The Harm

A teen age boy is facing prosecution for calling the Church of Scientology a cult.

The 15 year old boy was served a summons by London police while taking part in an Anonymous protest against the cult of Scientology.

The police confiscated a placard with the word “cult on it from the teen ager.

The demonstrators where banned from calling the cult a “cult” by police cause the word is “abusive and insulting” (and true)

The teen ager wrote on an anti-scientology site

I brought a sign to the May 10th protest that said: ‘Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult.’ Within five minutes of arriving I was told by a member of the police that I was not allowed to use that word, and that the final decision would be made by the inspector.

Another mimber of Anonomis wrote on the same website

We also protested outside another Scientology building in Tottenham Court Road which is policed by a separate force, the Metropolitan police, who have never tried to stop us using the word cult. We’re completely peaceful protesters expressing a perfectly valid opinion. This whole thing stinks.

A police officer later read him section five of the Public Order Act and “strongly advised” him to remove the sign. The section prohibits signs which have representations or words which are threatening, abusive or insulting.

After the exchange, a policewoman handed him a court summons and removed his sign.

A spokeswoman for the force said

City of London police had received complaints about demonstrators using the words ‘cult’ and ‘Scientology kills’ during protests against the Church of Scientology.

Following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service some demonstrators were warned verbally and in writing that their signs breached section five of the Public Order Act.

One demonstrator continued to display a placard despite police warnings and was reported for an offence under section five. A file on the case will go to the CPS.

Source: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology ‘cult’
Found at Dvorak Uncensored