Intolerance & Discrimination Against the Scientology Community in Germany Today

1993, Bremen: The State of Bremen responded to a parliamentary question concerning Scientology by stating that “discrimination against the Scientology organization” and its members is “out of the question.”

1993, Northrhine-Westfalia: At the end of the year, the “Working Community for Children and Youth Protection” (AJS) published a 40-page propaganda pamphlet attacking new religions, particularly the Church of Scientology. The AJS is funded entirely by the Government of Northrhine-Westfalia and the pamphlet included an official report from the Ministry for Work, Health and Social. Names of companies which have nothing to do with the Church of Scientology, but whose owners are parishioners of the Church, were included in the Ministry’s report to allege a “commercial” interest by the Church. The booklet was replete with rumor and gossip, but contained not a single proven fact in support of its allegations. At the end of this diatribe was the reluctant confession, “Indications that the Church of Scientology violated any penal law in general through its activities are not given.”

January 1993, Frankfurt: Media reported that Mrs. Wagner, Chairman of the FDP party, demanded that the Church of Scientology be placed under surveillance.

January 1993, Rheinland-Pfalz: Scientologist Mr. N. wrote a petition to the Justice Minister of Rheinland-Pfalz, Peter Caesar, for assistance in combatting a campaign of social ostracism directed against him, his family and his company. He received a reply from the minister that he was not willing to provide him with any assistance and urging him to renounce his religion.

February 1993, Hamburg: A City Council member, Antje Blumenthal, protested to the City that it had rented a space on a public notice board to a Scientologist. The City said it would make sure that promotion for Scientology would never occur on public ground again and that space on the public notice boards would not be rented to Scientologists. Thus Scientologists were prohibited from using public notice boards owned by the City of Hamburg—notice boards regularly used by the Lutheran Church and other religions.

February 1993, Hamburg: The Church of Scientology International entered into a contract with a British private television channel, called “Super Channel,” to broadcast a public service message internationally. The broadcast showed people from various cultures, races and languages demonstrating respect for each other regardless of ethnic differences. This was broadcast into Germany. A Christian Democratic politician saw it and immediately alerted the Hamburg government’s Private Media Supervisory Board, which then interceded with Super Channel to have the broadcast canceled. Super Channel, fearful of losing its license, discontinued the broadcast even though it found it promoted a valid public service message.

March 1993, Düsseldorf: The administrative director of the state capital of Düsseldorf sent a warning to the general manager of the Düsseldorf Fair, which rents out booths or stands, not to rent any stands to any companies associated with (i.e., whose owners or employees are members of) new religions. Attached to the letter was a listing of such groups in the Düsseldorf area which included two private firms owned by members of the Church. The blacklist would have prevented the Scientologists from marketing their services at the fair, had they not successfully taken legal action against the City of Düsseldorf.

The City of Düsseldorf has for many years funded an anti-religious propaganda organization known as “APG” and its founder Ralf-Dietmar Mucha, to “fight” new religions. Mucha is an extremist who is on record as stating that Scientologists can be identified by their smell and that they should not be permitted to have children.

July 1993, Rhineland-Palatinate: The CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate demanded that state funding for artistic events involving Scientologists be forbidden by law. Since festival organizers do not know who the Scientologists are, the CDU stressed it is an important function of Ministries of Culture to forward the names of Scientologist artists to cities and communities, so that these do not enter into contractual obligations with Scientologists.

CDU politician Johannes Gerster also attacked the Minister of Culture of Rhineland-Palatinate for providing artist Gottfreid Helnwein a forum in the state museum of Mainz.

September 1993, Hamburg: The land on which the Hamburg Church of Scientology stands was to be sold to another landlord. The City of Hamburg then wanted to purchase the land, with the stated purpose of preventing the Church from using the building. Due to contractual arrangements, the City realized that even if it owned the land, it would not be able to prevent the Church from using it. So the City declined to purchase the land.

September 1993, Rhineland: The Pimasenser Zeitung stated that CDU politicians recommend that cities and communities in Rhineland-Palatinate follow the example of Mainz and prohibit all Scientology proselytizing in public.

October 1993, Darmstadt: The CDU Young Union demanded that permits granting the Church of Scientology the right to sell books in Darmstadt be canceled and that Scientology be prohibited.

Government sanctioned discrimination continued...