Serious accusations against Scientology in France

Government expert demand dissolution of organization

Paris, France
September 15, 1999
Berlin Morgenpost

Paris, September 15. The Scientology organization, according to a statement by the French government's sect commissioner, has previously infiltrated top state offices in France. "The Scientologists have succeeded in infiltrating the environment of a former state president; that has never been denied," said Alain Vivien, Director of the Interministerial Work Group against Sects, in an interview with the daily paper "Le Figaro" (Wednesday edition). Members of the organization were also alleged to have tried to infiltrate the anti-terrorism unit of the French police (Raid).

"Mole" near Mitterrand

However, Vivien made no statement as to which of State President Jacques Chirac's predecessors could have been meant. Apparently, though, he meant an affair from 1990 uncovered by the Parisian journalist, Serge Faubert, in a minutely researched book in 1993. At the time, Faubert could prove that Scientology agents held targeted strategic positions in the Parisian Culture and Interior Ministry. A "mole" with the cover name of "F 10" even worked in the same environment as Francois Mitterrand, who was state president at the time. This agent, among other things, was able to see to it that Mitterrand took an investigative judge, who was regarded as a "hard-liner," off the case against top Scientologists in France for negligent death.

Besides that, Faubert was also able to identify another Scientologist in Mitterrand's offices. His revelations, however, did not lead to a big scandal, since "higher interests" were at stake. Nevertheless, the Scientology agent, F 10, known in civilian life as Pierre-Ives G., was removed from the service a little after that.

Scientology did, indeed, legally complain about Faubert's book, but it was in vain. Nevertheless, the organization now again rejects the accusations as false and mentions the word "defamation." In response to that, Vivien, the expert, describes Scientology as a "totalitarian" and "extremely dangerous" sect and supports their dissolution in France, which is possible per law. The organization drew notice to itself in France a week ago, because, under unexplained circumstances in Marseille, 3.5 tons of investigative files from a fraud case against leading Scientologists were destroyed.

(fn./AFP)

Officials: Scientologists have infiltrated Elysée Palace -
Organization is France rejects accusations

Paris, France
September 15, 1999
Luedenscheider Nachrichten

The Scientology Organization, according to statements by the French government's sect commissioners, has previously infiltrated top state offices in France. "The Scientologists have succeeded in infiltrating the environment of a former state president, and this has never been disproved," said the Director of the anti-sect agency, Alain Vivien, in an interview with the daily newspaper "Le Figaro." Members of the organization were also said to have attempted to infiltrate the anti-terrorism unit of the French police (Raid). Vivien made no statement as to which of the predecessors of State President Jacques Chirac could have been meant. The Scientology Organization rejected the accusations as being false, and mentioned defamation.

Vivien described Scientology as a "totalitarian" and "extremely dangerous" sect, and supported its dissolution in France. This is possible per law and only requires the appropriate political decision. The government agency to combat sects (MILS) was founded in 1996 and was built up a year ago under the socialist administration of Premier Minister Lionel Jospin. The Scientology Organization published a statement in which it demanded the dissolution of MILS. The accusation read that MILS was allegedly violating the law.

The organization gained attention in France a week ago because numerous investigative documents which were meant to be used against the Scientologists were destroyed under unexplained circumstances. The documents were meant to be used in a trial against seven Marseille Scientologists, who will have to answer before the court for "fraud, illicit medical practice and deliberate violence."

Similar to Germany, where the Scientologists are under surveillance by the Constitutional Security agency, their actions are also closely followed in France because an infiltration of political and commercial key positions is feared by which a totalitarian, commercial structure established for pure profit will be put in place.

The organization, with its seat in Los Angeles, was founded in 1954, and says it has eight million members worldwide. In France, their number is estimated at 30,000; in Germany it is, according to the findings of the Nordrhein-Westphalian Constitutional Security agency, about 5,000. The members of the organization are told that they will attain spiritual growth and self-healing through special therapeutical methods.

(AFP - Agence France-Presse GmbH 1999)