Thursday, August 13, 2009

Holland Examines Scientology's NarCONon fake front

http://www.revu.nl/nieuws/2009/08/12/=91iedereen-in-dossier=92-bij-scientology-nederland/#more-6410

The SP political party, through MP Arda Gerkens, are set today to ask the Minister of Justice questions on the practices of Scientology Netherlands, and its fake "rehab" center Scientology calls "Narconon" to swindle money out of for drug addicts.

This after an article titled "Undercover in Scientology" was published in the popular news magazine the Revu this week. The SP would like to know why the Data Protection Authority (CBP) does not want to comment, now that the Revu article has uncovered illegal filing practices at Scientology.

The Scientology "Church" Netherlands retains thousands of personal records, sometimes with extensive information, without giving concerned individuals the right to access or correction, and does not grant any requests for removal of this information.

The report was done by Revu journalist Stella Braam, with the participation of journalists and Ivo van Woerden and Zvezdana Vukojevic, going undercover in the "church" that in May this year was indicted in France for running an organized scamming operation. She was amazed at the records department she found. "Students, staff, anyone who has had anything to do with Scientology has their files. Even people who have only bought a book," says the department head. Allegedly there are records of at least 60,000 people.

Scientology, according to the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce, is a publisher. They do not pay minimum wages and do not conform to the government rules for publishers. The Inspection for Employment has now started to carry out research under the Minimum Wage Law, says spokeswoman Suzanne van Gils: "If there is a contract, the employer must pay the legal minimum wages.