Former Scientologists and residents of East Grinstead have joined forces to host an event later this year calling for greater awareness of the church of Scientology’s coercive tactics and growing influence in the town.
The event is set to take place on Saturday 6th June and will provide survivors of abuse within Scientology a platform to share their stories. Cult expert and Honorary Research Fellow at South Bank University Dr. Alexandra Stein, PhD will also be speaking about the efforts of the Family Survival Trust to expand coercive control legislation to further support survivors of spiritual and ritual abuse.
The speakers announced so far include:
Dr. Alexandra Stein PhD, cult expert and Chair of the Family Survival Trust
Alexander Barnes-Ross, former Scientologist and activist
Danielle Chamberlin, who grew up at Saint Hill and served L. Ron Hubbard aboard the Flagship Apollo before being raped as a child by an older staff member.
Bonnie Woods, who won a landmark High Court legal battle after Scientology engaged in a defamatory propaganda campaign against her throughout East Grinstead.
Zoe Hancock, who recently shared her story of being recruited into Scientology as a teenager and groomed by one of the Jive Aces. She also spoke about being tasked with single-handedly flattening the field used as a car park at Saint Hill’s annual IAS event with a pickaxe.
Amir Essalhi, a former executive from the Church of Scientology in Edinburgh who left earlier this month and started speaking out after he was ordered to do hard manual labour as punishment for speaking to an ex-Scientologist.
Stephen Jones, a local resident and former staff member at Saint Hill and
Pete Griffiths, former Scientologist who headed up a Mission in Cumbria.
For those looking to attend the event in person, tickets are available here and cost £12.50. If you would like to pay it forward or contribute towards event running costs, you can donate here. If enough money is raised to film the talk, it will be recorded and broadcast on Youtube for those further afield.
