G
Gottabrain
Guest
We started the protest at Belmore Park, as planned, meeting between 2 & 3 pm, with about 30 protesters to start. This later grew to about 50 protesters at its peak. We stayed there until about 4 pm. The Anons were extremely friendly and fun, with a huge boombox, wonderful songs and music and a lot of entertaining dancing. The dancing was great - it got bystanders smiling and interested and kept morale very high. Some of the younger bystanders would stop and dance along with us, then grab a flyer and discuss what we were protesting. We had masks but mostly didn't wear them, then marched with signs and several petition form requests for the Federal investigation into the C of S. Signs included "Honk if you are against Scientology", "What Church Forces Its Members to Have Abortions? Scientology" and similar.
We stopped at several very busy intersections along the way to AOSH ANZO. Cars were honking like mad. Sometimes entire carloads of people would be shaking their fists out cheering us on. I was holding a picket sign and talking to people and sending them to sign the petitions. Only once did someone in a car yell out and give me the finger the whole time, and I rather enjoyed that, as it was outside the Sydney Org. We picketed across the street from there for quite a while and had tremendous public support. In fact, that's when the petition lines were the longest for signatories. At its peak, 7 people waiting to sign. There was usually a line of people waiting to sign petitions, even though there were three copies, so you can imagine how good the public support was.
While we were marching, we were photographed hundreds of times by people driving in cars and along the street. One couple was in full marriage garb and just married, but paused and took a flyer. Of course, we congratulated them!
The police were very happy with us and unconcerned at our stops. We had no problems with them at all. We handed out hundreds of flyers to people. Petitioners of all ages from young to 80 were signing. Mothers were very interested. Couples were very interested. Those who had protested Viet Nam were very interested. The main issues that concerned the general public were slave labour, being cut off from families and friends, abuse of children, forced abortions and misuse of their tax dollars. The tax money, I think, was the biggest upset. Explaining to these people that the Scn schools were being publicly funded out of tax dollars and grant money and all sent a percentage directly to the Church of Scientology got them signing immediately. It made the Sydneysiders very angry. I don't think anyone in Australia but Scilos want that happening.
The entire 6 hours I protested, including at AOSH ANZO, I never spoke to a single person who disagreed with what we were doing. The worst response was the hand down (don't want a flyer, don't have time) or "I'll think about it". Neither of these is a negative.
I remember several young girls who approached me and said "We agree with you! What can we do to help?" The response was SO positive!
We were, in fact, a very welcome and very popular site. Even the bus drivers were honking their horns supporting us and bicycle riders jingled their bells.
In front of the AOSH ANZO, in the first hour we were there, someone dumped a bucket of water on us. Mostly hit just one Anon. But that actually worked in our favour. Not only were we then able to protest on the Scn side for a while, but it got the attention of the shoppers that had parked in the parking structure and Aaron started speaking better and better on the mike. Lots of people were looking down and reading our signs from there. Some came down to the ground floor and watched from inside the structure, took pics and signed the petition. I think we got about 10 or 12 signatures from the local shoppers. At its peak, I saw about 60 bystanders watching from the parking structure while Aaron and others spoke.
AOSH ANZO kept some disgusting boring music on, but our mike was louder. At first all the blinds were closed, but after a while, a few were opened and we often saw staff or public glancing out. Several used a side entrance that was, I think, a laundry room. The place was a graveyard, though. The entire time we was there (about 3 hrs), no more than 25 people went in and out of the C of S, and that was probably a high estimate and included the staff.
We took up most of the sidewalk on the parking lot side. Imagine it - we had twice as many protesters as they had total people in the building.
It was a great day. Some of the Anons thought the best Sydney protest ever. We certainly have the public support!
I hope some of the others that were there will fill in some of their details, too.
We stopped at several very busy intersections along the way to AOSH ANZO. Cars were honking like mad. Sometimes entire carloads of people would be shaking their fists out cheering us on. I was holding a picket sign and talking to people and sending them to sign the petitions. Only once did someone in a car yell out and give me the finger the whole time, and I rather enjoyed that, as it was outside the Sydney Org. We picketed across the street from there for quite a while and had tremendous public support. In fact, that's when the petition lines were the longest for signatories. At its peak, 7 people waiting to sign. There was usually a line of people waiting to sign petitions, even though there were three copies, so you can imagine how good the public support was.
While we were marching, we were photographed hundreds of times by people driving in cars and along the street. One couple was in full marriage garb and just married, but paused and took a flyer. Of course, we congratulated them!
The police were very happy with us and unconcerned at our stops. We had no problems with them at all. We handed out hundreds of flyers to people. Petitioners of all ages from young to 80 were signing. Mothers were very interested. Couples were very interested. Those who had protested Viet Nam were very interested. The main issues that concerned the general public were slave labour, being cut off from families and friends, abuse of children, forced abortions and misuse of their tax dollars. The tax money, I think, was the biggest upset. Explaining to these people that the Scn schools were being publicly funded out of tax dollars and grant money and all sent a percentage directly to the Church of Scientology got them signing immediately. It made the Sydneysiders very angry. I don't think anyone in Australia but Scilos want that happening.
The entire 6 hours I protested, including at AOSH ANZO, I never spoke to a single person who disagreed with what we were doing. The worst response was the hand down (don't want a flyer, don't have time) or "I'll think about it". Neither of these is a negative.
I remember several young girls who approached me and said "We agree with you! What can we do to help?" The response was SO positive!
We were, in fact, a very welcome and very popular site. Even the bus drivers were honking their horns supporting us and bicycle riders jingled their bells.
In front of the AOSH ANZO, in the first hour we were there, someone dumped a bucket of water on us. Mostly hit just one Anon. But that actually worked in our favour. Not only were we then able to protest on the Scn side for a while, but it got the attention of the shoppers that had parked in the parking structure and Aaron started speaking better and better on the mike. Lots of people were looking down and reading our signs from there. Some came down to the ground floor and watched from inside the structure, took pics and signed the petition. I think we got about 10 or 12 signatures from the local shoppers. At its peak, I saw about 60 bystanders watching from the parking structure while Aaron and others spoke.
AOSH ANZO kept some disgusting boring music on, but our mike was louder. At first all the blinds were closed, but after a while, a few were opened and we often saw staff or public glancing out. Several used a side entrance that was, I think, a laundry room. The place was a graveyard, though. The entire time we was there (about 3 hrs), no more than 25 people went in and out of the C of S, and that was probably a high estimate and included the staff.
We took up most of the sidewalk on the parking lot side. Imagine it - we had twice as many protesters as they had total people in the building.
It was a great day. Some of the Anons thought the best Sydney protest ever. We certainly have the public support!
I hope some of the others that were there will fill in some of their details, too.
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