Path: netnews.worldnet.att.net!feed1.news.erols.com!howland.erols.net!newsxfer2.itd.umich.edu!uunet!in3.uu.net!news.texoma.com!hammer.uoregon.edu!news1.mpcs.com!anon.lcs.mit.edu!nym.alias.net!mail2news Date: Sat, 23 Nov 1996 04:52:33 -0800 Message-ID: <199611231252.EAA08380@mailmasher.com> From: Louise Organization: http://www.mailmasher.com pseudonymous service Comments: Please report abuse to abuse@mailmasher.com Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Swedish TV news Nov. 21 Mail-To-News-Contact: admin@nym.alias.net Lines: 96 The Swedish national television network TV4 is featuring a series about the scientology war in their news program. This is a translation and transcription. Please excuse any "Swedeisms". ============================================================================== Transcript from the Swedish TV4 "Nyheterna" - the news, November 21st, 22.00 edition. [Picture of McShane] Reporter: This is Warren McShane one of the highest ranking officials of the Scientology movement in the US. That he is here says a great lot. It is a crucial battle fought in Sweden right now. McShane: We will pursue every legal avenue we have, if we have to go to the EU court of human rights we will do that. [Pictures of Scientology representatives entering the parliament building] Reporter: With him is a whole battery of experts and professors from several countries. Invited by the Scientologists they are here to do advanced lobbying. [Interview with Bryan Wilson "Dr. of Sociology, England"] Wilson: I am here as a British scholar, really, who is rather concerned about what has happened to the secret materials of the church of Scientology, which you propably know about. It appears that there is a court order that these are secret and should be sealed, but apparently they have been filed with the parliamentary papers and they are accesible by a wider public. That seems to be a conlict of law, or a confusion - at least, and there seems to be no will to do anything about it, which rather concerns scholars of religion in different countries, my own included. [Closeup of "fingerreading" the NOTs] Reporter: It is the Swedish principle of public access to documents [offentlighetsprincipen] that concerns. Scientology has copyright on their scriptures, but when those were handed over to the parliament by an outsider, the constitution took over the copyright - the material became public. [Pictures of Scientology delegation in parliament building. Voice of Tom Thyblad, head of parliament chancellery] Thyblad: They have told that they experience this as a problem - they have a problem understanding our legislation. They think that copyright is above the "freedom of printing"[tryckfrihetsförordningen]. Reporter: What have you told them? Thyblad: We have told them that the law is what it is, and the only way to change that is to change the legislation, to stop it. [Pictures of Scientologist Håkan Wahlgren looking in file of NOTs, holding a copy of "Freedom" over it, to not see it himself] Reporter: The consequence is this: every day members of the movement are guarding their bible, noone else gets access to reading it. Reporter: Can you explain to our wievers, that might wonder, what is so sensitive about those papers? Why can't one see it? Wahlgren: Well...it might be hard to explain...uhm...er...it is hard to explain, but it is...what can I say...yes, it is sensitive...it is secret...it is stuff that is for, as it reads here [points into "Freedom" mag], those who have reached this spiritual level, that they can read this material. Reporter: Have you done that? Wahlgren: No. Reporter: So you are not even allowed to see theese papers? Wahlgren: No, so I don't want to read this, because if I did it wouldn't be very good. Reporter: What happens if you read the papers whithout having reached the level? Wahlgren: Well, if you encounter things that you can't confront, you can get a little dizzy...in your head....sort off... Reporter: Can you get sick? Wahlgren: Yes, you can. Reporter: Can you die? Wahlgren: Yes you can. [Interview with McShane] McShane: It is a matter of religious belief. Our religion is designed that it is studied at a gradient, and that people that are not ready to see these materials will not understand them. It could be harmful to them spiritually. Reporter: And physically as well? McShane: Naawh...not physically, no, but spiritually. We feel as a matter of religious belief, we have the right to say when our parishioners, or anybode else, would be allowed to see these materials. Reporter: But most religions at least let people study their holy scripts. McShane: And we let people study _our_ religios scriptures - when they are ready for it. News Anchor at TV4: One of the members of the delegation of experts that the Scientologists have invited, is said to be a [Nobel] Peace Prize winner of 1985. Doctors Aginst Nuclear Arms [?] they say they _never_ heard of the man. ====================================================================== *********************************************************** Why I post anonymously: "A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable." HCO PL March 1, 1965 "HCO (Division 1), Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists, The Fair Game Law" ***********************************************************