Van Ruymbeke attacks Scientology
by DAVID DUFRESNE June 1st, 2000 Every file were declared [to the official services] We have nothing illegal.

If they were some things forgotten, we'll repair, that's all," says Daniele Gounord, spokeperson for the cult.

Usually, the cellars of the seat of the Spiritual Association of the Scientology Ile-de-France, Rue Jules Cesar, behind the Bastille in Paris, are a quiet location. There, under neons, it's the heart of scientology machine beating, calmly, most discreetly. Below stairs, a short hall leads to the finance bureau of the cult, the one of administration, those of DSA (Special Affairs Department, ex-OSA, intelligence private services) as well as a room for "purifications". Everywhere, stacked files, boxes correctly stacked... On tuesday may 16th, these locations have known an extreme agitation. Policemen of the Sefti (Section on frauds regarding information technologies) came without having been announced. Raid. For the cult, this is a strong shot. Part of its internal documentation will be seized. And that's not finished. According to our informations, two computers have been seized, as well as two servers. Two servers which, according a source behind the seizure, were "in a small room, hidden behind an electrical cabinet."

Cult's spokeperson Daničle Gounord promised she ignored the presence of both these servers.

Computer Files. Originally, a very small affair. An ex-adept protests against scientology. He's tired to receive lots of cultic publications, despite his departure, and had asked to be erased from its files. Nothing works. The man keeps on receiving them. Receives letters, one handwritten, and things like Ethique et Liberté, the french Freedom magazine, that one which was saying in its february issue to be legal regarding computerized filings. But the cults never did its job about his demand. And the man complains for "privacy violations" through computerized files being kept, for "lying advertisements" and "fraud".

Some weeks later, a second member does the same. Complaints come on the bureau of a first judge, then go to the Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke. That's when the SEFTI comes in, on May 16th in the morning, as was confirmed through a judicial source. Purpose: to check what the scientoloy machines could contain. One contains the cult's accounts, the one of SEL (Scientology libraries), charged to sell books of the dead founder L. Ron Hubbard, and one is linked directly to Copenhagen, cult's center in Europe. Meanwhile, Marc Walter, president of the spiritual association of scientology Ile de France, is arrested, detained for some time, and relaxed later. Besides of his role, justice is interested by the CCDH, the commission of Citizens for Human Rights, whose french office has been for long at his adress, Paris north. A CCDH whose aims, since some thirty years, remains the same:

attacking psychiatry, scientology's enemy number one.

Scientologists, sure. For them, the may 16th raid is an "administrative harrassment", "a benign affair". As a matter of proof, according to Daničle Gounord, diskettes and computers have been returned four days later. Used to judicial proceedings, she plays it down: "we felt that was a routine visit.

Nothing to compare to 1990 raid."- that one finalized at the large Lyon suit, seven years later. "Every files are declared to the CNIL. We have nothing illegal. If they were some things forgotten, wel'll repare them.

That's all"

"Dead Agent Files" The problem is that with Renaud Van Ruymbeke, scientologists fell on a magistrate whose tenacity and harshnness are famous. Unsure then that their optimism could remain great for long, since the police seized not only files about ex-adepts, other files about sympathizers, opponents, signed by the Dept of Special Affairs (DSA). The cult's spokeperson denies it all.

Officially, the DSA is the Public Relations Office for Scientology. Working here, people like Daničle Gounord, and Jean Dupuis, the spokepersons. And more dicreet people, responsible for tax, legal, and investigations affairs.

People able, by instance, to establish "Dead Agent Files", sort of unofficial biographies built from articles and through individual investigations, files used as (as said by Daničle Gounord herself) to discredit individuals. That's how the people having spoken to the american billionaire Bob Minton, strong opposant to the cult, have received a file about him three days after his april travel in paris. That's how the most virulent journalists have the right to be filed. And everything is translated, resumed, sent to the mother company, in USA, with a percentage of "theta", "entheta", good or bad vibrations - and notes with "enemies quoted" 'key sentences", etc.

Into the multinational organization of scientology, the DSA is the heart of the machine, elite's side. In 1990, an internal advertisement disclosed the purposes: "To create a sane environement into which scientology could expand". Officially, on cult's side, one is saying this is all ended. That the cleaning has been done, and that "sensible sections of the DSA" have been dissolved. True? According to many sources, on may 16th, policemen would have also investigated into this, in scientology seat undergrounds.

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