🚀 go-pugleaf

                ***   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   ***

             Protesting Scientology's Campaign of Harassment
                        March 9th, 1996, Worldwide

Contact:        Jeff Jacobsen                   Keith Spurgeon
                cultxpt@primenet.com            keith@bway.net

        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--with a central
event in Clearwater Florida--will take place on Saturday, March 9,
1996, in cities around the world.  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 organized by concerned individuals
over the worldwide computer network.  

        Scientology's abuses against the Internet and Internetters 
include: attempting to remove alt.religion.scientology (a Usenet 
discussion group); raiding four Internet users, seizing their computers, 
and suing them; sending an investigator employed by Scientology to gather 
information on Scientology critics, cancelling critics' posts, and suing
five Internet service providers and one individual in Holland, among
many other affronts.

        Clearwater, as one of the main organizational headquarters
for Scientology and the training ground for many of the higher
officials, is a natural centerpiece for the international protest. 
Unfortunately, the city has also seen its share of harassment at the
hands of Scientology, including an attempted frame-up of former-mayor
Gabe Cazares and harassment of Clearwater journalist Bette Orsini.

        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 on the world wide web see the following
pages:

Jeff Jacobsen:    
http://www.primenet.com/~cultxpt/demo.htm

Ron Newman:       
http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/scientology/home.html

Modemac:          
http://home.pacific.net.sg/~marina/modemac/cos.htm



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Jeff Jacobsen         SP4, Scientology critic
PO Box 3541           http://www.primenet.com/~cultxpt/index.htm
Scottsdale AZ  85271  http://www.xnet.com/~can/can.html
USA                   Scientology has raided 4 critics' homes!!!