Is Scientology breaking the law?

Allegations of assault, illegal imprisonment,and fraud by Scientology

Excerpted from Madman or Messiah , quoted at http://www.scientology-lies.com/re.cgi?http://www.dejanews.com . Please see that site for the full text.

Emphasis added in red . Editorial comments, when added, are in purple .


Frank Notaro describes being assaulted and illegally detained while picketing to get a refund

This story originally appeared in Messiah or Madman .

FRANK NOTARO:

Saturday, 5 Oct.'85: I went down to the Advanced Organization in Los Angeles to ask for a refund of monies paid for a level of auditing. My request was in writing.

A security guard told me to get out or I would be arrested.

"O.K.'I will have to picket," I said.

The next day I picketed by myself in front of the entire Cedars of Lebanon ("Blue Building") Complex. One sign said "Ron is Xenu!"

A Church of Scientology "Security Guard" came from the front and grabbed my signs, while three or four others jumped me from behind and threw me to the pavement in the middle of the street, where they pinned me down and handcuffed me from behind. They then took me inside the building across from the Advanced Organization.

On the way I managed to shout to a friend to call the police, as I was afraid. I was held captive for an hour or so until the police came and released me.

The police officer told me I had every right to picket and escorted me to safety.

This was also mentioned in the "Panorama" BBC program about Scn from 1987, "Road to Total Freedom"; it shows pictures of Notaro with his picket sign and of him getting beaten up by Scieno thugs, and it also has a short interview with him. The RealVideo of "Panorama" is available at:

http://www.scientology-lies.com/re.cgi?http://www.xs4all.nl/~xemu/index2.html

http://www.scientology-lies.com/re.cgi?http://www.users.wineasy.se/noname/multimed/index.htm

This page was last updated on May 8, 1999.