Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg Senate Press Office

31st March 2006 / bfi31

Scientology Organisation infringes rights of way Harassment by Scientologists on the street prohibited in the district of Hamburg-Mitte

Threat of 2,500 EUR fine for breach / Close co-operation between the District Authority of Mitte and the Working Group Scientology

Scientology members are no longer allowed to accost, stop or induce passers-by to buy brochures in Mitte, Hamburg's central district. The District Authority of Mitte has banned the Scientology Organisation from carrying out these and similar activities under threat of a 2,500 EUR fine.

The Scientology Organisation has been forbidden to encourage or simply to permit its members

=B7 to accost or stop passers-by, to prevent them from moving on or to induce them in any other way to accept or buy books, magazines or brochures

and also

=B7 to influence passers-by in such a way, in particular by discussions with them, that they enter the premises of the Scientology Organisation on Domstrasse.

In this way the District Authority of Hamburg-Mitte is countering what is sometimes enormous harassment of pedestrians in the city centre. "Every business enterprise has to abide by Hamburg's rights of way - and that applies to the Scientology Organisation as well," commented Markus Schreiber, leader of the District Authority, "we will not tolerate infringements of the rights of way."

Close co-operation between the Working Group Scientology at the Office for Domestic Affairs and the District Authority of Mitte in recent months has allowed sufficient evidence of the above-mentioned behaviour of members of the Scientology Organisation to be collected for such an administrative decision to be taken.

2

The head of the Working Group Scientology, Ursula Caberta, underlined that this administrative act has also been made possible as a result of the vigilance of the citizens of Hamburg: "The Working Group would like to thank everyone who keeps their eyes open when walking through the city centre and informs us or the District Authority immediately of any harassment."

Anyone observing the banned activities still being carried out by the Scientology Organisation in the district of Mitte, including for instance in the city centre, can contact the Working Group Scientology by telephoning 040 - 42886-6444.

For further information about the activities of the Scientology Organisation and the efforts of the Working Group Scientology please visit www.arbeitsgruppe-scientology.de on the Internet.

Additional information can also be found in the various regional reports on the protection of the constitution, since the Permanent Conference of Interior Ministers and Senators of the German Federation and States (IMK) declared in June 1997 that there was actual evidence of the Scientology Organisation engaging in activities directed against the free and democratic constitutional system.

Enquiries may be addressed to:

Ursula Caberta Arbeitsgruppe Scientology / Working Group Scientology Admiralit=E4tsstrasse 54 D-20459 Hamburg Tel: 040 -42886 -6444 Fax:0 40 -42886-64 45 E-mail:fhhags@t-online.de www.arbeitsgruppe-scientology.de

and also to

District Authority Mitte, Press and Publicity Office Sorina Weiland, Tel. 040 - 428 54 2877, E-mail: Sorina.Weiland@hamburg-mitte.hamburg.de

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