Advice for protesters of Scientology - How to protect yourself.

For those that protest Scientology, it can be a frightening experience. They tend to have a lot of muscle on hand, both muscularly and litigiously.

Confronting these people can seem confusing and frightening and this post aims to help as a reference to what you can do.

At the point where I hit "publish post" for the first time, this will not be a complete entry. I will be adding to this entry over time as an ever-evolving reference.

Hopefully, with this in hand, you will be better prepared for what they'll try and do to you.

The Contents of this article include: -

1 - Common Arguments against Protester's Activities.
2 - General Advice
3 - Pamphlets for handing out

Note - Where I have referenced news articles, I have opted to mirror them as over time they tend to be taken down from the original source.

1 - OK, first the basics. Expected confrontation types...

This will be a list of expected objections which will likely be perpetrated by Scientologists at your protest. They come in no particular order, being added as I find I need to.

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Calling Scientology a "Cult." - News Article Here
In May 2008, a young boy faced prosecution for calling Scientology a cult. He had taken part in a peaceful protest, made no threads and had been brought up on that charge alone.

The officer told him that it was down to Section 5 of the Public Order Act; which I have duplicated below.

5 Harassment, alarm or distress
(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he—
	(a)	uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or
	(b)	displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting,
within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.
(2) An offence under this section may be committed in a public or a private place, except that no offence is committed where the words or behaviour are used, or the writing, sign or other visible representation is displayed, by a person inside a dwelling and the other person is also inside that or another dwelling.
(3) It is a defence for the accused to prove—
	(a)	that he had no reason to believe that there was any person within hearing or sight who was likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress, or
	(b)	that he was inside a dwelling and had no reason to believe that the words or behaviour used, or the writing, sign or other visible representation displayed, would be heard or seen by a person outside that or any other dwelling, or
	(c)	that his conduct was reasonable.
(4) A constable may arrest a person without warrant if—
	(a)	he engages in offensive conduct which [a] constable warns him to stop, and
	(b)	he engages in further offensive conduct immediately or shortly after the warning.
(5) In subsection (4) “offensive conduct” means conduct the constable reasonably suspects to constitute an offence under this section, and the conduct mentioned in paragraph (a) and the further conduct need not be of the same nature.
(6) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
NOTES
Initial Commencement
	To be appointed To be appointed: see s 41(1).
Appointment
	Appointment: 1 April 1987: see SI 1987/198, art 2, Schedule.
Amendment
	Sub-s (4): word in square brackets in para (a) substituted by the Public Order (Amendment) Act 1996, s 1.

Now, pay attention to the part where it says that it is a defence if: "his conduct was reasonable."

It was. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary lists five different definitions of the word "cult."[13]

1. Formal religious veneration
2. A system of religious beliefs and ritual; also: its body of adherents;
3. A religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also: its body of adherents;
4. A system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator;
5. Great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book).

Scientology qualifies as all five of these definitions.

Which means that any person has reasonable grounds to call Scientology a Cult. It's official...it IS one.

The youth's case was dropped and he was declared innocent. The boy won by citing 1984 judgment given by Mr. Justice Latey in the Family Division of the High Court of Justice of Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales, in which Latey called Scientology a "cult" and said it was "corrupt, sinister and dangerous". In the actual 1984 judgment made by Judge Latey, he stated: "Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious. [...] In my judgement it is corrupt, sinister and dangerous. [...] It is dangerous because it is out to capture people, especially children and impressionable young people, and indoctrinate and brainwash them so that they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living and relationships with others."

Damning words and this provides you all with a precedent. Cite the result of the May 2008 court case and the 1984 ruling of Justice Latey.

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"You don't have permission to protest/film here!"

In the US and in the UK, you usually have to give notice of a public demonstration. So long as you've done that, you're good to go. As long as you remain on public property, you're safe. You're also granted Freedom of Expression under human rights laws.

As for filming? You're allowed to film anything in public so long as you are on public property and it is in the public interest. What is public interest and where does this fit in to the law?

In general under the law of the United Kingdom one cannot prevent photography of private property from a public place, and in general the right to take photographs on private land upon which permission has been obtained is similarly unrestricted. However a landowner is permitted to impose any conditions they wish upon entry to a property, such as forbidding or restricting photography. Two public locations in the UK, Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square have a specific provision against photography for commercial purposes, as do Royal Parks (as private land).

