Lawyer for Scientology Attacks Position of France: Le Figaro, France
Jun 22nd, 2009 | one response
The ongoing battle in the streets of Iran isn’t the only political-religious clash going on.
For Scientologists, perhaps the most pressing current conflict has been taking place in a Paris court. Seven French members of the group, the organization itself and its bookstore have been charged with organized group fraud and illegal use of pharmaceuticals. Scientology frames the case as a thinly-veiled attack on organized religion.
According to this news account by Angelique Negroni of France’s Le Figaro, Scientology’s lead attorney – one of France’s best – ‘threw every argument he had’ into his closing statement last week.
For Le Figaro, Negroni writes in part:
“The defense’s closing speech was Scientology’s last chance and lawyer Maisonneuve threw every argument he had to try and convince the court. After prosecution’s closing argument on Monday, which would amount to a death penalty for Scientology in France since it demands the dissolution of its two flagship strictures – the star of the Paris Bar did everything he could to defend the organization. It was a perilous mission, as the indictment which accused Scientology of nothing less that carrying out a monumental organized group fraud was still clear in people’s minds.
“But Patrick Maisonneuve, who was the organization’s champion in 1996 during a major trial in Lyon, knows what he’s doing. In fact, he is such an expert he offered an international dimension. A mini-world tour of cleverly chosen destinations which permitted him to show the extent to which France is taking an isolated stance on the issue. He reminded everyone that Scientology is registered as a religion in the United States, Portugal, Quebec and, as of 2008, in Spain.
By Angélique Négroni
Translated By Alexandra Griffiths
June 17, 2009
France – Le Figaro – Original Article (French)
The defense’s closing speech was Scientology’s last chance and lawyer Maisonneuve threw every argument he had to try and convince the court. After prosecution’s closing argument on Monday, which would amount to a death penalty for Scientology in France since it demands the dissolution its two flagship strictures – the star of the Paris Bar did everything he could to defend the organization. It was a perilous mission, as the indictment which accused Scientology of nothing less that carrying out a monumental organized group fraud was still clear in people’s minds.
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One Response to “Lawyer for Scientology Attacks Position of France: Le Figaro, France”
COS is only registered as a religion in the USA because they extorted the IRS– only the IRS considers them a religion and that is only because they caved in from the pressure of over 2,000 lawsuits. Most of us in the States know it is a cult and know it is a fraud. We are protesting it in the USA and bringing the IRS's corruption to light. We are sorry for this mess we have created in America which has foisted itself onto the world, and we are doing our part to try to clean it up and expose it.
In fact, in the St. Petersburg Times coverstory this Sunday, the COS extortion of the IRS is brought to light, as well as the fact that the COS is run like Goodfellows– the executives on the top beat the crap out of lower level executives– is that a religion? Only a idiot or someone profiting from the idiocy would say so.