18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper The story of an 18 year old ex-scientologist was published in yesterday's GT (Göteborgs-Tidningen), one of Sweden's larger news papers. Here is a link to the aricle (in Swedish): Livet i sekten rena tortyren - GT.se - Senaste nytt | Expressen - Nyheter Sport Ekonomi Nöje Below is a slightly brushed up Google translation: Life in the cult pure torture Scientology is considered one of the world's most dangerous cults. 19-year-old Patrik Andersson of Gothenburg has grown up with the Scientologists. - This is what I regret most in my life. I will never go back. Patrik is sitting in the kitchen of his mother's apartment in Gothenburg. On the table there is coffee, biscuits and cigarettes. - It's luxury that there is food in the fridge and to get a whole night’s sleep. I am not used to that. Six months ago, life looked very different. Patrick stood and washed dishes in the basement of the Scientologists’ Saint Hill College in England from eight in the morning to eleven at night. - I was to be punished and the people who were my friends walked past me without talking to me. Their eyes were completely empty. It was like I was dead. His mother, Kristina lights a cigarette. - It is pure torture. I am extremely pleased that you managed to get away from the cult, she says indignantly. "I was driven to madness" Last autumn, Patrick escaped from the Scientologists. He packed a small bag, passed cameras and security guards and ran through a forest to get to a train station. - I had to end it. I was driven ever closer to madness. Patrick came to England when he was 16 years. Patrick's father, who is a Scientologist, wanted him to work and study the most advanced technology. - I have always looked up to dad and he was very disappointed when I ran away. That was why I went back again, before I broke with them for good. Patrick was only eight years when he began at Studema in Stockholm, a private school where L. Ron Hubbard's texts are frequently studied. Nevertheless, he describes his childhood as fairly common. Lived very isolated - But in England it was very extreme. We lived in isolation and met with almost no "wogs", ie other people. Patrick takes a paper and draws and explains. The members in England are strictly segregatad according to the hierarchy and are forced to work very hard to sell materials and recruit people. The salary was around 100 kronor (about €10 or $12) per week and sometimes they had to stay awake for several days. They were almost never off duty. - We also got very little to eat and the food was awful. Breakfast could be toast, but no butter and cornflakes without milk. The criticism is rejected by the Scientologists in England. - We have a five star restaurant with a chef who has an international reputation. It is an excellent place to eat, says Graeme Wilson, press officer. "Difficult to address criticism" He also says that it is difficult to respond to criticism from one individual. - All who come and study at the Church of Scientology Saint Hill is required to sleep and eat right. There are guidelines in "Students Guide to Acceptable Behavior", says Graeme Wilson. The rest of the criticism they choose to not comment on. Patrik says that students are forced to take a lot of courses, undergo testing, answering detailed questions about their lives and reveal their most private thoughts. - It is a very effective way to brainwash people. Patrick was good at selling materials and rose quickly in rank. He recruited a total of 14 new members. - It's very tragic. Some of them are still in. Scientologists were very reluctant to let Patrick leave and says now that he owes 60,000 kronor (about €6000 or $6500) for the courses he completed. - I have calculated that I worked 9650 hours for them at one and a half years. I do not owe them anything. Broken completely with the father He has now broken completely with his father and acquired an unlisted telephone number. But the emails continue to roll in from the Scientologists. Are you not afraid to tell about this? - No, I'm not afraid of them. I hope I can help someone by telling. Now I look forward to start school and recover things I missed. Scientology was created by L. Ron Hubbard
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper "We have a five star restaurant with a chef who has an international reputation. It is an excellent place to eat, says Graeme Wilson, press officer." Yeah, for visitors I'm sure. Not staff or RPF though. I'm sure it doesn't take an internationally renowned chef to make rice and beans.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Thx for speaking out and breaking away from this abusive cult. There are so many similar stories by exes, the truth is out, Scientology, its RPF labor camp and labor abuses need to be shut down for good. Police and legal authorites everywhere need to prosecute these crimes and many others. They owe you for labor abuses, there should be no such thing as their freeloader debt. Your life has improved already, good luck going forward.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Oh Shit!! They have a CHEF!! We dont stand a chance now later everybody
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper anyone know who this chef is? i mean if he has "an international reputation", that implies he is internationally known.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Good on him for getting out and speaking out! Also good to see moar bad press for the CoS in Sweden. Studema school = the Applied Scholastics franchise in Stockholm. Here's hoping this'll help in the debate to get them banned.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Psykologen: Sekten farlig för både hälsan och ekonomin - GT.se - Senaste nytt | Expressen - Nyheter Sport Ekonomi Nöje another ex comments...
