IDEA: MASS Australian Anti-CoS protest (Centralised protest Feb 2010)

[gridlock]

Hello Australian Ex Scientologists, Anons and others who are against the CoS,

I've had an idea which I'd like to propose and hopefully get some feedback on.

The protests against the Church of Scientology which were organised by Project Chanology have almost been going for two years now. As a celebration, I've had an idea for all Australians who are against the Church of Scientology regardless what state you are in, to come down and protest in one state, making for one MASSIVE protest against the CoS.

Last year, there was a similar event, Anonville, (in Sydney) which for certain reasons was both a success and a failure. Hopefully we can work this out and make it so in February 2010, we can do an epic protest against the CoS in Australia, taking place in one state, like the old Anonville protests in 2008.

What do you people think of this idea?
Would you be willing to?
Which would be the best state for this?

Anyone got Ideas/Suggestions/Criticisms?

 

[bluewiggirl]

This should happen. Boston's doing a megaraid in the spring because no one wants to haul their sorry ass to New England in the winter, but I'm glad somewhere will be celebrating our second anonyversary properly!

 

[Carmel]

What do you people think of this idea?

Fine in "theory", but there's a bit more to it.

Would you be willing to?

Given certain conditions , yes, but who am I or who is anyone to stipulate "conditions"?

Which would be the best state for this?

NSW - It has a shitload of exes now.

Anyone got Ideas/Suggestions/Criticisms?

Take it or leave it, but this is how I see it:

- I'm an "ex", and I don't want to be associated with protesters who slag off at religious beliefs.

- Nor do I want to be associated with those who "wrong target" staff members.

- I for one am not in it for the "laugh out louds".

- I appreciate what Anon has done for all of us and for those still "in", but I don't condone and/or agree with Anon's approach on several counts (with some, I do though).

- I am so thankful for Anon, but at the same time I am ashamed of the actions of some who come under the "Anon banner".

- I have my beliefs of what's "right" and "wrong" - I don't feel inclined to join with others and be seen to be party with others, who have different ideas to mine, and/or with others who would knock things which I wouldn't want to knock.

- I have an intense dislike for mob mentality......in or out of the CofS. Anything, everything, and/or anybody that plays the game of getting onto some bandwagon simply for the sake of it, or because it's kosher to do so, isn't something that's appealing to me.

- I care for many of those still "in". I get fucked off when people or protesters slag at them.

- I would want Anons and protesters to care more about what effect they would or could have on those still "in", rather than on how they may look on video or to others.......but I know that I'd be pushing shit up hill in that dept, so I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I would love to protest with people who are are of like mind to me. I don't wish to protest with people who are not.

I have no interest in protesting against "Scientology". Religious beliefs mean fuck nothing in my world - It's the human rights abuses and the atrocities within the CofS that I object to. It's the Scn con, the religious facade, and the trap that so many have fallen prey to, that I object to. That's what I would want to protest about. If there were others of like mind, who would stick to that, then I would join with them.........any day, any where.

 

[Happy Days]

Fine in "theory", but there's a bit more to it.


Given certain conditions , yes, but who am I or who is anyone to stipulate "conditions"?


NSW - It has a shitload of exes now.


Take it or leave it, but this is how I see it:

- I'm an "ex", and I don't want to be associated with protesters who slag off at religious beliefs.

- Nor do I want to be associated with those who "wrong target" staff members.

- I for one am not in it for the "laugh out louds".

- I appreciate what Anon has done for all of us and for those still "in", but I don't condone and/or agree with Anon's approach on several counts (with some, I do though).

- I am so thankful for Anon, but at the same time I am ashamed of the actions of some who come under the "Anon banner".

- I have my beliefs of what's "right" and "wrong" - I don't feel inclined to join with others and be seen to be party with others, who have different ideas to mine, and/or with others who would knock things which I wouldn't want to knock.

- I have an intense dislike for mob mentality......in or out of the CofS. Anything, everything, and/or anybody that plays the game of getting onto some bandwagon simply for the sake of it, or because it's kosher to do so, isn't something that's appealing to me.

- I care for many of those still "in". I get fucked off when people or protesters slag at them.

- I would want Anons and protesters to care more about what effect they would or could have on those still "in", rather than on how they may look on video or to others.......but I know that I'd be pushing shit up hill in that dept, so I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I would love to protest with people who are are of like mind to me. I don't wish to protest with people who are not.

I have no interest in protesting against "Scientology". Religious beliefs mean fuck nothing in my world - It's the human rights abuses and the atrocities within the CofS that I object to. It's the Scn con, the religious facade, and the trap that so many have fallen prey to, that I object to. That's what I would want to protest about. If there were others of like mind, who would stick to that, then I would join with them.........any day, any where.

I agree with Carmel.

