Canberra Picket, 13 Mar 1995

Ashraf Ghebranious

From: axg708@cscgpo.anu.edu.au (Ashraf Ghebranious)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Protest outside Canberra Org
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 01:07:46 GMT
Message-ID: <axg708.1098.2F64EC61@cscgpo.anu.edu.au>

Howdy people!

March the 13th was yesterday, and I spent 4 hours (from 10 am - 2pm)
outside the cult org in Canberra. I was equipped with a sign on a
stick which said

SAY NO TO SCIENTOLOGY 

and 

RELIGION OR SCAM

on the back.

As I moved into position, I was immediately hassled by a cultie. He
was waiting methinks. I started to hand out pamphlets and started my
'STOP THE SCAM THAT IS SCIENTOLOGY' cry.

Within 5 minutes a bearded man came out armed with a camera and began 
photographing me without my permission. A few minutes later a van
pulled out of a side alley and the driver began to videotape me, also
without permission.

This of course startled the shoppers who walked past the org and urged
more of them to get a pamphlet from me and read it! 

The driver of the van pulled out and reappeared (unbeknownst to me)
hiding behind a lamp pole and video taping me again.

Several culties came to get a pamphlet. You can tell a cultie as their
first 
questions are

"Whats your name?"

and

"Who do you represent/work for?". 

After a while the cameraman, who was getting more stares from the
public then he cared for, elected instead to sit on the steps that
lead up to the floor where his org rents office space. Surprisingly,
several co-tenents came out of the building and said I was doing a
good job and it was about time someone stood up to them and took
pamphlets.

As the camera rolled on from the steps of their org, I cam out with a
new cry.

"HELP STOP SCIENTOLOGY AND HELP STOP THAT PERSON FROM VIDEOING
ME! READ WHAT THEY DONT WANT YOU TO READ!".

This worked very well indeed. I admit that I may have looked the lone
nutter, but as people say the video, more and more came out to support
me and take pamphlets.

At this stage, the cult began a new tact. A woman came out and started
to question me. She also asked the camera man to come closer. At this
stage I said I was not here to be interviewed and I did not give the
cameraman permission to shoot the video. She sent him away and
continued to ask questions about what I know about Scientology and if
I have ever been audited. I pointed out to her that I did not have to
eat dog poo to realise it was bad for me. That I did not have to stick
my head in a blazing fire to know it would be bad for me. She then
asked if I have a permit. I told her this was Australia and protests
were legal. She then said but the police said that you will only be
here for 2 hours. I said she lied as I informed the police that I 
would be there from 10 to 2. It was at this stage that I removed the
number the police officier gave me if they began to harrass me and I
asked a member of the large crowd that had built up behind her and her
lackey to call the police as I was being harrassed. They opted to
withdraw.

I continued to distribute pamphlets and at about twenty to two, a who
wave of culties came out of the org. There was about 5 or six of them.
The man with the video kept walking around me at 5 feet circles while
the others attempted to shout me down. This of course attracted more
attention from the public and I gave away more pamphlets.

When 2 arrived, I packed up and left. I put a few pamphlets on a few
car windscreens and went back to my car to watch. Sure enough, out
came the scienos in force and they began to remove them from the cars
that I had put them on.

When I got to work, they told me that my boss has had a call from the
culties and they asked her if she knew where I was. I had taken
recreation leave for the day. I had also told her what I was planning
to do and she said dont get killed.

I did not get killed, but I stirred the hornets nest. I upset them
greatly. In fact, I think I enturbulated them.

If you protested outside an org, write it up on the board!


Ashraf