Refuge: Florida The story about the German Scientologist woman who has received alleged political asylum in the USA Berlin, Germany
November 17, 1997 FOCUS 47/1997 [picture subscript]: I am suffering from the false accusations about Scientology - Antje Victore, Scientologist from Germany [picture subscript]: Scientology: the psycho-sect is under surveillance in Germany by Constitutional Security SC-CENTRAL The East Coast headquarters is in Clearwater, Florida The date was well picked. Two days before the U.S. Congress was to vote on whether Germany should be condemned for persecution of the Scientology Organization (SC), the New York Times dropped a bombshell: for the first time a Scientologist from Germany had received political asylum in the USA. Reason:

religious persecution.

The story caused a stir in Germany. The Foreign Office and the Embassy in Washington have been trying in vain to get details. The court responsible in Tampa, Florida, referring to the protection of asylum cases, refused to even verify that the case had taken place.

The alleged asylum seeker is named Antje Victore, 42, nee Pingle.

She has been living since 1995 in Clearwater, Florida, where the East Coast central of the sect is also established. In the USA Antje Victore works as a real estate broker. She used to live in Berlin and raced as a jockey on horse tracks. In the early 90s, she was actually in the vicinity of state prosecution - as a close staff member of top Scientologist Detlef Foullois, who was later convicted of tax evasion.

According to statements from former high-ranking Scientologist Gunther Traeger, Foullois had been participating as a Level 8 Thetan of the highest SC step of enlightenment in the "Clear Germany" plan in which the sect was working out who it was supposed to take over power in the Republic. Foullois, according to Traeger, created Stasi folder with which politicians could be put under pressure.

In Foullois' company "Heilig Werbeideen" in Schwaan near Rostock, Antje Victore was established high up in the hierarchy as the the "Executive Director Expansion." The business flourished:

"In only 6 months we supported Scientology with about six million marks," said an internal memo. Unlike Scientology, however, the treasurer had to run down its money, undelivered goods remained on the books. Business manager Foullois landed in prison.

Whether Antje Victore meant that process when she was talking in Florida about persecution by the state, and whether, according to the statement of the SC intelligence agent Kurt Weiland, who appeared as her spokesman, she also presented twelve witnesses?

When asked by "Focus" about the details of the alleged repression, she referred to "her written statement" which she had sent to "Focus" through Weiland.

It said in her written letter, "I suffered from false accusations about Scientology since I knew they were not true." And more, "What shocked me the most what the total immoderation and the narrow-mindedness with which certain politicians judged my religion."

The fact that the asylum case was publicized right before the vote in Congress was a coincidence, according to SC man Weiland.

The peculiar thing about that is that the decision about Antje Victore's asylum application had already been made on February 28.

[picture subscript]: Spokesman SC member Kurt Weiland gives official information about the alleged asylum-seeker Employer The German top Scientologist Detlef Foullois was convicted for tax evasion.

Authors: A. Kintzinger / U. Wolff

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