Religious Apartheid: 1996 – Official Repression of Minority Religious Rights in Germany
The Association of Private Employment Agencies in Germany requires all members to swear they are not Scientologists.39 The Hamburg Mannheimer Insurance Association requires a declaration disavowing any association with Scientology by officials of companies involved in its personnel training and marketing.40 In order to participate in seminars organized by the company Delta Finanz, individuals are required to swear that they are not Scientologists or otherwise associated with Scientology.41
In order to execute sales contracts, businesses have been required to swear that they are not connected with Scientology. Newspapers have refused to run advertisements on behalf of businesses simply because they are believed to be owned or otherwise connected with Scientologists.42
In January of 1995, the Circle of German Brokers, an association composed of over 4,000 real estate brokers, announced steps it is taking in conjunction with the government of Hamburg to “isolate” Scientologists. All members of the Circle must sign a declaration attesting that they do not follow the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, the Founder of Scientology, by January of 1995. Failure to do so results in expulsion from the group.43
When a business is identified as being owned or otherwise connected to a Scientologist, it is boycotted until it is ruined. The public is alerted to the existence of businesses owned by Scientologists by the government, private groups and the media to ensure that the boycott is effective.
In May 1995, a press conference held by real estate brokers and tenants associations and supported by the “Working Group Scientology” of the Hamburg Ministry of Interior published an updated blacklist of suspected Scientologists and their real estate concerns, exhorted the public to boycott all Scientology businesses, and urged banks to refuse to do business with Scientologists.44 These tactics have resulted in banks routinely refusing to allow any Scientologist to open accounts or otherwise conduct business.45
Discrimination of Children
Children of Scientologists have not been immune to this climate of hate -- even in kindergarten.
On 27 March 1994, two children, aged 6 and 3, of Lydia Walter, a Scientologist, were targeted for discrimination in the local kindergarten. Due to the initiative of the government funded group called “Sect Info Essen”, the Board of Directors was “educated” on the subject of Scientology and specifically asked to avoid any contact with Scientologists. The children were ostracized by the rest of the school and their parents were informed that their children would be expelled unless they signed a written contract swearing not to “promote” Scientology verbally, in writing or any other way.
The contract also stated that their children were “not welcome” in day-care. A sign was placed in the kindergarten stating “Scientology is unwanted”. The school announced it would co-host an anti-Scientology event with the government funded group “Sect Info Essen” in April of 1994.46
In 1994, a 4-year-old daughter of a Scientologist was rejected from kindergarten due to the religion of her parents. The kindergarten receives funding by the local Youth Office of the Government. Likewise, the manager of a kindergarten in Schleswig-Holstein stated that she would exclude children of Scientologists from her school due to her fear that she would be in trouble if they were allowed to attend.
Two pupils from Hamburg also were expelled from a private school simply due to their religious association with Scientology. Subsequently, a teacher sent a circular letter to all parents and pupils in order to “justify” this action and create anti-Scientology sentiments.
Blacklisting and Economic Boycotting of Scientologists Continued