or "spiritual being". There are 8 OT levels, from OT 1 to OT 8.
Advanced organizations: these centers propose OT levels. There are two in Europe: Copenhagen (Denmark) and East Grinstead (Great Britain).
Flag: this organization operates on the Freewinds, a 134 meters boat based in Curaçao (Caribbean), and is the only one entitled to deliver OT 8, the "complete realization of immortality".
Celebrity Centers: scientology offers a privileged treatment for artists, musicians or actors, who then become excellent propaganda vectors.
Electrometer: supposed able "to measure the spiritual state or changes", it is in fact a vulgar apparatus measuring the electrical resistance of the body from one hand to the other.
PTS and SP: they are the enemies of scientology. The PTS (potential trouble sources) are recoverable, whereas the SP (suppressive persons) reached an irreversible state.

The " Homo novis" certificate

[In March 1994, he accepts a third stay in Copenhagen.]

The case supervisor programmed a first action intended "to clean the upsets", based on the same techniques I had to undergo during long hours during my first stay and which ended up being a true torture. [...] Once more I feel at mercy of the auditor and a machine… I am nevertheless ready to play the game - "another auditor, another result" , I tell to myself - not without a certain skepticism… [...] The next day, after my third meeting, I am getting angry. I accept the obvious: once more, these auditions not only lead to nothing, but they upset me seriously. I feel an anger that grows inside me. [...] Someone tells me that I will be audited by a "class IX", an auditor having reached a higher training level and ability to deliver high level hearings. Once installed in the room, face to face, the electrometer between us two, he opens my file and, while staring at me, says in a solemn tone:
- The case supervisor asked me to let you know that we have all the evidence that you are a clear.
I remain silent, amazed… Emotion overwhelms me. These very words he has just pronounced, I had lost any hope for a long time to hear them one day. The group grants me its ultimate recognition: the state of clear. [...] Now that the news is official, I became a homo novis, a "new man". I join this privileged circle, the clears, and from this fact I will have the immense honor to officially receive my invitation to begin the "long trip" [...]: the OT (operating thetan) levels. Beyond the state of clear, eight other levels remain me to be achieved: OT 1 to OT 8. The content of these levels is strictly confidential, all those which passed there being held to secrecy.

To pay or be driven out

[In 1996, Alain Stoffen writes to the International Chief Justice to dispute his 46’000 francs debt, but, the following year, the counterpart arrives.]

- "He wants to declare you "Standard PTS D".
- Wait, you are not serious, aren’t you? I fear that she is. [...]
I try to argue, to explain, but the procedure is started, she answers, impossible to go into reverse. The decision comes rom the top! The sentence fell. It is irrevocable, without appeal. [...] I thus have no more the right to put the feet in any scientology center. In a fraction of a second I see my life shiting. "At the top", they declared me an heretic to be excommunicated, a troublemaker to be driven out. A henchman of the Evil. [...] I am blocked in this small office in the basement of the Celebrity Center, the document containing my judgment as standard PTS D under my eyes, which means the end of my marriage, that I am not ready to sacrifice for nothing in the world on the "scientology altar".
- "This ethics order is written and will be published if you do not change your mind."
It is written black on white! This bomb should be defused. However, I do not have the 47’000 francs required in high places. One summons me to make "a gesture", as a "show of my good will".
- How much or this gesture?
- It is up to you to say …
I sign a 10’000 francs cheque. The sentence is raised, I will not be declared PTS standard D. But I am not out of the hot waters, my debt always runs. [...] I am far from imagining that my interlocutress and Isabelle are actually playing a game thoroughly elaborated "at the top". This secret document is marked: "What follows is a program to handle Alain Stoffen."

Marriage under surveillance

[In 1998, Alain and Camille, his wife and also a follower of the cult, give rise to Sebastien, but as of the following year their relationship is degraded.]

