East Grinstead council gets an earful about Scientology, whether it wants it or not
Fallout from last November’s protests of Scientology’s “IAS gala” continues to produce interesting results in East Grinstead, England, the burg that is the site of Saint Hill, Scientology’s UK headquarters, and where founder L. Ron Hubbard oversaw Scientology’s golden age between 1959 and 1966.
Former Scientology London staffer Alex Barnes-Ross not only organized three days of protests at the event, but he’s followed that up with numerous questions for local leaders about their cozy relationship with Scientology. In particular, we’re thinking of East Grinstead’s mayor, Councillor Frazer Visser, who was rewarded for his friendliness to Scientology with a meeting with Tom Cruise at a Mission Impossible 7 premiere last summer, and who has defended his glad-handing appearances at church events as simply the way he represents everyone in town.
Well, Alex’s agitating appears to be spreading, because at yesterday’s East Grinstead Town Council, members of the public asked pointed questions of Mayor Visser, who fended them off as only a politician can.
We had asked for a Zoom link and the council had sent us one, so we were watching live as Danielle Chamberlin told Mayor Visser that she had been punished in Scientology by Hubbard by being stuffed in a ship’s chain locker.
It’s one of the more legendary punishments in the church, and one that goes back to Hubbard’s years aboard the Apollo, his flagship when he ran Scientology from sea after he left Saint Hill in 1967.
Danielle tells us she had arrived at the Apollo in 1973, and she was 12 when she was put in the chain locker, a dark, damp and extremely dangerous place. She also said that she had been raped as a child at a notorious Scientology dorm for children, Stonelands.
Her question for the mayor was, why is it OK for the council to accept donations from such an organization?
He responded by saying that any accusations of wrongdoing by the church should be reported to law enforcement, not the council. And he repeated that response as three other people asked similar questions.
We told Danielle that she was very brave to speak up about what she’d been through, which clearly still affects her today.
“What upsets me more is the total disregard by the Mayor for the part he is playing in supporting them,” she tells us. “And he just isn’t budging on his sycophancy!”
Austen Waite wanted to know, if the council has language about fighting modern slavery on its website, what is it doing about investigating modern slavery in Scientology?
A woman named Abbie told Mayor Visser that she was disabled, and Scientology would consider her a degraded being. “Does the mayor think it’s appropriate that he support such a discriminatory group?” she asked.
Mayor Visser insisted that he represents everyone in the town equally. “We are not the Church of Scientology. We don’t represent them in any way. I’m not here to defend them,” he said. But then he admitted, “I have no idea what their policy is toward disabled people.”
He said he “knew what was going on,” and that an effort had been made to have people ask questions. But “this isn’t the right forum,” he said. The council was actually there to approve a budget, which they did after the four people had asked their questions and Mayor Visser had then ended the public question period.
But as much as the mayor played this off as a politician would, we can’t help thinking it’s good for this council to hear about the group they’ve been so chummy with over the years.
Is it possible that local leaders really are unaware of Scientology’s controversies and abuses?
UK readers, we’d really like to get your thoughts on that question.
Chris Shelton is going Straight Up and Vertical
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If talking about crimes is not something 'we do here', where do you do it? Just being on the sidelines and taking the occasional check while 'thanking' the CO$ for anything they 'do', is not something any politician can do these days. Yes Alex and friends, hold every feet to the fire and make them think about their relationship to the CO$.
"He said he “knew what was going on,” and that an effort had been made to have people ask questions."
-- Then you should have been better prepared to handle the questions.