I too am only interested in the violations of Human Rights within the walls of the Church of Scientology. As for the religious part well who am I to say what someone should or shouldn't believe it, if I were to start pushing that band wagon well then I'm no different to the dictators of this Church.

I want individuals to have the right to choose, to look and to speak out if something is not right without retribution. These are basic rights of any person and as we know these rights are violated daily.

So the goals and objectives of any protest I attend would have to be clearly understood and agreed by all . I also have people still in that I care about greatly and attacking their religion just widens the gap between us.

 

[Type4_PTS]

I would love to protest with people who are are of like mind to me. I don't wish to protest with people who are not.

I also have people still in that I care about greatly and attacking their religion just widens the gap between us.

OK, I'm ready to protest with you two!
My only issue is that I'm over 16,000 miles away and don't know that I can get there.

While I appreciate what the Anon's have done in focusing the attention of the world on the abuses of the Co$, and hope they continue to do so until the abuses are a thing of the past, I do also believe that the staff are the "wrong target". I know that this concept must be difficult to understand for anyone who was not completely indoctrinated. Anons know that the Co$ is abusing people, and who is responsible for the abuse if not for the staff? So it only makes sense to direct the protest AT the staff, right? But you've got to understand that they've been victimized by some pretty powerful mind-control techniques, and are so immersed in it they cannot see the truth. The great majority of them DO believe that what they are doing is for the greatest good. If they didn't believe that then why would they remain working for 50 cents an hour? One day after they've been out for some time and have had a chance to recover, to come to their senses, they will agree with us all on these issues, as concerning the abuses of the Co$, the human rights abuses, criminality, exploitation, ect.. But for now they are trapped in the web of deception as many of us once were.
And when I do protest the Co$ it will be with the intention to help these people as much as anything, as well as to alert others , increase the awareness of the general public so none of them ever walk into the trap.

 

[Lohan2008]

asyd

Post your idea to www.asyd.org as Sydney has the most protestors & best place for everyone to meet up at.

 

[supafreak]

Megaraid in Sydney, please! Hopefully I'll have a full-time job by February and can go.

 

[gridlock]

Fine in "theory", but there's a bit more to it.


Given certain conditions , yes, but who am I or who is anyone to stipulate "conditions"?


NSW - It has a shitload of exes now.


Take it or leave it, but this is how I see it:

- I'm an "ex", and I don't want to be associated with protesters who slag off at religious beliefs.

- Nor do I want to be associated with those who "wrong target" staff members.

- I for one am not in it for the "laugh out louds".

- I appreciate what Anon has done for all of us and for those still "in", but I don't condone and/or agree with Anon's approach on several counts (with some, I do though).

- I am so thankful for Anon, but at the same time I am ashamed of the actions of some who come under the "Anon banner".

- I have my beliefs of what's "right" and "wrong" - I don't feel inclined to join with others and be seen to be party with others, who have different ideas to mine, and/or with others who would knock things which I wouldn't want to knock.

- I have an intense dislike for mob mentality......in or out of the CofS. Anything, everything, and/or anybody that plays the game of getting onto some bandwagon simply for the sake of it, or because it's kosher to do so, isn't something that's appealing to me.

- I care for many of those still "in". I get fucked off when people or protesters slag at them.

- I would want Anons and protesters to care more about what effect they would or could have on those still "in", rather than on how they may look on video or to others.......but I know that I'd be pushing shit up hill in that dept, so I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I would love to protest with people who are are of like mind to me. I don't wish to protest with people who are not.

I have no interest in protesting against "Scientology". Religious beliefs mean fuck nothing in my world - It's the human rights abuses and the atrocities within the CofS that I object to. It's the Scn con, the religious facade, and the trap that so many have fallen prey to, that I object to. That's what I would want to protest about. If there were others of like mind, who would stick to that, then I would join with them.........any day, any where.

I definitely understand that. The Melbourne group of 'anonymous' protest against the 'church' of scientology, not scientology itself. And we are there to help those who are 'within' the church get help to know they don't need to be 'controlled' by the organisation.
As one of the organisers of the melbourne protests, I fully support FreeZone, and other free scientology efforts. I believe if you wish to believe in L. Ron Hubbard's teachings, that's fine, but the Church, is an organisation, and due to their human rights violations, the policies they have, the charging for being within it, the disconnection, the forced abortions, etc, must be bought down.

Melbourne Anonymous is full of people that most 'anonymous' would consider 'Moralfags' (as we do it for moral and ethical reasons)

We don't do it for the 'lulz' as people used to.
We don't do it coz 'its in' we do it because we care.

We've tried hard to weed out those who do it for laughs and for the sake of it. They don't usually survive long in Melbanon. We take it seriously, and do it for legitimate moral reasons.