In scientology, nothing is private. The least problem, even the most intimate one, has to be reported and submitted to the various persons in charge concerned, to the case supervisor of the, to the ethics officer… My marriage is falling apart, I am thus to meet the "chaplain", kind of mediator who, in his own words, has all the necessary tools to end any conflict. [...] A few days before, he had a lengthy discussion with Camille, who requested it. Actually, he entrusts to me, she does not do well… not well at all. [...]
- She needs help, your help. You must take the responsability for it and for your marriage, he tells me. [...]
In the following weeks, at home, the tension becomes unbearable. The smallest thing - a funny look, the wrong word – and the reproaches, the insults start. But, according to the "precious" advices of the chaplain, I must take on me, remain impassive. I try to focus on my role of father. Sebastien’s face is so adorable and innocent, his small smiling eyes and his glance so full with confidence, that I find in them an immense comfort. At the Celebrity Center, someone decided that several people were necessary to convince me to buy auditing hours so that Camille can be helped at any time. The task is not difficult for them, as they know that I am ready to help Camille and to save my marriage. Lacking any other solution, and facing their insistence, I give the money, 13’000 francs exactly. [...]
But, instead of alleviating our relationship, they make it worse by dictating the choice of my priorities. According to Camille, if we have financial problems, it is my fault. [...] At once, and in the greatest secrecy, on October 30, 1999, Camille writes a knowledge report sent to the Celebrity Center ethics officer. This report mentions all the actions she undertook to achieve her financial dictatorship, under the rule of scientology. I could not imagine that scientology was completely involved in the intimacy of our marriage. Nothing escapes their scrutiny, neither our feelings nor our finances… On Wednesday November 3, 1999, we are summoned. At home, Camille avoids me, ignores me and do not talk to me for days. The uneasiness is high in this tiny office in the basement of the Celebrity Center, where we are seated side by side, almost touching, facing the chaplain. [...]
The modalities of the split up are defined to their least details: "body and judicial separation", "to sell Rover" (28’000 francs), "Alain keeps the 205", "Alain finds 1 appt", "Alain comes the morning to look ater Sébastien", "Sébastien can come to sleep at Alain’s flat", "the sale of Rover pays the taxes", "Alain gives 300 francs per month to Camille for Sébastien. On the 10th of the month". The life of Sébastien is also thoroughly organized and consigned in the document. [...] Camille, since her arrival six years ago, took many services, courses and auditions, and thus gave much money to the organization. They cannot say as much about me: I am stucked on the bridge, always because of my debt. Even if during several years they used my image to promote scientology, between Camille and me they made their choice: in this case, the most devoted scientologist wins. [...] Noting that I do not leave, Camille changes to full gear. She writes a knowledge report, but this time, instead of the chaplain, she decides to shortcut all the local hierarchical chain and to address it directly to the world organization Nr 1, the ED-Int, the Executive Director International, whose offices are in Los Angeles, with a copy for OSA. The Office of Special Affairs is officially the legal department. Behind this denomination hides actually - like most scientologists, I was unaware of this - a true intelligence and "dirty tricks" agency, always acting in the shade. A secret apparatus which aim is to get rid of any opposition and to destroy all the enemies. [...] Saturday February 12, 2000, Camille rented a truck and with the help of some of her friends she leaves with part of the furniture. The evening, I find myself alone in a stripped apartment. The rooms are empty… Sébastien is gone.

Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

Last edited by TinyDancer; 05-15-2009 at 05:56 PM..

05-14-2009

post #10 (link to here)

Anonymous

We Are Legion

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Epic article is epic.

Quote:

Conscious of the stake, scientology puts, at the end of the 80's, a maximum pressure on Judge Fenech, up to some form of intimidation. "I am followed by a PI", says the magistrate, who never returned home using the same way. According to Serge Faubert, the author of A cult at the heart of the Republic (Calmann-Levy), the PI was a former chief of DST [counter-intelligence] having worked within the presidential unit before being paid by Ron Hubbard’s organization. Two years later, similar practices are observed in another swindle case. "The expert and the plaintiffs received blackmail threats, and files were made about judges", says the Marseilles prosecutor, aiming explicitly at "Ron’s followers. Several admitted to have attempted "to compromise the reputation" of psychiatrist expert Jean-Marie Abgrall.

There is a before and an after Lyon. This lawsuit was also almost lost in the basement of the court building.

I've got a feeling that more such events will come to light once the cult is done.

05-14-2009

post #11 (link to here)

mnql1

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Alain Stoffen responded to questions submitted by the public to L'EXPRESS magazine. Here is a translation.

"La Scientologie nous vide de tout ce qu'on a de précieux"

"Scientology empties us of the things we hold most precious"
LEXPRESS.fr, published May 14, 2009 18:58 - updated May 14, 2009 22:08

Two weeks before Scientology appears in court for "organized fraud", Alain Stoffen, former member, describes his experience with the sect in his book "Voyage au coeur de la Scientologie" ("Journey to the heart of Scientology"), published by Privé. Here are his answers to your questions.

Mathilde: So there are twelve million indoctrinated people on Earth!

Alain STOFFEN: According the figures they publish, they are supposed to number twelve million. In reality, there are probably only 90,000 in the entire world.

Minacz: Do the celebrities connected with Scientology know, cynically, the evil their sect can cause? Or are they blinded by their beliefs?

Alain STOFFEN: They are persons who have been manipulated and exploited in the same manner I was. They are deeply convinced they are part of an elite and that they alone hold the truth.

CBGL: This sect is obviously illegal: why not ban it, pure and simple?

Alain STOFFEN: There does not exist any legal definition of the word "sect". And with the laws as they currently stand, its presence is unfortunately not illegal.

