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Scientology: Close watch by police
Date: Tuesday, 6 August 1968
Publisher: Evening News (Edinburgh)
Main source: link (62 KiB)

Edinburgh City Police are "keeping an eye" on the activities in the city of Scientology, Deputy Chief Constable Robert Campbell said today.

"We are interested in the Scientology Organisation, and we are alive to what is happening," said Mr Campbell.

"The police are keeping an eye on things, and any information that we get from any source, we will note.

"We have lots of information and intelligence about various organisations in the city . . . and so it is with this particular one."

Mr Campbell said the police were "looking into" a complaint made by Councillor Rupert Speyer regarding letters received by a 15-year-old girl who was employed for five weeks by The Scientologists' Publications Organisation World Wide at North-East Thistle Street Lane.

The "Evening News" published the story of the girl, Kathleen Riley (15), of 31 Niddrie Marischal Place, Edinburgh.

Yesterday, Councillor Speyer said Kathleen had received 20 letters through the post which, she claimed were from former workmates. In the envelopes were slips of paper saying: "I disconnect with Kathleen Riley."

Councillor Speyer said today that Kathleen had not received any more letters. Kathleen is now employed by Councillor Speyer and his wife at their dress shop in Shandwick Place.

HALL LETS

Councillor Speyer said he was going to keep at watch on the situation and was considering seeking support to requisition a special meeting of the Town Council to discuss the position.

He said he would oppose the let of any Corporation halls or schools to Scientologists for holding meetings if they should apply.

A request from the Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence, of Queen Street, Edinburgh, for the use of the McLellan Galleries, Glasgow, for a public meeting on Scientology has been turned down by a sub-committee of Glasgow Corporation.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

The Department of Employment and Productivity said in Edinburgh today that they were still not sending people to vacancies at Scientology organisations.

"We have referred the matter to our London headquarters, and will probably be receiving instructions within the next few days," a spokesman said.

The Home Office official confirmed today that foreign students of the cult in Britain are being told to leave.

"Students here for short terms are being told to leave before the end of August, and those who have been here for longer periods are being given two months to settle their affairs and depart," she said.

This decision has been taken following the Health Minister's statement of ten days ago.

Scientology brings in legal chief on Vic. ban

By MAX BEATTIE

Scientology's world legal chief - Mr. Charles Parselle - has arrived in Melbourne to challenge the Victorian ban on the movement. With him is an English QC, Mr. Peter Pain.

"We want to issue a writ," Mr. Parselle - wearing a Geelong Grammer old school tie - told me yesterday.

He agreed this would logically mean a writ against the State Government, which banned scientology in 1965.
"Anything that can be done legally, we will do," he said.

A final decision to act will probably be made within a week.

Mr. Parselle and Mr. Pain - who is not a scientologist - are consulting local lawyers on the prospects of a court challenge.

Meanwhile, Victoria's top scientologist - Mr. Ian Tampion - says he is planning to deliberately break the anti-scientology law next Sunday.

Charles Parselle (27) is a Rhodesian-born Englishman. He went to Geelong Grammar while his father - Air Vice-Marshal Thomas Parselle, of the RAF - commanded the RAAF Staff College at Point Cook.

It was an exchange posting and young Parselle left Australia when he was 13, after two years here.

 

'Perverted'

He made it clear that any challenge to the Victorian law would be made by attacking the Anderson report of 1965, which described scientology as "perverted."

"This has been doing us a great deal of damage," he said.

He estimated that the Anderson report had been quoted 250 times in the past year by newspapers around the world.

It had been mentioned in the Parliaments of Britain and South Africa, and freely quoted in Canada.

Charles Parselle became a scientologist in 1965, soon after his mother joined the movement.

"The family gave her hell for six months," he recalls.

Then he went along to a meeting "to see what mum was doing." He saw - and became convinced himself.

Not long before Charles Parselle had qualified in law at Oxford. Now he works at the world headquarters of the cult in East Grinstead, Sussex.

 

Challenge

Mr. Tampion has invited reporters, TV crews and MPs to watch him break the law on Sunday.

He has circulated a letter which says: "You are advised that, in an effort to publicly show the anti-religious nature of the Psychological Practices Act 1965, and the manner in which it violates basic human rights, I intend during the afternoon to deliberately and publicly commit an offence against this act."

The "offence" will, he says, take place at a house in Dickens Street, St. Kilda.

Last night, police said they knew of Mr. Tampion's plan. Senior Detective Reg Henderson said they would move if they caught the scientologists breaking the law.

The Victorian group is now know as the Church of Scientology of California in Victoria. It has held services recently at a house in Manchester Street, Hawthorn.

Mr. Tampion said yesterday there were about 1000 Victorian scientologists, including several hundred who were "active".

The sect's founder is an American, L. Ron Hubbard. He moved its headquarters to Britain several years ago.

Scientology brings in legal chief on Vic. ban