Scientology in France
[14] In 2005 the municipal government of Paris passed an official resolution so that unlike in Marseille, celebrity Scientologist Tom Cruise would never be made an honorary citizen, specifically because of his affiliation with Scientology.
[15] The 2006 riots in France came in the midst of a parliamentary commission in charge of examining the influence of cults, particularly on youth, which started its hearings on July 12, 2006, and was scheduled to be completed in December that year.
Georges Andreux, the head of the French Church of Scientology was convicted at the same trial and given a suspended one-year prison sentence.
On November 22, 1996, the leader of the Lyon Church of Scientology, Jean-Jacques Mazier, was convicted of fraud and involuntary homicide, fined 500,000 francs and sentenced to eighteen months in prison for his role in the 1988 death of member Patrice Vic who committed suicide after going deeply into debt to pay for Scientology auditing sessions.
[24] Scientology's Office of Special Affairs was found to have interfered with the case, including orchestrating an operative to approach François Mitterrand's staff and get the remanded defendants released prematurely, without notifying the judge.
They demanded to know who was responsible for drafting the legislation with an amendment removing the legal power to dissolve an organisation, why the details were not scrutinised and how it came to be approved."
Even if the law was changed immediately, it wouldn't be effective retroactively, basically giving Scientology a reprieve over the threat of having their organization dissolved.
[36][37] In his indictment, investigating judge Jean-Christophe Hullin criticized what he called the Scientologists' "obsession" with financial gain and practices he said were aimed at plunging members into a "state of subjection".
[37][40] According to Catherine Picard, head of the French Association of Victims of Cults, the fining might encourage more "unhappy Scientologist recruits" to bring out their concerns.
According to Olivier Morice, a lawyer for the civil plaintiffs, "The court told the Scientologists, in essence, to be very, very careful, because if you continue to use the same methods of harassment, you won't escape next time".
[40] Georges Fenech, the head of MIVILUDES, said that the court "condemned [the French branch of Scientology] as an entity ... due to its fraudulent way of operating ... [If] they begin swindling again, they can be subject to dissolution in the future".
[36] Fenech added that, "[this] is a historical turning point for the fight against cult abuses", and that, while members are "allowed to continue their activity ... a seed has been planted".
[41] Kaja Bordevich Ballo, a Norwegian student in Nice, committed suicide hours after hearing the results of a negative Scientology personality test.
[47][19] In April 2024, Scientology opened a new €33 million 'Ideal Org' in the Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris after several years of legal battles with the municipality and a petition signed by 30,000 local residents who opposed the move.
[49] French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo described the event as "the manufacturing of a propaganda film that will be distributed around the world" and Scientology's security response as "omnipresent" and "paranoid".
