n 1995, the “International Year of Tolerance,” the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held its International Seminar on Tolerance in Bucharest, Rumania, May 23 through 26.
Representatives of the Church of Scientology attended and presented evidence about heinous acts of discrimination against members of the Church in Germany. A report was also presented on the broader subject of tolerance and discrimination entitled Religious Toleration and Religious Diversity, by Dr. Bryan Wilson of Oxford University.
Those in attendance from countries across the world expressed reactions varying from concern to outrage over the hatred and intolerance incited and sanctioned by the German government against members of the Church of Scientology. 1995 has seen the publication of blistering international reports censuring German violations of human rights against Scientologists.
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| International human rights bodies have issued reports condemning discrimination and violence against religions and ethnic minorities in Germany. This was the first such censure since World War II. |
Reports Take Strong Positions Against Bigotry
The United Nations Human Rights Commission made its strongest condemnation of human rights violations in Germany since World War II with the release of its annual human rights report. Four pages of the document, released in Geneva, are devoted to human rights abuses and discrimination by government bodies and officials against members of the Church of Scientology.
These included unconstitutional acts by the government of Baden-Württemberg, forbidding jazz; great Chick Corea to perform there because of his membership in the Scientology religion. It also noted incidents of threats and violence:
“In the last two years there have been bomb threats directed at almost every church and mission of Scientology: Hamburg (3), Hanover (2), Munich (2), Ulm (2), Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
“On the 4th of June, 1993, the windows of the building rented by the Church of Scientology of Hamburg and of the vehicles in the parking lot were vandalized and covered with paint.
“On June 12, 1993, the window of the house of a Scientologist was painted with the inscription ’Scientologist pig.’
“In February 1994, the window of a Scientology mission was broken by a stone wrapped in a pamphlet. The perpetrator said he did it to ‘annihilate’ Scientology.
“On the 24th of March 1994 Scientology’s lawyer, M. Wilhelm Blümel, received a fax saying, ‘Attention, your hour has come’ as well as anonymous phone calls.
“Scientology children have also been the target of discrimination. On March 27, 1994, the two children (aged 6 and 3 years old) of Lydia Walter, a Scientologist, were the victims of acts of discrimination at the local kindergarten. ... The children were banished by the rest of the school....” Appendix G