Photography of individuals is unrestricted where the subject has a reasonable expectation of being photographed, such as on the street or at a tourist attraction. Photography without consent of someone in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, could be considered to be against the European convention on human rights, however in general there is no right to privacy under UK law, and photograph of individuals may be used for any purposes. In addition persistent or aggressive photography of a single individual may come under the legal definition of harassment.

OFCOM have also weighed in with this ruling on the actual broadcasting of such footage: -

The Ofcom broadcasting code requires any infringement of privacy to be 'warranted'. Public interest is one justification, where it outweighs the right to privacy. Surreptitious filming is warranted if:

* there is prima facie evidence of a story in the public interest;
* there are reasonable grounds to suspect that further evidence could be obtained; and
* it is necessary to the credibility and authenticity of the programme.

If footage involves 'vulnerable people' then consent must be obtained unless 'it is warranted to proceed without consent' and an 'appropriate and timely' opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing or incompetence is offered.

So what counts as "Public Interest" exactly? Well, there have been two definitions by teo different organisations.

Definition of the Public Interest (1)

Resolution 129 at the 2001 Annual Delegate Meeting of the National Union of Journalists

1. The Public interest includes
a) Detecting or exposing crime or a serious misdemeanor.
b) Protecting public health and safety.
c) Preventing the public from being misled by some statement or action of an individual or organisation.
d) Exposing misuse of public funds or other forms of corruption by public bodies.
e) Revealing potential conflicts of interest by those in positions of power and influence.
f) Exposing corporate greed.
g) Exposing hypocritical behaviour by those holding high office.
2. There is a public interest in the freedom of expression itself.
3. In cases involving children, journalists must demonstrate an exceptional public interest to over-ride the normally paramount interests of the child.


Definition of the Public Interest (2)

Editors' Code of Practice, 2004 - framed by the newspaper and periodical industry and ratified by the Press Complaints Commission on 28 April 2004

1. The public interest includes, but is not confined to:
i) Detecting or exposing crime or serious impropriety.
ii) Protecting public health and safety.
iii) Preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or organisation.
2. There is a public interest in freedom of expression itself.
3. Whenever the public interest is invoked, the PCC will require editors to demonstrate fully how the public interest was served.
4. The PCC will consider the extent to which material is already in the public domain, or will become so.
5. In cases involving children under 16, editors must demonstrate an exceptional public interest to override the normally paramount interest of the child.

The full Editors code can be found on the PCC website http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/cop.asp

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"You're in contravention of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006!"

So long as you do not use threatening behaviour and language, you're not. According to the original law, anything which protesting any kind of religion could come under this law, but in an amendment by the House of Lords the legislation was limited to "A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening... if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred".

This removed the abusive and insulting concept, and required the intention - and not just the possibility - of stirring up religious hatred.

So as long as you're peaceful about it, you're OK.

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2 - General Advice

If you have written permission to protest at a particular location, why not get it blown up to the same size as your other placards? That way your right and permission to protest is as clear cut as your "OMGWTF a Cult!" cards
It may also be good practise to do the same for any legal precedent citations so that everything is nice and clear. And nothing is clearer than text the size of your own head...

Another good idea is to have pamphlets ready with your rights and all of the above on it.

Also, have a separate set of pamphlets or fliers with information on about the very thing you're protesting. It's no good simply shouting things at a protest. You need to win hearts and minds and you have to do that through informed debate. If anyone asks for information, have it on hand. If you don't you simply look ignorant and it harms the case.

On a related note...know your stuff.

If you look stupid, we all look stupid.

Be well behaved. If you do anything to make yourself look bad, it makes us all look bad and that ultimately harms our case.
I know the Scientologists use muscle to harm, harass and frighten us. Sadly they get away with it because they're stealthy and influential. You can't fight on their level so just keep it peaceful.

Don't mention Xenu to Scientologists!
I say this because lower level members don't actually believe in Xenu and the alien malarkey.
You may already know this but I will reiterate. Lower level members aren't told about Xenu until they've proven themselves and paid enough to get to the highest OT level. This is also because up until this point they will still have enough wits to doubt it when confronted with this story.
Only people who have become naive enough to "handle" it are told it and by this point they're willing to lie and do anything for the "church."

So either way members will deny it, some because they genuinely don't believe and others for more cynical reasons. Because the information is withheld from lower level members by higher ones, they can't openly admit the story. It's an unfortunate and ridiculous rut they've got themselves in to but trust me, you will not benefit from mentioning Xenu.

