Alex Barnes-Ross brings us up to date on Scientology’s attempt to convince local politicians that protest should be banned outside the church’s UK headquarters, Saint Hill Manor…
Yesterday marked the deadline for evidence to be submitted to Mid-Sussex District Council as part of their Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) process. To provide some context, back in July Scientology submitted an application for a ban on protesting ahead of the 40th annual IAS gala.
Due to the way the Council’s meeting schedules work, it wasn’t until 2nd October that their request was reviewed by the People & Communities Scrutiny Committee — which I attended along with fellow protestor Austen Waite.
Although we weren’t given the opportunity to ask any questions at the meeting, it gave us an interesting opportunity to witness the proceedings and even catch the Council’s Monitoring Officer (legal counsel) Kevin Toogood afterwards. The Committee noted the “potential national and international interest” a PSPO would create and established plans for an “observation exercise” and evidence-gathering period which involved Council observers standing at the gates of Saint Hill for the duration of the three-day protest and interviewing passers-by about how the protest was impacting the local area.
Since the protest, IAS event attendees, local residents, and protestors have been able to submit evidence for the Council to consider, and yesterday was the final day of this “evidence gathering exercise.” This means we are now entering the second phase of the PSPO process, in which Mid-Sussex District Council review the evidence gathered and determine whether they are “minded to proceed with a PSPO.”
If they are indeed “minded to proceed,” Council officers will then recommend to the elected Councillors that the issue goes to public consultation. However, it is entirely possible this doesn’t happen and the evidence gathered does not provide sufficient proof the protest caused disruption to warrant a ban.
In order for a Public Spaces Protection Order to be implemented, guidelines state there needs to be clear evidence of “persistent, unreasonable” behaviour that has a “detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality.” Scientology claim that our protests meet this criteria due to “harassment” and “anti-social behaviour.” However, there have only been two protests at Saint Hill in the last six years, and at neither event did Sussex Police issue any warnings, cautions, or arrests. Last year, a Police officer told me it was “the most peaceful protest” she had ever worked at, and this year I made sure to video record a debrief at the end of each day with the sergeant in charge of their response. Every day, we were told there were no concerns about the protestors, and the biggest problem for them was the disruption the IAS event itself was causing on the local area.
Poor traffic management, obstructions to the public right of way, and aggressive behaviour on the part of Saint Hill all persisted throughout the weekend. Nonetheless, we remained “uptone” and determined with our message of kindness and compassion. We offered attendees compliments on their outfits, warned them of oncoming traffic and handed out cards with details on how to contact the Aftermath Foundation if they ever need help leaving.
Despite having a designated coach park at Saint Hill, Scientology insisted on only using the main entrance to the property to drop off guests before turning around to park at the Rugby club opposite. This, plus taxis stopping in the middle of the road to let their passengers out caused huge delays on Saint Hill Road and Turners Hill Road — one of the main arteries into East Grinstead. Remember, the IAS event is the largest gathering in the Scientology gathering in Europe, and thousands flock from across the continent to hear Captain Miscavige speak.
To me, it is abundantly clear the event itself is what causes disruption to the local community. However, it is now down to the Council to decide whether the evidence supports Scientology’s claim that it was, in fact, due to our one-off protest with less than 20 people.
Reviewing the evidence will take some time, but my understanding is a decision will not be made until after the new year, at either the January or March Council meetings. If the Council officers recommend to proceed with public consultation, this process will likely take 6 to 8 weeks and will be an opportunity for those who weren’t physically at the event to have their say on whether our protest should be banned.
To throw a spanner in the works, a West Sussex County Council election is scheduled for May, which means Mid-Sussex will pause any non-election related activities for around six weeks from the end of March. If this does proceed to public consultation, I expect this will further delay the process and we may not get a final decision until the summer.
However, I remain optimistic the evidence gathered so far will be sufficient for the Council to recognise that our protest was not disruptive and determine a ban would be disproportionate. But we won’t know for some time. So for now, all we can do is sit and wait.
— Alexander Barnes-Ross
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Congratulations again to Alex on such a well organized and powerful protest at Saint Hill. Alex put in so much work behind the scenes. Well done to him and all fellow protesters. I only hope that the Council will side with Alex.
Thanks so much Alex for your smarts in this matter, it's clear that the roads are just too durned small there in England around Saint Hill Manor, and East Grinstead, but that's just the way it is and will be.
When Scientology tries to load up thousands of people at their "Castle" complex outside East Grinstead, the road slows are simply due to volume of people going to their "Castle" complex for their "celebration".
Scientology in the 1980s did a lot more televising of their events, to their "orgs" for their followers to follow along.
Maybe Scientology, the "Castle" complex owners, could do the same, and just with all of Scientology's vast wealth, just televise the annual "IAS event" that goes on, and limit the participants at Saint Hill "Castle" to just the same amount of actual original IAS participants, which were just the representatives from all the countries.
Instead, Scientology ought bring all their "big whales" (donors) to the Freewinds (and Scientology really if Miscavige were "thinking big" he'd buy a NEW "used" larger cruise ship).
Bring the whales to the ocean (Freewinds, or replacement "used" renovated "Big think" cruise vessel), and let the plebs representatives of the IAS, who originally WERE staffers, they weren't the "whales" in the first place, that original IAS meeting. Just have staff reps come do the anniversary at Saint Hill, "signing" of the IAS pledge. Whales to the ocean (Freewinds or replacement "used" cruise vessel) and staff reps to Saint Hill.
THAT would fix this road issue matter when the "IAS Event" happens.
It's just too many people.
If Scientology had some "leaders" with some common sense, RATHER, since quitting, I've seen since quitting Scientology myself, it is OUTSIDERS, commenters who even take an interest in this crazy deluded cult Scientology, it's normal folks who comment and offer up sensible strategic solutions for this Scientology cult.
Miscavige's lack of vision, lack of common decency and sense, is the biggest Scientology problem.
Next, is dodging Hubbard's stupid regulations and limits, and rather, from chatting over the decades since quitting, it is OUTSIDERS and average people who have the most sensible advice for the crazy Scientology irreligious fake religion cult.
Just buy another ship, do the big EVENTS always at the ship, for the elite got bucks top whales, and it is fitting, get them out to sea, on the big ocean for their egos to spread out without causing the average folks traffic jams.
Let the staff reps come to IAS anniversary at "Saint Hill" and no traffic jams.
That's my advice.
Chuck Beatty
ex nutter lifer staffer for the crazy California "religious" cult Scientology, 1975 to 2003