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Internet group 'Anonymous' protests outside Scientology centers worldwide

by dashDarling | March 15, 2008 at 02:17 pm

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Thousands of members of the internet group 'Anonymous' are showing that once again they are more than just a bunch of computer geeks that live in their parents basements. That while they may be anonymous online, they have a voice in real life and with that power. This is the second protest in the last two months by members of Anonymous against the cult-like group Scientology.

The Internet group Anonymous today held protests critical of the Church of Scientology.

The global protests started in Australia where several hundred protesters gathered at different locations for peaceful protests.

In a global speech, the internet protest movement said Scientology "betrayed the trust of its members, taken their money, their rights, and at times their very lives." The protesters welcomed the public interest their protests have led to, and claimed they witnessed "an unprecedented flood of Scientologists [joining] us across the world to testify about these abuses." The group said it would continue with monthly actions.

In a press statement from its European headquarters, Scientology accused the anonymous protesters of "hate speech and hate crimes", alleging that security measures were necessary because of death threats and bomb threats. This also makes the Church want to "identify members" of the group it brands as "cyber-terrorists".

Along with the fact that I agree with the protesters, I also see these protests as an important step forward in how people organize such events. Seemingly 'Anonymous' doesn't have any leaders and yet they are able to gain large crowds all over the world and speak their minds as one.

Any new information/photos/videos from individual locations all over the world would be greatly appreciated, and will be added if possible.