Besides, with their human rights violations and what-not you shouldn't need to. The Xenu thing makes them look funny...which makes them look harmless to the uninformed.


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3 - Pamphlets

I've prepared a rudimentary flier which spells out the harshest facts about Scientology to be handed out at protests. They're designed to spell out the immediate danger to people that otherwise don't take Scientology seriously or don't care and it doesn't even need to mention their religious beliefs...and so dosn't.

I hope they help.

Flier 1 - .pub format.
Flier 1 - .png format.

This one is formatted as two A5 fliers on an A4 sheet. Cutting will be involved ^_^


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That's all I've got for the moment. If I've missed anything I urge you to let me know. I don't just want corrections, we all need them. We need this information to be accurate so feel free to weigh in and tell me when I screw up and I'll change or add stuff pronto.

I'm sorry if this so far seems a little UK centric. I'm researching and uncovering laws and citations as I go but I come across the UK-based stuff more, at the moment.

Well, that's all from me so far. See you on the other side.

HMR

"Yuwie" - Website review

I'm making myself useful this evening in having a quick look at a website I've been offered to join.

I say "offered," it as an advertisment in the midst of a forum for a facebook application. Which application isn't important (although I'll be getting to those some other time), just that I found this advertisement: -

$GET PAID BY DOING WHAT YOU DO ON FACEBOOK$ !

1) Facebook makes over $8 million a MONTH from advertising alone.
2) Myspace makes almost $25 million

WE, the users, don't get any of this, even though WE are the ones making the pages, writing the blogs and uploading the pictures!

There's a brand new networking site which actually pays its members just to use it!
The site has all of the features of facebook, but here's the best bit, the more you use it, the more you get paid!

You think Facebook has everything you need- That's fine! I love facebook, Just give it a try by simply joining with this link:
http://f6l.com/social


Obviously, I was somewhat sceptical but feeling in a playful enough mood to give it a go.

As soon as I've clicked the link, I'm presented with a video of a casual-yet-smartly-dresed man who seems chipper enough to tel me what a wonderful opportunity this is, citing how unfair it is that I don't get paid for the advertisements facebook and myspace use.

So I figure that there's no harm and click register and stick in my details. for a start, this is clearly a new site because i got to have the personal URL I wanted. I end to go by "HearMeRoar" on the interwebs and usually it's already taken when I encounter bigger or older forums and websites.

So already I'm questioning how profitable a community it's going to be. Afterall, that's what I'm here for, right?


Firstly, I'm offered some deal for a holiday home which I just glossed over. I've seen these too many times to bother reading anymore. Though in the interests of fairness, it was offered by the folks at *checks* seasonsholidays.com.

Thankfully, I had the option to skip this and so I did.

And now the registry is complete. I'm presented with what appears to be a fairly intuitive screen, with a change to modify my profile...which I'll do in a moment. First though, it wants me to upload a picture. I pick a fairly recent one, of me looking (or attempting to) edgy with a cigarette hanging from my mouth. [Although I've just noticed that the flash banner at the top is somewhat annoying]


Now that that's done, it asks me if I want to invite any friends.

Methinks I'll skip that one unil I've decided if this is any good.

It asks me if I'm sure that I want to skip that step...



It's nice that they're so concerned about me losing out...isn't it?

They then present me with the following statement: -

Yuwie.com is registered through Go Daddy, Inc. Due to large amounts of spam complaints against Yuwie.com, we have agreed to be bound by GoDaddy.com's anti-spam policy.

A WARNING TO POTENTIAL SPAMMERS

Go Daddy does not tolerate the transmission of spam. We define spam as the sending of Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) or Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE), which is email sent to recipients as an advertisement or otherwise, without first obtaining prior confirmed consent to receive these communications from the sender. This can include, but is not limited to, the following:

- Email Messages
- Newsgroup postings
- Windows system messages
- Pop-up messages (aka "adware" or "spyware" messages)
- Instant messages (using AOL, MSN, Yahoo or other instant messenger programs)
- Online chat room advertisements
- Guestbook or Website Forum postings

Upon receipt of complaints, Go Daddy will investigate the situation. Once Go Daddy determines there is a problem with spam, Go Daddy will take the appropriate action to resolve the situation.

We will not allow our servers and services to be used for such purposes. In order to use our products and services, you must not only abide by all applicable laws and regulations, which include the Can-Spam Act of 2003, but you must also abide by Go Daddy's no spam policies.