I too am very ashamed of how alot of anonymous people have acted, and the actions of those who use the same name as anonymous. It's the problematic thing of being amongst a giant group of people who are not centralised, or lead by anyone, etc. While that is one of their/our biggest strengths, its also one of our biggest weaknesses.

Post your idea to www.asyd.org as Sydney has the most protestors & best place for everyone to meet up at.

That would have been true until the past few months.
Last 2 months melbourne has had around 45 - 60 people each time at the protests.
Already posted it on asyd also, and Melbanon, and AnonSA (I think)

 

[Zhent]

The megaraid is a great idea in theory, but its really not very practical.

At Anonville in 2008 I remember we only had about 20 anons come from out-of-state to Sydney. That was back near the beginning of chanology and it still had a big following, with the current state of things I really just don't see this working. We simply don't have the numbers or effort for something like this anymore.

I do admire your enthusiasm and persistence, but I suggest a co-ordinated, simultaneous raid in all states as a much more practical and achievable idea.

Take it or leave it, but this is how I see it:

- I'm an "ex", and I don't want to be associated with protesters who slag off at religious beliefs.

- Nor do I want to be associated with those who "wrong target" staff members.

...

Times have changed, and I think you would find protests more to your interests now.
Those who protest now are a pretty solid core group, we know our stuff and we have learnt from our experiences and mistakes.
We try to appeal to most staff members we come across, ask them why DM beats his staff, tell them they could be happier outside CoS, ask them to come over for a friendly chat etc...
Of course there are some exceptions, we still give OSA Tojo a rough ride, but this is because he IS the RIGHT TARGET and directly responsible for the fair gaming of anons + other attacks on us.


Talk to James Anderson, he came to one of our protests recently and could give you a rundown on how things are now. I think you will find its certainly a more tamer, intelligent crowd from yesteryear. (generally...)

Personally I think you ex's (and you say there is a lot in NSW!) should do your own little ex's protest, run it how you want with what you think is best.
If CoS is still terrified of anons protesting, just think what a protest full of ex's will do. (related: http://leavingscientology.wordpress...ch-of-scientology’s-new-enemy-scientologists/)
Of course it would be wise to bring along some anons as well for assistance

 

[Kookaburra]

I have no interest in protesting against "Scientology". Religious beliefs mean fuck nothing in my world - It's the human rights abuses and the atrocities within the CofS that I object to. It's the Scn con, the religious facade, and the trap that so many have fallen prey to, that I object to. That's what I would want to protest about. If there were others of like mind, who would stick to that, then I would join with them.........any day, any where.

I agree with Carmel.

I too am only interested in the violations of Human Rights within the walls of the Church of Scientology. As for the religious part well who am I to say what someone should or shouldn't believe it, if I were to start pushing that band wagon well then I'm no different to the dictators of this Church.

I want individuals to have the right to choose, to look and to speak out if something is not right without retribution. These are basic rights of any person and as we know these rights are violated daily.

So the goals and objectives of any protest I attend would have to be clearly understood and agreed by all . I also have people still in that I care about greatly and attacking their religion just widens the gap between us.

The abuses by the Co$ have been the focus of the demonstrations. Disconnection, fair game, forced abortions, SP hall, RPF and wrongful deaths give Anonymous plenty of ammunition. Attacking religious belief has been a no no since very early on in the piece and has never been the focus of Anonymous (though once in a while someone can't help poking a little fun at Xenu).

There was a great deal of effort put into informing and innoculating the public in the beginning of the demonstrations. The focus slowly shifted to informing and rescuing Scientologists, which is now the primary target of the demonstrations.

Any exes who would like to see their friends and family out of Scientology are invited to join Anonymous at the next demonstration. Anonymous loves exes and will take on board any suggestions you have, if you can think of a way to make the demonstrations more effective.

 

[gridlock]

Kookaburra;
indeed.

In Melbourne, when we reach the Church of Scientology building, we often get on the speaker and let them know how we're not fighting against the people within, but the organisation as a whole. And lately we've definitely been trying to help rescue people who feel trapped within the Church and feel they cannot escape. We're trying to help save people.

The focus of the demonstrations is to inform the public, to protect people from the Church. We're trying to save lives, to protect people.
We even have ex-scientologists who protest with us, as when we protest we're doing so because we care for those within the Church.

Taking a look at the Melbourne Anonymous forum, there is a thread there which I started asking why people are fighting the Church, and most of them say its because of the human rights violations, and other abuses of the Church. We're mostly doing it for moral reasons.

If someone chooses to believe in Scientology, then that's their right and their choice, but people need to know what goes on within the walls of the Church, the human rights violations, etc. People need to make INFORMED choices, and we give them the other side of the story, the information which the church doesn't want them to know.

I support FreeZone, but I am against the 'organisation' of the CoS.


As you can see in my original post, I said protest against the 'Church' of Scientology, not the belief/religion itself.

