Intolerance & Discrimination Against the Scientology Community in Germany Today

Instances of Discrimination Against Scientologists by the federal government:

May 1992: The State Conference of Ministers of Justice recommended that authorities investigate whether the Church is a criminal association. This decision received broad media coverage and was used to wrongfully label Scientologists as “enemies of the state” and criminals.

1993: The Young Union, the youth group of the CDU, published a booklet called InSects - No Thank You! The cover shows insects, symbolizing minority religions in Germany, being killed by a fly swatter held in the hands of the Young Union. The booklet targets the Scientology religion as well as Mormons, Hare Krishnas, the OSHO movement, the Unification Church and even, in a cartoon, the Jews.

On page 6 of the booklet is a sticker showing a skull surrounded by the words “SCIENTOLOGY - UGLY - DIANETICS - POISON.”

This booklet was disseminated at the CDU Federal Party Convention in February 1994 and promoted by CDU General Secretary Peter Hintze. The booklet is now therefore an official statement of the leading party of Germany. A complaint filed against its distribution by one of the religions targetted was dismissed.

July 1993: The Ministers of Justice decided to take joint actions against the Church of Scientology, i.e., “education” of state attorneys and establishment of information and documentation centres. The decision was based on no evidence and the right to be heard was denied to the Church.

December 1993: To bias the judiciary against new religions, the government instituted a plan to conduct conferences through the German Academy for Judges. A five-day seminar was organized, focusing solely on “Newer religious Movements and Youth Sects.” Six speakers gave lectures on the subject of new religions to influence the 32 attending judges and state prosecutors, two from each state. Five of the six speakers were individuals who had publicly denigrated the Scientology religion and its members. Three of them had been members of government funded groups set up solely to fight new religions. The agenda made clear that no balanced and objective discussion of new religious movements was intended. Indeed, proselytizing by such religions was derogatorily described in the agenda as attempts to bring people “in the net of a spiritual salesman.”

The government also conducted seminars to “sensitize” Family Law judges to the “problem” of a parent in child custody proceedings who is a member of a new religion. In a recent child custody case, an appeals court denied visitation rights to a mother due to her religious adherence.

May 1994: In a letter from federal member of parliament Susanne Rahardt-Vahldieck (CDU) to her colleague Kersten Wetzel, Rahardt-Vahldieck “informed” him that a named family were members of the Church of Scientology and demanded that he institute a boycott against the family company.

Government sanctioned discrimination continued...