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"Congratulations Mr. Blüm, on your well deserved award of recognition"

How should one deal with Imperialists?
jW speaks with human rights award winner Norbert Blüm (CDU)

Leipzig, Germany
June 11, 2001
http://www.jungewelt.de
Junge Welt (jW)

(The federal parliamentary and former welfare minister was distinguished with the 2001 Leipzig Human Rights Award on Sunday. Last year it was handed out for the first time as the "Alternative Charlemagne Award.")

F: The European-American Citizens Committee is honoring your courageous appearances as a politician with the Alternative Charlemagne Award. Why does that take courage?

Courage - well, yes, I didn't see it so heroically. It's true that the Scientologists do not exactly deal with their opponents lighthandedly. They have signed instructions which include eavesdropping upon and libelling people. Scientology acts on people's fears. For instance they threatened me by saying they would distribute their dossier on me to television. They've called me all kinds of names in their newspaper: the "Rasputin" of politics, for example. But I don't worry about that sort of thing.

One only has to know that they are unscrupulous, that they have power and that they will use any means publicly.

F: Why are there so few politicians, then, who work against Scientology?

What we are dealing with here is violations of the mind, and those are not so conspicuous. If they were to break someone's arm then everyone could see that, but when the mind is broken, nobody sees that. The Scientologists' control is noiseless.

F: What can politics do about that?

I don't support a ban because that would only make martyrs. I believe that one has to cut the ground from under their feet with information. And do it in such a way that their ship will not pull into port in Germany, as they have planned.

F: Distributing information takes people.

This is not the old scheme of the poor people being defenseless. Here even the rich people are at risk. The Scientologists do not target the recipients of the welfare system as much as they do management levels. They are looking for people who want to be successful and who therefore will accept Scientology's psycho-offerings without any criticism. Moreover I think students are also at risk.

F: Why?

Because, as a rule, academics want to improve.

F: You have described the Scientologists as new Imperialists. What then would conventional imperialism be for you?

Imperialism strives for domination. Imperialism as we know it from history, colonization, deals with the conquest of countries and populations. This time we are dealing with the inner life of people. They are not being bound in chains, but are being made dependent upon psycho-technology.

F: But advertising also appeals to people's inner lives. Business binds people as consumers. Isn't that also a form of dependency?

If Scientology were as harmless as advertising, I would have nothing at all against it. In Scientology, people are made to heel with so-called auditing, that is interrogation technology. Comparing that with advertising is rationalizing it.

F: Isn't it also rationalization, in reverse, to compare Scientology founder Hubbard with Hitler, as happened on Sunday at the award ceremony?

I do not compare Hubbard to Hitler. I only compare their totalitarian systems. Scientology's ideology is totalitarian. We, the opponents of Scientology, are being compared to Hitler in America because we warn against Scientology. The word has to be gotten out - parents, company management, and also students.

Interview: Anna Lehmann


Norbert Blüm receives Human Rights Award

Former federal minister honored in Leipzig for his involvement against the Scientology organization

Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
http://www.lvz-online.de
Leipziger Volkszeitung

Leipzig. Things had finally settled down for Norbert Blüm. As a simple CDU federal parliamentary representative, he is no longer so much in the limelight of publicity as he was in the days of being the federal labor minister. But yesterday the cameras were again pointed at the 65-year-old man. Blüm received the "Leipzig Human Rights Award" in the Old Stock Exchange. He was honored for his involvement against the Scientology Organization. Blüm was the only federal minister so far who had gotten publicly involved with Scientology's "new totalitarianism," as the sect commissioner of the Berlin-Brandenburg Church, Thomas Gandow, read in the decision.

Rev. Gandow is a founding member of the European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. This committee is active against new totalitarian movements and functions as the body responsible for the award. The first of these was bestowed last year. Back then the bestowal of the Aachen Charlemagne Award to U.S. President Bill Clinton was met with protest. "Clinton had not done anything for the European unification process," explained Leipzig resident Solveig Prass, who is a member of the international citizens committee. During Clinton's term in office the U.S. administration even exerted pressure on Germany and France to recognize Scientology as religion, said Gandow. For that reason the Citizens Committee founded an "Alternative Charlemagne Award," which was presented to the American Robert S. Minton. The millionaire was recognized for his financial legal assistance to those who had suffered loss from Scientology. The "Alternative Charlemagne Award" now lives on as the "Leipzig Human Rights Award."

Blüm has already been attacked both verbally and in court by the Scientologists. So far without success. That never stopped him in Spiegel magazine, for example, from accusing the Scientologists of "psychological warfare" or getting an order to stop them from running private employment agencies, Gandow remembered. He said that Blüm was the only high-ranking federal politician who had expressed himself publicly against the religious community. It said in the award basis that the the distinction should help support politicians in their efforts "to put an end to the human rights violations that are being committed by the Scientology organization in the USA and in Europe."

Blüm has also looked after the sect's victims. He made contact with trade companies in Zwickau who had been done out of their money by Kurt Fliegerbauer, real estate dealer and professing Scientologist.

Leipzig was chosen by the Citizens Committee from among several European candidates for the award site. "A totalitarian regime has already once been brought to collapse from Leipzig," stated Solveig Prass. For that reason the award continues to have a picture of the Nikolai Church*.