Commercial advertising and/or bulk emails may only be sent to recipients who have already "opted-in" to receive messages from the sender specifically. They must include a legitimate return address and reply-to address, the sender's physical address, and an opt-out method in the footer of the email. Upon request by Go Daddy, conclusive proof of opt-in may be required for an email address.

If Go Daddy reports your account to Yuwie for violating any of these rules,
WE ARE REQUIRED TO DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT.
Yuwie, Inc. has agreed to these terms from Go Daddy so that we can keep Yuwie.com online for all the users who are not spamming.

*Sigh* Isn't this what the original mandatory terms and conditions page said?

I click on...

And at last it's over. I now have the whole of this website at my fingertips. Now is the time to try and find out if this is the social networking website the advertisement promised it would be.

First I take a quick look at my profile, which you can find here.

At first glance, there isn't much to do. I go loknig and find various categories at te top of the screen, offering me such things as groups, blogs, videos, etc.

I select groups and I'm presented with a list of groups on this site, ordered by newest to oldest. Immediatly I notice that all of these groups seem only interested in getting more friends, promising more cash by joining.

Is there anybody here who isn't just in it for the money? It doesn't appear so. However, there are varieties of groups to be found to the right and so I look under "fangroups."

This is what first appears: -



Hmmm...slim pickings it would seem, but I'll go with some of these. So I join up with a variety of clubs including "Sci fi club" "I want to be friend" "Naruto Fan" and "The boys in Red."

Once theseare all joined, I now have a groups screen populated with groups. It's not the most extravegant of pages but it's concise and simple, at least.

After looking at some the groups I find myself relieved to find that thre are some genuine groups in there...They're just not the first thing you see. I'm treated to some interesting messages on the Naruto group forum and I see a cool video about a real-life Sharingan.

So I'm a little happy. But what is there for me here that I can't get at facebook or myspace (not that I really use my myspace page anymore)?

Some searching may be required.

"Browse" allows me to look at the profiles of any person joined, as you'd expect. What's unlike facbook and more like a dating site, is that you can browse and filter by age, body type, waist, height, and marital status.

So have I misunderstood this site? Is it not as innocent as facebook is meant to be?

Let's find my perfect lass then and see what happens. Remember, this is in the interests of science...



The result was a depressing "No matches found." I even try more permeatations, becomming less and less picky each time...with no luck.

There's nobody home.

Oh well, the Browse feature was an abysmal failure. Let's try "Videos."

This time I get a variety of things. I've got some things which sound suspiciously like porn, full anime episodes and music videos, as well as articles on time travel, mind-numbing drivel from Britain's got talent and ahost of other gobshite. I doubt I'll be watching much of this...

Except for the anime...and the porn...

Moving on, we come to the "blogs" section.

Unlike the blogs section on myspace, this section show you a link to the blogs of everybody. They aren't sorted by category, only by when they were updated and the number of posts. You get the title of the blog next to a picture of the owner. It's a little voyeristic methinks.

A lot of these seem to be advertisements anyway, or promised ays to again "get more page views."

However, I became concerned when I found this entry.

Taboo maybe?? Does Yuwie Work?		add to favorites
Has anyone been paid yet? Anyone reading this is mainly here for that, but has anyone already financially benefited? We're encouraged to refer people to make profit, but "word is bond" and credibility is important to me, I imagine a lot of you too. So if you could help, I would really like genuine "testimonials" that this works. By this I mean people who have already benefited. Before I go telling all my friends about this I want to make sure I'm not lying... Thanks, Juan L.A.

A good question Juan. It then occured to me that I had not once yet been asked to provide details of where my promisedcash would go. I needed to check this.

After a few minutes I easily find the required tab on my contro lpanel and I have the whole thing set up to paypal me my money, which is rather useful. It means I don't have to worry over giving out my address.

Sadly though, that seemed to be all there was to this site. It's worth it for free animes, especally whilst the society remains so small (and likely will because folks are scepticle as to the "generosity" of this site) so there's a chance it wont be removed for a while.

There are some good groups and joining really doesn't take any hassle from you.

My verdict: -

It's worth a look and joining up if you've got some time and nothing better to do, but you probably wont find yourself visiting much.
And once it gets bigger though, it'll probably sink so this probably isn't something you should take seriously.
s for the money thing, I can't see it working but I'll let you know how I get on.

Anyway, I'll put my referall up in case any of you feel like signing up. If you do, drop me a line and say hello or something. You never know, I might actually read it.

http://www.yuwie.com/r/9879/

Hav fun kids,

HMR