Press Release :: Sea Arrrgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘Sea Org Vs. Sea Arrrgh’ - A Global Protest Against the Church of Scientology’s Paramilitary Organization

San Juan, PR — June 10, 2008 12:00 PM — This Saturday, the collective known as Anonymous launches ‘Sea Org Vs. Sea Arrrgh’, the fifth in a series of global protests against the Church of Scientology. From 11am (local time) onwards, thousands of Anonymous will take to the streets in peaceful protest at over 100 Church of Scientology centres around the world, including San Juan.

Anonymous is a grassroots collective comprised of ordinary people from all walks of life, from former Scientologists and long-time cult activists, to college students and corporate professionals, all united in recognition of the malign nature of the Church of Scientology, the danger it poses to society, and the necessity of action. Since the campaign's inception in January, over 10,000 activists from around the world have joined Anonymous' fight, and millions have been made aware of the dangers posed by the Church and its practices.

The June initiative focuses specifically on the Sea Org, the Church of Scientology's parmilitary organization, and the abuses its members suffer. Members are required to sign a contract committing their services for the next 1 billion years. [1] Members are not permitted to have children while working for the organization. Women who get pregnant are either pressured to abort the baby, or they must leave. Often, these people have been in the Sea Org so long, they have nowhere to go, no work experience outside of the Church, no finances, no property, and no non-Scientology friends. Anyone who leaves the Sea Org without permission is declared a Suppressive Person by the Church of Scientology, and is ostracized from family, friends, and loved ones. It is very difficult to get permission to leave the Sea Org, and one cannot simply quit and then walk out the door. The "approved" leaving process involves up to 3 years of hard physical labor, confessionals, social isolation and group pressure. Because Scientology has religious status in many countries, labor laws do not apply to the Sea Org. Therefore, Sea Org members have no protection from long and abusive work hours. Many work 17-20 hours days because of the pressures of the job. Anyone who complains is treated as though they are "not getting with the program", "unethical", or "not on board". There are thousands of minors working under these conditions in the Sea Org. [2] This is a very minimal outline of the horrifying living conditions suffered by those working in the Sea Org.

Additionally, the Church of Scientology's luxury liner, "Freewinds", remains in drydock due to contamination with blue asbestos. According to some sources this asbestos contamination was known to the Church as early as 1987 and ignored, exposing thousands of passengers and Church employees to the risk of cancer. Experts advise that decontaminating the ship would cost millions of dollars and may not even be possible. Meanwhile, the Church of Scientology continues to solicit funds for cruises that may not happen. [3]

Multiple governments [4] have become aware of the perverse tactics of Scientology, and are beginning to take positive steps in reducing the damage it perpetrates. Under increasing pressure from media, police departments [5] and the tide of public opinion, Scientology has gone on the attack. In recent weeks, Anonymous protesters have been stalked and threatened with legal action in an attempt to dissuade them from protesting, and silence their criticism. Anonymous remain undaunted, and will continue to confront the cult and its numerous front groups wherever they pose a threat.

For more information on the Church of Scientology and Anonymous, an info package has been created and is available for download at http://img1.anonbw.com/press/GoldInfoPack.pdf


References:

[1] Sea Arrrgh Page
[2] Sea Org Contract
[3] ESK - The Sea Org / Cadet Org
[4] Scientology luxury cruise ship remains locked down; Cult put thousands at high cancer risk
[5] BBC NEWS | Europe | Germany moves to ban Scientology
[6] Authorities in Belgium raid Church of Scientology - Wikinews, the free news source


Anonymous: Project Chanology Information:
— Are you ready to Go Anonymous? Fight the Church of Scientology - Ask us Why
— Stop Scientology Abuses | You Found The Card
— Why We Protest
— Scientology Activism and Organization | Enturbulation.org
— Project Chanology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia