V is for Viral Anti-Scientology Protests

This weekend marked yet another protest on Westheimer by a nationwide anti-Scientology group. Once again, the group, who call themselves Anonymous, gathered outside the Houston branch of the Church of Scientology (which happens to be the oldest Scientology mission in the United States), located at Fondren and Westheimer, on the evening of July 12th to protest against what they perceive as a "dangerous cult" with a non-legitimate tax exempt status.

Wearing their traditional Guy Fawkes masks and holding posters decrying the church's motives and teachings, the group of 15 to 20 Anonymous protestors held court at the corner of Fondren and Westheimer for several hours on Saturday evening. This was not the first time that Anonymous protestors have appeared in Houston, however. On Feburary 10, 2008, a worldwide effort saw Anonymous groups in dozens of cities across the globe participating in synchronized protests outside local branches of the Church of Scientology, including the one in Houston. These worldwide protests saw over 9,000 Anonymous members in 50 different cities march to commemorate the death of Lisa McPherson, a "victim" of the church's controversial "Introspection Rundown" procedure.

The group, which has received national and international attention, operates through the internet, without any central leadership, and communicates with its members through both grass-roots efforts and more high-tech, sometimes questionable practices such as Google-bombing to make the Church of Scientology the first result when Googling "dangerous cult" and posting anti-propaganda videos to YouTube.

The protest this weekend was in support of recognition for (or should we say against?) the activities of the church's Office of Special Affairs (OSA), the organization within the church responsible for dealing out punishments against current and former Scientologists when rules are broken, and also for attacking anti-Scientology groups or advocates. There is strong evidence to suggest that OSA operatives engage in a number of illegal activities to this end, such as bribery, burglary and even assaults against church members and non-church members alike.

Will there be future Anonymous protests in Houston? You can almost count on it. It's only a matter of when.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user stevegarfield.