XP: What explains how the Church of Scientology has practically never lost a trial? Do you think that, two weeks from now, it will again emerge "unscathed"?

Alain STOFFEN: On the contrary, Scientology has been convicted many times all over the world. Scientology is a sectarian organization with a long and storied legal history.

I hope that the court will convict them.

fakhir: What is Scientology?

Alain STOFFEN: The subject is too vast. Your question is not specific enough.

Noérosi: Knowing that your ex-wife is a Scientologist, are you not worried about the influence her belonging to the sect might have on your child?

Alain STOFFEN: I don't have the right to comment on this subject.

jjcd26: How is it that, with all the information collected in various cases, this type of organization can still exist legally? Are they benefiting from powerful "contacts" in administrations and in the judicial system to continue this racket?

Alain STOFFEN: The problem is that this kind of organization always sets itself up as a non-profit association under the 1901 law. There is yet no legal means to prevent them from taking this form. Scientology is extremely litigious and it skillfully exploits all loopholes and grey areas of the law. Unfortunately, we are in a legal system where form often trumps substance.

frstup: What motivated you originally to set out on this path which ultimately led you to understand the fundamental "fraud"?

Alain STOFFEN: Being an artist, I was searching for tools to develop and flourish artistically. I greatly admired jazz pianist Chick Corea and I learned he was a Scientologist. I was approached by a music school which claimed it worked with the methods used by Chick Corea and I was offered a job teaching piano. What I did not know was that this school was a recruitment cell for Scientology.

Lula: Do you think that Scientology, in France, infiltrates the upper ranks of administrations (disappearance of files related to earlier complaints), allowing this pseudo-religion to continue to ruin the lives of followers who fall into the trap?

Alain STOFFEN: I have no idea. I too wonder about this. The only thing I know is that Scientology undertakes enormous lobbying efforts aimed at public authorities.

Wilfrieddd: Do you have any contact with Scientology today? Are you able to forget this painful experience?

Alain STOFFEN: No, I no longer have any contact. Writing my book allowed me to put it all behind me.

Fleur2943: Are you afraid of pressure tactics after the publication of the book?

Alain STOFFEN: No. Since the time I filed my complaint against Scientology in 2001, they exhausted their entire arsenal (pressure, intimidation, complaints against me, ...) and now there is nothing they can do against me. Especially with all the proof I have to support my statements, as you can find out in my book.

grosminet02: What do you expect from the Church's court appearance on May 25th?

Alain STOFFEN: I expect the justice system to finally take its responsibilities and see this case through to its conclusion.

michel25: Does Scientology only manipulate people who are vulnerable at a particular moment or can anyone fall into the trap?

Alain STOFFEN: Given that Scientology advertises itself in the arena of personal development and training, it attracts people who are going through a positive and healthy process, people who are looking for tools to move forward. Scientology always represents itself as a way to further the personal interests and passions of each person it seeks to regiment. The typical profile of the people who enter Scientology is far from a state of weakness, quite the contrary.

Richard: What appears most dangerous to you about Scientologists?

Alain STOFFEN: It's not the Scientologists individually who are dangerous; they are manipulated and exploited. It's the doctrine and the system which are dangerous.

paolo dasilva: Do the Scientologists who run this organization really believe in what they say?

Alain STOFFEN: That's a good question. Unfortunately, I'm not in their place. The majority of members are completely manipulated and either become consenting victims of the system or become manipulators within the system.

Rob3rt: Have you witnessed or experienced indoctrination methods? Which kind?

Alain STOFFEN: Aside from the first so-called "introductory" services which are very attractive, the techniques all aim to completely destroy the personality of its members and to place them in a state of total dependence.

Adèle83: Hello, is it possible to come out unharmed from under the domination of Scientology?

Alain STOFFEN: Not always. The depersonalization program necessarily leaves scars. It depends a lot on how much time a person stays in. I stayed fifteen years.

Michel L: Hello, what do you mean by depersonalization?

Alain STOFFEN: Throughout my long stay in Scientology, I was deeply convinced that I was thinking more and more for myself and that I was becoming more genuine. Meanwhile, the exact opposite was happening. I acted and thought exclusively through the writings of Hubbard, the founder.

Scientology completely destroys our own subjectivity. It empties us of the things we hold most precious and eliminates all freedom of choice and ability to criticize.

Nono: Do you have the impression that certain countries (for example, Switzerland or Belgium) are more likely to be receptive to Scientology than others?

Alain STOFFEN: It's true that many countries are lax and permissive, unfortunately. Only France, Belgium, and Germany consider Scientology dangerous.

claw: How is it that people can be fooled by the association of the word "science" with a religion, given that the sect is based on beliefs totally opposite to psychiatry?

