News › Belgium, Brussels, Clearwater, crime, Europe, Fair Game policy, France, Moscow, politics, refund, Russia, Spain, trial, United States of America
Published on Sunday 4th November 2007
In 1997 a former member of the Church of Scientology, unhappy with courses she had taken, tried to get a refund of 700,000 Belgian francs - about $17,000. Authorities began looking into the church’s finances and interviewing people.
Now, 10 years and 76 cartons of documents later, prosecutors say the evidence points to one conclusion: The Church of Scientology in Belgium is a “criminal organization” that has used fraud and extortion to separate members from their money.
News › Applied Scholastics, Austria, Bavaria, Belgium, Berlin, Brussels, Chick Corea, Criminon, education, Europe, Germany, Great Britain, Hamburg, L. Ron Hubbard, London, Madrid, Narconon, Office of Special Affairs, politics, psychiatry, Sea Org, Spain, Stuttgart
Published on Tuesday 27th March 2007
Scientology is mounting an offensive on Europe’s capitals and major cities. “National offices” already exist in Madrid, London and Brussels, and the opening of new branches was discussed at an “expansion summit” last year. “If we are to implement our planetary campaigns for salvation, then we have to reach the top levels of the German government in Berlin,” a Scientology document states, adding that the Berlin headquarters is responsible for “building the necessary in-roads to the German parliament, in order to ensure that our solutions are genuinely introduced to the whole of German society.”
Freddy Thielemans, the mayor, claimed that the “only activity” of the church was to raise money from “idle people who can be tempted by their message”. He has has vowed to use “all available means” to prevent it setting up its European headquarters in the city.
