 "Photo: Caleb Miller")
By William Gest
Daily Texan Staff
A group of masked picketers lined both sides of Guadalupe Street near the Church of Scientology Sunday morning to protest alleged human rights and free speech violations by the church.
The picketers said they were members of Anonymous, an online group that declared a global campaign against Scientology in a YouTube video and claimed responsibility for temporarily blocking access to the church's Web site. The group claims the church violated Internet free speech by requesting the removal of an interview with actor Tom Cruise posted on YouTube. The church said the video was copyrighted.
Anonymous organized similar demonstrations at Scientology churches in Australia and other U.S. cities last weekend.
Protest plans posted on Facebook, Craigslist and other Web sites warned participants to protect their identities, and most covered their faces with masks or scarves. The picketers, composed of young adults, chanted and held signs accusing the church of brainwashing, silencing dissent and exploiting members for profit. Protesters said they feared being identified would lead to harassment, false police reports and placement on a "watch list" of Scientology's enemies.
A picketer who identified herself as Roberta said the church's attempts at "information subversion" brought the free speech-loving users of the Internet out of their basements and onto the streets.
"On the Internet, we can say whatever the hell we want," she said. "We would all rather be at home in our pajamas watching porn."
Mark Plummer, former Scientologist and long-time critic of the church, said the human rights abuses of the church can no longer be covered up.
"Public awareness seems to have changed," he said. "I think the Internet has been a big factor."
The Church of Scientology released an official statement that calls Anonymous "cyber-terrorists," religious bigots and perpetrators of hate crimes.
Cathy Norman, director of special affairs for Austin's Church of Scientology, said she could not make an informed guess about the purpose of the event and that church activities were not disrupted.
"We don't stop serving our parishioners or our community because of cyber-terrorism or other forms of intimidation," she said.
Norman said the church was simply protecting its copyrights by requesting the removal of the Tom Cruise video and that it was not a free speech issue.
A protester calling himself Kyle denied that Anonymous was a terrorist group, saying it is not a group at all.
"There is no one in charge, there are no leaders, there are no rules," he said. "We're just here to say, 'It's our Internet, and stop messing with it.'"
Be the first to comment on this article!