Press Release
From OttawaLulz
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[edit] March 15th press release
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anonymous Activists Prepare Worldwide Protest Against Church of Scientology
OTTAWA, ONTARIO. March 11, 2008. Thousands of people worldwide will stage a protest March 15 against the Church of Scientology's routine abuse of its members and critics. Local members of the activist group, calling itself "Anonymous," will picket at Ottawa's Church of Scientology centre beginning at 11 a.m. local time, located at 150 Rideau Street.
A member of Anonymous said, “We are a group of concerned citizens who cannot tolerate the actions perpetrated by the Church of Scientology against members and critics. The church uses a façade of charity and religion to extort and harass.”
One of Anonymous' demands are that the Church of Scientology lose its tax-exempt status for religious education in the United States — a status no other religion holds. The Internal Revenue Service has refused to disclose their secret 1993 agreement with the Church of Scientology even in the face of judicial order.
Most protesters will wear masks, scarves and other facial obstructions to protect their identity due to Scientology’s policy of defaming and harassing its critics. This policy, called "fair game" in a 1967 letter sent by church founder L. Ron Hubbard, has led to the stalking and harassment of critics like Emmy award-winning filmmaker Mark Bunker and BBC journalist John Sweeney.
The May 6, 1991 cover story of TIME Magazine called the Church of Scientology a “thriving cult of greed and power” and said, “Scientology poses as a religion but really is a ruthless global scam.” After it ran, TIME Magazine and its reporters were harassed, defamed and litigated against for years by the Church of Scientology.
Anonymous formed on Internet message boards and has grown rapidly to incorporate people from all walks of life. It includes professionals, students and ex-Scientologists.
The group’s first protest on February 10 drew more than 7,500 people in about 100 cities across the globe to demonstrate peacefully in front of their local Scientology centers. It was organized in less than a month and is the largest demonstration against the Church of Scientology to date.
For additional information about the Church of Scientology and Anonymous’ global protests, visit http://www.enturbulation.org.
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Press Contact:
press@ottawalulz.com
Individuals will be available for interviews at the protest. We are hesitant to divulge personal information due to the "fair game" policy.
Also, there will be delicious cake freely available at the event. (Granted, it will be commercially pre-packaged "snack cake", but cake nonetheless.)