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Also I wonder how they got this so called "5 Star rating" Restaurant rating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Translation.. "Psychologist: The cult is dangerous both to your health and economy" Gothenburg. Psychologist Håkan Järvå is a defected scientologist who works with helping other defectors. - They control their members in a most elaborate and systematic way, he says. Håkan Järvå was a member for eight years and recognizes well Patrik Andersson's description. He [Järvå] has also been at The Saint Hill College [sic] and been forced to work very hard. "It's slavery" -It's slavery. You get starvation rations, no time off and the conditions are completely unhumane, Håkan Järvå says. He describes the movement as enormously elitist and says that scientologists often look down on other people, which they call "voggs" [sic]. - There's a lot of bullying and all undesired behavior is punished very severely. You live in constant panic of being ostracized and there's an isolation unit at Saint Hill that could be compared to a concentration camp. Scientology considers itself spiritual guidance but Håkan Järvå claims it is an entirely totalitarian movement. - It's not about religion. There are rules for everything, how to think, and you work a bit like a robot. You become a clone of the cult leader. Is it dangerous to be a member of the Church of Scientology? - Yes, it is. You pay a very high price. It's dangerous both to your health and economy. --- Short, but pretty concise. But hey, GT's a tabloid, so it's not like you'd expect an in-depth report.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper I got really excited when I read "18 Year old Swedish...." Then I read "his" and then I .
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper These articles are both excellent. More info for government and law enforcement to add to their files. More names for the list of ex-sci's who've spoken out.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper AFAIK, the "star" ratings are only given to restaurants that are open to the public, not to private dining rooms. The "celebrity" dining room may have a decent cook (I'll reserve the term "chef" until a name comes up), but the majority of people who eat at St Hill do not eat in the "good" room.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper The food in the S O is only good if stats are up. Most of the time the food is not good . That is if you are able to eat. This kid is dead on Right. it,s sad about his dad I understand.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper "Life in the cult: pure torture" Nice... so to speak.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper great coverage, and another name for "the list" on the wiki!
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper ORLY, Graeme? It's easier to respond to criticism from multiple people than from one? What the hell? I'm calling that out as an attempt at isolating and marginalizing the whistleblower. Those in a position to contact this kid might want to do so and make darn sure he knows about the vast lake of exes who have spoken out, juuuuuuuust in case he starts feeling like a drop who wants to just dry up.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Graeme Wilson is lying again. The Sea Org and staff eat at the staff restaurant, not in the public one he is referring to. The one they eat in is called The Stables and serves different to what paying scientologists get. I know because i've eaten there with Graeme Wilson myself. If you are new or in lower conditions you get even worse food and Graeme Wilson knows it. He s a big fat ginger liar!! (well, skinny cancerous looking one actually.)
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Hmmm brave kid. Labour laws in Europe incl UK are much tougher than US. Minimum wage laws are taken particularly seriously. UK & Sweden both EU members. Loads of bureaucracy, but also loads of support for people who get screwed by their bosses. Track record of youth taking ground-breaking prosecutions all the way the the EU courts. Possible major potential for legal wins!!! Any Swedish or UK lawyerfags out there???
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper I wish I knew swedish so that I could harpoon them about graeme's lies, and how this 18/19 year old ex isn't alone with his story.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Yup, been there myself... The portions were tiny (as in, smaller then kid sized) and really weren't up to much. At the time I didn't know about the conditions faced by the RPF, but trying to function on what we were given was hard enough. Fuck knows how they cope. But yeah, I remember seeing what "public" were getting both in terms of food and service. I also remember the prices they charged in there (think uk motorway service station prices - IE fucking expensive). As for pay: Seems to have gone down if the figure quoted is what he was getting whilst not part of the RPF. Back in 2000 it was supposed to be around £30 p/w, at least according to the goomba who attempted to recruit me for the SO.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper That he is not afraid is testament to the fact that the world has changed for David Miscavige, cult leader. Never again will organised Scientology be able to keep their secrets in the dark as they once did. This is a WIN, my friends.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper His international reputation may very well suck ass.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper The EU doesn't do much in the way of work-condition regulations. Sweden doesn't even have a minimum wage law.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper This. We Swedefags pride ourselves with understanding and speaking English pretty well We should contact the woman who wrote the article and ask if she could forward the info to him. Also: I think it is symbolic that they have taken a picture with him sitting at the computer. He's probably already looking up stuff on the Interwebs to come terms with his experience.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper greame wilson, what a fucking scumbag shit cunt. i hope you read this you lying OSA retard, is this what you bacame a clam for? why don't you put yourself in the RPF and fucking starve you horrible ginger bastard? my face will be in yours when...
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Glad that young man got out when he did and happier still that he is going back to school.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper Goddamn it! I was going to go there. Oh, and speaking of Chef, $cientology worked, and it helped him, just like it did for this lovely lass.
Re: 18 year old Swedish ex-scio tells his story to newspaper I thought also the top rating is four stars?
