ORGANISED
ABUSE &
HARASSMENT
The different types of abuse
in the modern world – stalking, bullying and social media.
Techniques of
harassment
Common tactics
Immediately call the police or other authorities for help of you experience
any of these:
- Physical stalking – following someone on the street or internet. This can involve name calling, verbal abuse and threats of violence. They may stalk on the street and follow victims. Be aware of what is posted on social media about your life and especially location.
- Gossip and lying – abusers often make false allegations about their victims. It is meant to isolate them from others. People may not know who to believe. The victim may not be aware of all the false allegations that have been made. By the time the victim discovers the hate campaign it may have become a serious situation that is hard to resolve.
- Manipulating social connections – through gossip (word of mouth or social media) the workplace, school, neighbours, shops and services can all be involved.
New technology
Social media, AI and the internet create a larger capacity for bullying, extortion and abuse. New technological advances are being dealt with by changes to the law to protect victims. The situation has constantly evolving ethical issues and therefore legal developments to prevent exploitation and abuse.
- Technological harassment and bullying – this is a modern technique to harass someone in every area of their life. This involves using social media and other websites to bully someone. The abuser makes false allegations about the victim. It can go as far as circulating someone’s photo, name and address. This can lead to local street harassment, bullying from the general community as well as online abuse.
- Victims can be tracked on social media. Phones can be used to constantly update the victim’s location and this allows people to follow them on the street. This makes the group seem more powerful than they are. The idea is create the impression that there is no escape and everyone locally is involved. Collecting evidence is important. Some organisation have many members and unknown offenders need to be identified by the police or on social media.
- The online abuse can escalate. It can be very dangerous for the victim, even though every word of the gossip is untrue. There have been cases that have ended with in tragedy. Many teenage suicides have been attributed to bullying at school but now victims are unable to escape bullying in their own home due to social media.
Further Examples
- China and the cultural revolution – the forced denouncing of friends and family members was common practise.
- The security services use various techniques to follow and harass targets. The knowledge that they are under constant supervision is a restraint and punishment.
- Scientology and is well known to harass former members who speak out. They harass in every area of someone’s life, including street harassment. It is part of church doctrine to punish dissent to silence public criticism.
Fair game
The term fair game describes policies and practices carried out by the Church against people they perceive as their enemies. Hubbard established the policy in the 1950s, in response to criticism both from within and outside his organisation. Individuals or groups who are “fair game” are judged to be a threat to the Church and, according to the policy, can be punished and harassed using any and all means possible.
Hubbard and his followers targeted many individuals as well as government officials and agencies, including a program of covert and illegal infiltration of the IRS and other U.S. government agencies during the 1970s.
They also conducted private investigations, character assassination and legal action against the Church’s critics in the media. The policy remains in effect and has been defended by the Church of Scientology as a core religious practice.
SCIENTOLOGY
Scientology employs tactics to intimidate like:
Noisy investigations
Scientology hires private investigators to hound targets.
Fair game
This tactic involves harassing perceived enemies, using aggressive over-litigation to crush opponents.
Disconnection
This is a standard procedure to cut off critics from family and friends within Scientology.
Key Tactics
These tactics are used to silence critics, control members, and suppress negative information. This often involves character assassination, legal pressure, and isolating individuals to maintain internal control and project a specific image.
- Noisy Investigations: Using private investigators to contact a target’s friends, neighbours, and colleagues, falsely claiming the target is a criminal to intimidate them and damage their reputation.
- Fair Game Policy: An established, though officially disavowed, policy allowing the use of any means to punish or harass perceived enemies, including infiltration, legal action, and private investigations.
- Aggressive Litigation: Abusing the court system with numerous lawsuits (libel, copyright, religious discrimination) to bankrupt, harass, and silence critics, leading to classifications of the Church as a vexatious litigant.
- Disconnection: Forcing members to cut off all contact with family or friends who criticise the Church, isolating them and making it harder to leave.
- Character Assassination: Spreading negative information or false accusations about critics to discredit them.
- Intense Internal Control: Using practices like “auditing” (a form of counselling with an E-meter) and secrecy (like Xenu teachings) to foster dependency and obedience, making members reliant on the organisation.
Examples & Impact
- Critics, including former members, describe being subjected to surveillance, harassment, and legal battles after leaving.
- The “Anonymous” hacktivist group’s “Project Chanology” protested these tactics, highlighting disconnection and secrecy through large-scale, masked demonstrations.
- Court documents note the Scientologist’s “extraordinary, malicious, wanton, and oppressive conduct” in using lawsuits to destroy opponents.
These tactics aim to enforce loyalty, punish dissent, and control the narrative surrounding Scientology.
Tax exempt status
Before receiving tax-exempt status in 1993, the Church of Scientology owed the IRS a massive amount, reportedly up to a billion dollars, which was settled by paying a one-time fee of $12.5 million to end decades of litigation, according to The New York Times and Fortune. Key Financial Insights
The Church of Scientology has accumulated massive profits and assets, estimated to be valued at approximately $1.75 billion in book value as of 2015, with a significant portion tied up in global real estate. The organisation’s wealth accumulation is a central point of criticism, with former members and critics describing it as a “hugely profitable global racket.”
