At the border of Belgium and France, gendarmes from the nearby village of Aulnois approached to find out what was happening. Such incidents became a regular feature of the marathon: The very next day, another two gendarmes waited on the road to welcome runners.
The government-appointed head of the “interministerial mission” is a politician with a long record of active discrimination against religious minorities, who had resigned his government positions in 1992 and had left France for a period in the wake of a financial scandal. A single quote from this new appointee reveals the disturbing extent to which the French government is preparing to institute control of religious beliefs and practices, despite the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Criticising the Americans for permitting “a liberty without limits” in religion, the “interministerial mission” head told the publication Reforme that “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution of 1791 prohibits legislators from making laws on proselytisation—while this should be the very field legislators should regulate!” In like vein, the Justice Minister has written to all courts in France urging their cooperation in “anti-cult” efforts. Despite his letter and the parliamentary commission report which made guilt a matter of assumption instead of proof, in January 1999 the Justice Court of Aix-en-Provence threw out allegations of child abuse against members of The Family.
Government-instigated religious intolerance has resulted in members of religious minorities being denied employment. Public school teachers have been dismissed despite years of excellent service because they are Jehovah’s Witnesses. The City of Lyon forbade any group listed in the parliamentary commission’s report to use public facilities. Even a Roman Catholic theatrical group was almost bankrupted due to the refusal of theatres to present its shows. Against this background, the European Journey for Religious Freedom entered France to reawaken support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all it stands for.
| Previous | Glossary | Contents | Next |
| Your View | Related Sites | Bookstore | Home Page |
© 1999-2004 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.
For Trademark Information on Scientology Services.
