Why We Protest

Anonymous is a cultural phenomenon which began on internet image boards. Many such boards require no registration for posting, and every poster remains anonymous. This format of communication is inherently noisy and chaotic. However, the unprecedented openness made possible by such boards has nurtured the appearance of a unique and persistent culture.

We are a collection of individuals united by ideas. You likely know Anonymous, although you don't know exactly who we are. We are your brothers and sisters, your parents and children, your superiors and your underlings. We are the concerned citizens standing next to you. Anonymous is everywhere, yet nowhere. Our strength lies in our numbers. Our will as a whole is the combined will of individuals. Our greatest advantage is a knowledge of the fundamentals we share as human beings. This knowledge is a fruit of our anonymity.

Anonymous has left its mark on society more than once. Previous Anonymous projects have resulted in the closing of the white-supremacist radio show produced by Hal Turner, and the criminal prosecution of Canadian pedophile Chris Forcand. Anonymous has been called a "Cyber Vigilante Group" by The Toronto Sun and Global News, though in reality we are much more than that.

We are Anonymous. You can be Anonymous, too. Together, we can shape society.

The first official Church of Scientology was founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1953 in the city of Camden, New Jersey. He was assisted by his wife, Mary Sue, and several other of his disciples. By that point, however, the belief system had already been largely developed. The founding of said beliefs can be traced to up to three years previously, to the publication of Dianetics.

The Church is founded on a set of beliefs about mind, body, and spirit that are referred to collectively as Scientology. This set of beliefs contains large elements of Hubbard’s previous self-help regimen, Dianetics, which had enjoyed sizable commercial success when published in 1950.

Anonymous originally chose Scientology as a campaign target because of the events surrounding the now infamous Tom Cruise Scientology video. While the video itself was not enough to spark interest, the untamed aggression of the Church of Scientology to remove it did.

Since our campaign began, Anonymous has uncovered or brought into the public eye hundreds of illegal actions, fraudulent activities, and human rights violations perpetrated by the Church of Scientology.

L. Ron Hubbard was an American fiction writer from the state of Nebraska, known prior to the creation of his religion for his emphasis on science fiction. He received a measure of education from The George Washington University, enrolling in 1930 in the civil engineering program. His academic record was decidedly poor, however, and he was discharged from the school the following year.

From that point on he was primarily engaged in fiction writing exploits. He served as a naval officer during World War II, but not to very much acclaim, being removed thrice from leadership positions as well as being the subject to a disciplinary hearing. He was discharged honorably in 1950 with a promotion and half dozen merits to his name, despite his failure as a commander.

He spent the rest of his life focusing on Dianetics and Scientology, returning only briefly to the realm of science fiction during the latter years of his life.

People have asked, and continue to ask, why we wear masks. The primary reason for the masks is the protection of our identities. After all, how anonymous would we be if we exposed our faces to the world? A second reason is the protection of our lives and livelihood. Due to Scientology's Fair Game policy, we put ourselves at risk socially, politically, and financially when we speak out against this dangerous cult. This is a cult that has a well earned reputation for harassing critics and openly critical ex-scientologists at their homes and workplaces. Taking measures to protect your privacy and anonymity when confronted by an aggressively litigious cult - a cult whose mantra is "Never Defend, Always Attack!" - is a matter of common sense.

An in-depth article on the Fair Game policy can be found at Operation Clambake. A quick summary would state that any person declared Fair Game by Scientology may be attacked by legal or illegal means, and the Scientologist who commits this act may not be punished by the cult for it. While Scientology claims to have ended the policy several decades ago, they did so only in name. The cult continues to practice this policy to this day.

The Church of Scientology, while claiming to be a religion and functioning as such, behaves strikingly like a business and cult. The “fair game” policy, for example, is responsible for the harassment of numerous scientology critics over the years. As L. Ron Hubbard said, concerning suppressive peoples (those who are not in support of scientology):

“The homes, property, places and abodes of persons who have been active in attempting to: suppress Scientology or Scientologists are all beyond any protection of Scientology Ethics, unless absolved by later Ethics or an amnesty ... this Policy Letter extends to suppressive non-Scientology wives and husbands and parents, or other family members or hostile groups or even close friends.”

While this is bad enough in itself, Scientology has also been implicated in numerous fatalities among its members, including the famous case of Lisa McPherson, whose tragic death is remembered at her website (http://www.lisamcpherson.org/).

There have been numerous recorded cases of litigation against people who had attempted to paint the church in a manner that they did not specifically endorse, including Scientology’s attempts at silencing a Time magazine article that referred to them as a greedy and dangerous cult.