WAR ON THE INTERNET

Protesting Scientology's
Campaign of Harassment

March 7th-9th and 14th-16th, 1997, Worldwide

Harassment, onerous litigation, intimidating investigations, threats, dirty tricks - the written policy of Scientology is to silence or ruin those who question it. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, wrote on how to handle church critics: "the law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody... will generally be sufficient to cause his professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly." (Magazine Articles on Level 0 Checksheet, p.55)

To protest these abuses, peaceful protests are taking place in cities around the world over the weekends of Friday March 7th to Sunday March 9th and Friday March 14th to Sunday March 16th, 1997. The theme of the protests is "stop the harassment, Scientology."

Largely due to the exposure of Scientology's public abuses on the Internet, as well as the group's ongoing harassment, litigation, investigation, and attempts to silence Internet critics of Scientology, the protest is being organised by concerned individuals over the worldwide computer network.

Scientology's abuses against the Internet and its users include: attempting to remove alt.religion.scientology (an Internet discussion group); raiding four Internet users, seizing their computers and putting them through frivolous legal action; sending an investigator employed by Scientology to gather information on Scientology critics, removing critics' writings without permission, and suing five Internet service providers and one individual in Holland (suits again dismissed as frivolous), among many other affronts.

The "Stop the Harassment" protests are not intended as criticism of the religious practices of Scientology, nor of the religious beliefs of Scientologists. The focus of these protests is to encourage Scientology to stop its harassment and to draw attention to the ongoing abuses committed by Scientology.

For further information to be found on the Internet, see overleaf.

Contact:

Tony McClelland, Locked Bag 1000, Granville NSW 2042
E-mail: tonym@jolt.mpx.com.au

David Gerard, c/- PO Box 2097, Greville St Prahran VIC 3181
E-mail: fun@suburbia.net
World Wide Web: http://suburbia.net/~fun/scn/