Tuesday, May 20, 2008
UK PC Criminal: 15-Yr-Old Youth Who Called Scientology a Cult
If there's any doubt that the enforcement of political correctness in the U.K. is turning ordinary citizens into criminals, a 15-yr-old youth was issued a criminal summons after he had written on a sign that Scientology was a cult.
Police confiscated his protest sign at a demonstration against the Church of Scientology at their headquarters in London and then issued him a criminal summons. According to the British newspaper the Guardian, the 15-yr-old had written on a sign: "Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult". The police called it "abusive and insulting".
Just who was abusive and insulting?
The unnamed 15-yr-old boy stood his ground and quoted a 1984 High Court ruling by Justice Lahey in which the justice described the religion as "corrupt, sinister, and dangerous".
We agree. We find the fact that anyone could face a criminal proceeding for calling Scientology a cult abusive, insulting, and sinister.
This means that Scientology, which is a cult, can now pedal its wares without fear of impunity.
We wondered what Tom Cruise, producer, movie star, and the world's most famous and vocal member of Scientology would say about police arresting people for calling his church a cult? Is his religion so fragile that a 15-yr-old boy, in a peaceful demonstration, now faces a fine or jail? Since when does a worldwide church with megabucks allow the U.K. police to act as their enforcers, effectively silencing its detractors? What does this say about the British government, who are protecting a "religion" and not the rights of its citizens to voice their opinions about a religion?
This smacks of the Saudi Arabia's Sharia police, which are referred to as Haya or the Commission. The Haya are under the aegis of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
The Commission are the watchdogs of the Saudis and are hyperguardians of all things Islam. Women, not accompanied by a male member of her family, can be promptly arrested by the Haya. Improper dress or enforcing the strict Islam dress code and arresting those who, in the minds of the Commission, speak "ill" of Islam are some of the daily duties of the Vice and Virtue Squads that hit the streets of Saudi Arabia.
Now we're beginning to see some of the same type of pattern, of a police organization, the Brit coppers, being used to effectively silence critics of a religion, Scientology.
Political Correctness, the use of governments and laws to foist thought behavior and what people can and cannot say in order to "not offend". It's evident that the police are now being used to protect certain people and organizations from being "offended". Being "offensive" is now considered an illegal activity and punishable under the law.
This is a matter of legal ethics, people are being punished for vocalizing what others have deemed to be unethical, offensive, or insulting. The people who should be offended or insulted are the taxpayers who foot the bill for this and the citizens who are being branded as criminals for exercising their right to free speech.
Scientology and the British authorities should be ashamed of themselves. The Brit police for making criminals out of people who protest that Scientology is a cult. Scientology, for hiding behind the skirts of the British government, allowing people to face criminal charges because they've offended the religion.
In order not to "offend" the British authorities have become the offensive, abusing their authority, turning people into criminals for exercising their right to free speech.
Only cults are afraid of criticism and are willing to punish people.
By LBG
Source - The Guardian - Teenager Faces Prosecution for calling Scientology a cult
Source - The Economist - Vicious About Virtue
Image - Anonymous
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page
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