In the meantime, Scientology Church Germany, Inc. has attacked the human rights award as "cynical mockery of the most elementary basic rights and of the East German civil rights movement." Behind the Award stood "a dubious clan of fanatical religious discriminators," according to the Scientologists.

Andreas Friedrich

*Nikolai Church: where East German civil rights demonstrators assembled before The Fall.


 

Human Rights Award for Blüm

Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
http://www.bremer-nachrichten.de

Leipzig/Goettingen (dpa) Ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm (CDU) received the human rights award of the European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. The German politician's spirited efforts for human rights and religious freedom in the discussion with the Scientology organization were honored with the "2001 Alternative Charlemagne Award."


Norbert Blüm receives "Alternative Charlemagne Award" for human rights

Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
Remscheider GA

Leipzig (dpa) - ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm received the human rights award from the European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA in Leipzig.

His spirited efforts for human rights and religious freedom in the discussion with the Scientology organization were honored with the "2001 Alternative Charlemagne Award." Blüm moreover distinguished himself exemplarily with his involvement in at risk nationalities and ethnic minorities, it was also said.


Blüm receives Human Rights Award in Leipzig

Leipzig, Germany
June 4, 2001
http://www.freiepresse.de

Leipzig (ddp-lsc). On June 10, Germany's former Labor Minister Norbert Blüm (CDU) will be distinguished with the human rights award from the "European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA." Blüm is being honored because of his spirited involvement in the discussion with the Scientology Organization and because of his concern for human rights and religious freedom, the Citizens Committee said on Sunday.

Blüm was the only German federal minister so far who has had the courage to gain knowledge of the facts and make a personal effort to publicly come to terms with the Scientology Organization, read the basis of the award decision. His clear words, the award continued, encouraged those people who had felt the effect of the Scientology Organization, and he had also set the standard for the politics of the day for his fellow politicians. (Internet: http://www.leipziger-preis.de)

 


Distinction for Ex-Minister Blüm

Berlin, Germany
May 31, 2001
Bild-Zeitung

For his commitment in dealing with the Scientology organization, former federal labor minister Norbert Blüm (CDU) is to be honored with the Leipzig Human Rights Award. The uncompensated award will be presented at a ceremony on June 10 to the 65 year old man.


Blüm receiving "Alternative Charlemagne Award 2001" Leipzig, Germany

February 26, 2001
Berliner Zeitung
http://www.BerlinOnline.de

Leipzig. Norbert Blüm is to be recognized with the "Alternative Charlemagne Award 2001." The CDU's federal representative in Parliament is receiving the award because he has implemented and "championed human rights and religious freedom in the discussion with the totalitarian Scientology Organization." (KNA)


http://seite1.web.de/show/3A995C03_1.DP1/?id=V10-010226-07960-10

Norbert Blüm receives "Alternative Charlemagne Award" for human rights

dpa 25.2.2001

Leipzig - Ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm will receive the human rights award of the European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. Blüm's efforts in the discussion with the totalitarian Scientology organization are being honored with the 2001 Alternative Charlemagne Award, as stated by the association in Berlin. The distinction is to be awarded in early summer at a ceremony in the Fair City.


Movie Presentation

Peter Alexander: "Der Prophit"

June 9, 2001 at 3:30 p.m. in Leipzig

The movie by American producer and former Scientology-Thetan (not to be confused with the German hit singer) had his world premiere at the Cannes film festival. http://www.theprofit.org

The movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. at the close of the press conference (June 9 at 2 p.m.) with which this year's Leipzig Human Rights Award http://www.leipziger-preis.de will be introduced.

2001 Award winner: ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm. Award ceremony and reception on Sunday, June 10, 2001.

The movie shows the rise and growth of a psycho-cult.

The production was massively obstructed by Scientology. The author, Peter N. Alexander, is a former management member of Scientology

"The Profit" tells the story of a cult leader and his rise to power - with the single goal of making profit. In the movie his name is L. Conrad Powers. Power's way begins with his release from the army after the Second World War. He is left without money and joins a Satanic cult. There he finds his wish to found a system similar to Satanism, one with which he can actually attain total control over men and women but which reaches a far larger market.

Powers runs into research on hypnotic regression, renames it "SciMind: The Breakthrough Psychotherapy for everyone" and publishes it as a book. In this book Powers asserts that he can create the state of perfection: a human being with perfect understanding.

The book becomes a best-seller and Powers makes his final breakthrough in the 1960s: he founds his own religion, the "Scientific Spiritualism Church." A famous celebrity joins the group and helps him to succeed.

Very quickly Powers gets in trouble with the tax offices, has to flee, then develops conspiracy theories. He feels like he's being shadowed and eavesdropped upon by the government and starts a counter-offensive with his own secret agents.

His paranoia climbs from year to year. He disappears, but continues to lead his church. Now he's giving his lectures by tape recorder. He succeeds in expanding his Scientific Spiritualism Church over the entire world. Powers also manages to make his original dream come true: he wins total control over men and women in that he promises them the secret of eternal life.

Why does Scientology protest against this film? Similarities to existing organizations, groups and "churches" were intended by the author of the film, Peter N. Alexander, former Thetan in Scientology.


 

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