Tax-Exempt Status: In the United States, Scientology gained full tax-exempt religious status from the IRS in 1993 after many years of litigation. Scientology used harassment tactics on government officials personally to gain this status. This status means the church does not have to publicly file detailed annual tax returns and saves tens of millions of dollars in potential income taxes annually.
Revenue Streams: The church’s income primarily stems from two sources:
- “Fixed Donations” for Services: Members pay significant fees, often termed “fixed donations,” for auditing (counseling sessions) and training courses. Auditing sessions can cost hundreds of dollars per hour, and progression through the various levels can cost thousands of dollars.
- Major Donations/Fundraising: The Church raises substantial funds through events and appeals to its wealthy members. High-profile celebrity members such as Tom Cruise and Nancy Cartwright have reportedly donated millions of dollars over the years.
Estimated Figures: Due to the lack of public financial reporting in the US, revenue estimates vary and are often based on information from former members and financial experts:
- Annual revenue estimates from a 2008 report ranged from $500 million to $550 million.
- More recent estimates (2015) suggested annual receipts of around $200 million, with about $125 million from services and the remainder from donations.
Assets and Real Estate: A large majority of Scientology’s wealth is invested in a vast global real estate portfolio, including major properties in Clearwater, Florida, Hollywood, California, London, and New York. In Australia, the Church’s assets nearly tripled between 2013 and 2019 to over $172 million.
Financial Practices and Controversies
Founder’s Profits: Auditing in early court documents revealed that L. Ron Hubbard and his family received substantial remuneration and personal use of church earnings.
Business Model: Critics argue that Scientology operates with a “for-profit business” model disguised as a religion, emphasising a “hard sell” approach to its services and materials.
“Freeloader Debt”: Members who join the Sea Org (a religious order within Scientology) often work for minimal pay but receive services; if they leave the organisation, they may be charged with a “freeloader debt” to cover the cost of the services they received.
Legal Spending: A significant portion of the church’s income has historically been spent on extensive litigation to defend itself against lawsuits and critics.
Article written with Google AI
Individuals who get involved in organised bullying
do it for various reasons:
- They are part of organised system, like cults or the military. Military hazing and abuse is difficult to prevent due to the closed system involved. The military are trained to work as a team, especially in a crisis. Informing on a team member is socially punished in closely bonded groups.
- Peer pressure – for example: the cultural revolution in China. People handed over friends and family to group punishment. They were part of a larger system that they believed in and could not defy. Each member of the group did what they needed to do to survive.
- They have been lied to extensively and possibly given fake proof.
- Fear – they have been threatened. Not everyone has the courage to do the right thing under threats of violence or harm. Most people are not capable of violence without military or martial arts training.
- Mob mentality – they feel they are not responsible as an individual but are part of group. The group has made the decision and are accountable for the outcome.
- They are part of a small or closed system and do not fear being caught. The system operates so that no one will inform on anyone else. Each member reinforces the opinion of the group and encourages them in antisocial behaviour.
- They are racist/sexist/homophobic and have regularly harassed other social groups over their lifetime. Popular opinion changes over time, for instance many of the ideas of the civil right movement have influenced the development of law. Some people adapt to social change, others do not.
- They terrorise other members of the group to avoid punishment – organised abuse frightens others into obedience and remaining with the group. They do not want to receive the same level of abuse, so cooperate with the group.
- False complaints are made about the victim until they can not get any help from authorities or at least, believe that. Some abusers have a history false complaints about others as a method of control. Many abusers build up a history of antisocial complaints about them.
- The local authorities can also be part of the corrupt organisation. Some organisations take the time and make the effort to infiltrate power structures. Members of the authority structure therefore ignore or cooperate with organised abuse. For example: some of the French police collaborated during Nazi occupation.
- On a psychological level, some people enjoy abusing others. They seek power over others in unhealthy or antisocial ways. They are often punished by legal systems when they are caught. They may experience social disapproval.
- Some people are kind and accepting of others. They are less likely to give into peer pressure to abuse others. They may be religious or have experienced bullying themselves and show compassion. Some people have decency and courage under pressure and do the right thing, regardless of others’ behaviour. They may be offered positions of trust. They may also be whistle blowers about unethical behaviour.
How to defend yourself from these tactics
- Take video – get proof of harassment. The threat of public exposure makes it difficult to continue to harass.
- Written evidence– keep a diary with dates and times. Keep, copy and store documents, emails and letters. Keep them in a safe place.
- Contact the police – stalking and harassment is taken more seriously now. These cases are known to lead to serious offences such as assault, rape and murder.
- Emotional support – get support from friends and family. There are support services available such as NHS counselling or Victim Support. The internet has many further resources.
- Do not give up – abusive people usually have a history of antisocial behaviour. Report them to the police every time they commit an offence. Keep a diary. The more accurate information the police have, the easier it is to charge them for an offence. A previous history of abuse makes a prosecution more likely. There may be other victims who have reported criminal offences.
- Get legal advice – lawyers provide professional help. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau is free.
- Go to a safe place – your personal safety is the most important consideration. If you are not safe, accept that it is time to leave.
how to free yourself 