 

[RSG]

To the OP: I personally feel that massive protests trying to get people to go interstate is an utterly fail idea in Australia. Why? IT'S TOO DAMN HARD. There's no point looking over at Europe and going "oh, THEY did a megaraid where all German anons went to one city! and all French anons went to one city!" Go take a look at the size of those countries compared to ours, and the difference in public transport fares between cities. It's just not feasible.

All this will do is boost one state's protest by maybe a few people, and seriously limit the protests of all the other states for that month.

To the exes: there's not much to be gained from sitting back and saying "well, we don't agree with them". Are there any specific incidents at our recent protests you can point out where we've been off-target? We really do take on board any comments or suggestions that will help us protest more effectively, and we'd love to hear any you have if you've been holding back about it!

 

[bluewiggirl]

To be fair, RSG, I'm not sure if you quite understand the scope of London and Hamburg. Both are international events, with anons from several countries in attendance. Hamburg is expecting a couple Americans even (sadly not me, I does not has the moneys). This isn't the typical "/b/lackup" situation, Boston's done plenty of that already. A megaraid is more like a convention.

Now, if you don't think a lot of anons would be willing to travel across Australia for that kind of an event then that's fine, I just think you're underestimating what this sort of a thing could be.

 

[RSG]

Well it's pretty easy to have international visitors in Europe when the vast majority of 'international' doesn't mean 'overseas'.

To reiterate my point: from a quick look at www.worldatlas.com , about half of European countries are within a 400km radius of Switzerland, 80-90% within 800km.
Now let's look at Australia. Sydney to Melbourne? >700km as the crow flies. Same thing for Sydney to Brisbane. That's the same distance as from London to the capital of Switzerland; how many anons travel that far to your megaraids?

My exact point IS that not many anons are willing or capable to travel these distances; just because a few can/do, as they did during Anonville here, doesn't mean we should be planning for everyone to converge on the one city and entirely neglect their own states when such a mass gathering is obviously physically difficult to the extreme.

 

[bluewiggirl]

That's cool, I don't really have a good idea of the distances involved for aussies, I just needed to make the point that these weren't country wide raids (which would be pretty much like state-wide raids for us in the US in terms of travel time) but actually covered a decent cross-section of Europe. They even got the Israeli anons up to London. It would be wise if this sort of thing were to happen to have it on a different day than the regular city raids, so it doesn't hurt standard turnout badly.

 

[Kookaburra]

I must say I agree with RSG on the degree of difficulty and expense to have all Aussie anons gather in one city. It simply wouldn't happen.

However, I think it is well worth looking at co-ordinating national efforts on raid days, particularly those that co-ordinate with major Scn events, and on monthly themes. Since the de-centralization we have largely lost touch with what happens in other cities and consequently the whole movement has lost momentum. I would love to see it build back up. And I HATE to see Sydney being outdone by Melbourne.

 

[gridlock]

well as for co-ordinating raid days, sydney and melbourne are having their raid on the same day this month, which will be great.
Halting the business of two scientology orgs in the one country at the same time. It'll be great.


Kookaburra; ah thats lovely that you hate seeing melbourne outdoing sydney Coz it means that sydney will up its game, get bigger, and we'll have to try to up our game... making the fight get better and better in both places XD

 

[Kookaburra]

well as for co-ordinating raid days, sydney and melbourne are having their raid on the same day this month, which will be great.
Halting the business of two scientology orgs in the one country at the same time. It'll be great.


Kookaburra; ah thats lovely that you hate seeing melbourne outdoing sydney Coz it means that sydney will up its game, get bigger, and we'll have to try to up our game... making the fight get better and better in both places XD

Precisely.

 

[Sir Facer]

Capital City please!

Hello Australian Ex Scientologists, Anons and others who are against the CoS,

I've had an idea which I'd like to propose and hopefully get some feedback on.

The protests against the Church of Scientology which were organised by Project Chanology have almost been going for two years now. As a celebration, I've had an idea for all Australians who are against the Church of Scientology regardless what state you are in, to come down and protest in one state, making for one MASSIVE protest against the CoS.

Last year, there was a similar event, Anonville, (in Sydney) which for certain reasons was both a success and a failure. Hopefully we can work this out and make it so in February 2010, we can do an epic protest against the CoS in Australia, taking place in one state, like the old Anonville protests in 2008.

What do you people think of this idea?
Would you be willing to?
Which would be the best state for this?

Anyone got Ideas/Suggestions/Criticisms?

I think if its in Canberra in front of Parliment house & the protest is regarding the abuses with-in the Church, Parliment may say...okay its time to take a real look at the accounts of the Church, staff pay, human rights abuses etc, it then really puts it there that shit really does happen & its time the corrupt Church members are really found & exposed. I vote the Capital city first!

 

[gridlock]

What an interesting idea
But is there actually a scientology church in Canberra?