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Home > Publications > Religious Apartheid 1997
Religious Apartheid 1997 – Continuing Official Repression of Minority Religious Rights in Germany
In March 1996, the city of Mechernich took action to stop certain building plans in the city when it was discovered that the person who was responsible for these building plans was a Scientologist.45
Similar incidents of discrimination occurred in January of 1996. The Postbank informed New Era Publications Germany, a publishing organization affiliated with the Church of Scientology, that its accounts with the bank must be cancelled on the grounds that the organization “supports” Scientology through publishing.46 A Scientologist in the construction profession who regularly attended seminars for construction executives was banned from future seminars when his religious affiliation was discovered.47 In addition, an employee of “Metro Holidays Club” was fired when it was discovered that he was in possession of a tape about Scientology. The employee was advised that the company policy was not to employ Scientologists.48
As previously reported, the Federal Minister of Labor issued a decree in September 1994 blacklisting all Scientologists from obtaining licenses necessary to operate employment agencies based on unsupported charges falsely labeling Scientology as a “criminal association” and Scientologists as “unreliable.” In December 1995, the State Social Court of Rhineland-Palatinate determined that the government’s actions in revoking the employment agency license of a Scientologist was illegal and inappropriate as no credible evidence existed to support the government’s bald allegations. Yet, a June 1996 files inspection uncovered an Order of the President of the Federal Labor Office which instructs all labor offices to initiate special measures to: (1) identify employers who are suspected Scientologists; (2) inform prospective employees of the employer’s association with Scientology; (3) exclude businesses suspected to be owned by Scientologists from the “vacant jobs” computer bank; and (4) ban Scientologists from operating as trainers for professional education training. This further demonstrates that the federal government’s fingerprints are all over the arbitrary and discriminatory policy of blacklisting and boycotting Scientologists.49
In November of 1995, a top executive in a company in Weinheim was dismissed from his position, despite an exemplary record, when it was discovered that he was a Scientologist. The company had adopted a policy requiring the immediate dismissal of any Scientologist. The executive had never proselytized and never made his personal beliefs known within the firm. When his association with Scientology was uncovered, he was summarily dismissed by the Executive Board of the company.50
A Scientologist working for Metropol Service in Stuttgart recently reported that he was fired in the fall of 1995 when his association with Scientology was discovered. The manager of the company told the employee that he could not afford to continue his employment as the reputation of the company would suffer if the public learned that the business employed a Scientologist. The employee was offered the opportunity to stay with the company if he signed a statement in front of witnesses swearing to leave the Church of Scientology.
The manager tried to further intimidate the employee by stating that he would be harmed if he signed such a statement but still continued his association with Scientology. When he refused to sign, the employee was fired.51
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