Alain STOFFEN: When I learned about Scientology in 1985, it did not advertise itself as a religion. They claimed religious status in 1993, when they were "recognized" as a religion by the American tax system. Since then, they've shifted their efforts a lot more toward communication.

marclacasse: What do you think can be done to convince ex-Scientologists to tell their story, as you are doing?

Alain STOFFEN: Most ex-Scientologists, as was the case for me, remain locked up in shame, guilt, and fear.

When I began speaking to the media, I was very much afraid of how others saw or judged me. Contrary to what I expected, I got nothing but positive reactions and support. People wanted to understand and never passed judgment. It was very liberating for me. It is important to leave behind this shame and this guilt. There is nothing dishonorable about having been duped.

05-14-2009

post #12 (link to here)

jensting

ARSCC Paris

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Bonjour!

Thanks for the translations!

Looking forward to the 25th :-)

Best Regards

Jens

Key ID 0x09723C12, jensting@tingleff.org
Analogue filtering / 5GHz RLAN / Mandriva Linux / odds and ends
http://www.tingleff.org/jensting/ +44 1223 829 985
"Is it safe?" "Oh yes, it is perfectly safe, it's us who are in trouble" HHGG

05-15-2009

post #13 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jensting

Bonjour!

Thanks for the translations!

Looking forward to the 25th :-)

Best Regards

Jens

Thanks. I take the opportunity to mention that if somebody wants to improve my broken Anngrish, one should feel free to do so.

Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

05-15-2009

post #14 (link to here)

Ann O'Nymous Member	Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation) Second article is translated. Une histoire d'anonyme - An anonymous story - SwissAnons - Best troll 2008 - SMB rules

05-15-2009

post #15 (link to here)

genoramix

Member

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

fucking epic.

i smell win on the horizon...

"How can Dianetics be greater than the wheel and fire?
With the wheel I can run over Dianetics and with fire I can burn it"- Hieronymous

"All authority of any kind, especially in the field of thought and understanding, is the most destructive, evil thing. Leaders destroy the followers and followers destroy the leaders. You have to be your own teacher and your own disciple. You have to question everything that man has accepted as valuable, as necessary." -Krishnamurti

05-15-2009

post #16 (link to here)

TinyDancer

Super Moderator

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann O'Nymous

Thanks. I take the opportunity to mention that if somebody wants to improve my broken Anngrish, one should feel free to do so.

Thank you SO much for the translations. With the trial about to commence, it is very helpful for us to understand the facts and the context in which it is happening.

I made one or two changes.

Sorry for derailing your thread again, Ann. I'll just leave now.

:)

05-15-2009

post #17 (link to here)

Ogsonofgroo

Anonikind

Location: Canada

Re: L'Express: "Scientology. Inquires into a fearsome cult" (translation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Epic article is epic.

I've got a feeling that more such events will come to light once the cult is done.

Agree W/TD, the first google translation scared the shit outyta me XP Liek 'sayz huh?' well, even tho ya gets the drift, its still sorrta Refbatch-liek, in not so scary a ways. :)
tahnk you so much Anne for a readable and accurate one!

Kudos! To the writers and translators, I honor you!

:) (great article!)

'Nemo me impune lacessit.'

LRon wuz a jeenious! >

"We, by the way, have generated atomic fission without the use of uranium. This is not a difficult thing to do. All you do is synthesize a gamma ray and synthesize some other rays and by concentrating them, you can get an atomic explosion."
("Radiation", lecture of 5 November 1956)

http://www.scientology-lies.com/liesindex.html

05-18-2009

post #18 (link to here)

Hubbard-Telescope

Sylvia's BFF

Location: Capital City, Most Important Country

Major French Media Win - Need Le Translators

Quote:

Here is "L'Express". one of the most known magazine in France.

Most of it about Scientology.

Cover:

"Investigation on a cult which creates fear"
....
"Its manipulation techniques"
"The trial that can destroy it"
"The revelation from a former adept".

Enquête sur la scientologie, une secte qui fait peur

L'Express, 3019, Scientologie : enquête sur la secte qui fait peur

Le huh? Need some Le Translators toot sweet, oui?

>.> I never took french, STFU.

Helpful Lists:
Current/Recent Lawsuits
List and Address of every org/mission in the world
Convicted Scientology Criminals

Let me know if there's other resource lists people would like to have put together.

05-18-2009

post #19 (link to here)

Snake He Poos Clouds Location: The Southland	Re: Major French Media Win - Need Le Translators Needs more FREEDOM in this thread. Mama said, "If you can't be a good example, you just have to be a horrible warning."

05-18-2009

post #20 (link to here)

puck35 Member	Re: Major French Media Win - Need Le Translators It's pretty long. I can do it, but you won't get it toute de suite. ;)

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