Welcome to the Award Ceremony in Leipzig
by Ursula Caberta y Diaz
Good afternoon, I'm happy that we are back in Leipzig this year
to confer this human rights award upon a person who has distinguished
himself
to a remarkable degree in the battle against Scientology.
But first, it is my honor to bid today's laudator, Robert Minton,
last year's award winner, a cordial welcome to Germany, and to Leipzig -
it is
my pleasure and I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we are
happy that
you could be here, and that you are giving the laudatio to this year's
award winner.
If anyone has already forgotten or, perhaps, does not yet know who Bob
Minton
is, here is a little reminder. For those of us looking from Europe to the
USA,
Bob Minton is our bearer of hope there, a private citizen who has founded
and
supports the Lisa McPherson Trust. Lisa McPherson was a Scientologist who
met
her death in Scientology; her parents, or relatives, fight for her, and
they do
this with assistance from Bob Minton. It is really true that people in the
USA
are envious of Germany, France and Europe. Because they think that awfully
much
is done here against Scientology and they feel like they are alone in the
USA.
But they are not alone; the Lisa McPherson Trust is with them, and at
their forefront
is Bob Minton. Once again, Bob, many thanks for being here with us again,
and
honoring us with your presence, and for giving the laudatio.
And now to Mr. Blüm... Dear Norbert Blüm, speaking
as a Social Democrat, or perhaps I should say, as someone who is still a
Social
Democrat, I am very happy that you have accepted the offer of our human
rights
award.
In this German Federal Republic, there really are only very,
very few politicians who are aware of the risk that Scientology poses.
Even though
it may frequently appear to other countries that German politicians have
been
pledging themselves to the fight against Scientology's cynical system for
years,
or even decades, this, unfortunately, does not entirely correspond to
reality.
Nobody is as aware of this as Mr. Blüm himself, how difficult it is
to make
it clear to the people in politics and to the people in law that we are
dealing
with an association that manipulates human beings, all the while
projecting itself
as a caring, religious community. I'll never forget, Mr. Blüm, when I
went
to look at the news, in my house, in front of my television. I will never
forget
when I was sitting there that evening to watch the news and Mr. Blüm
was
asked about Scientology. A basic piece of legislation on the privatization
of
employment agencies had just been passed, and it had become clear that
this would
let Scientologists write their own ticket to infiltrate businesses, and
Mr. Blüm
was asked what he thought about Scientology.
And Mr. Blüm answered, that in case anyone had forgotten,
Scientology was regarded as a cynical system, a totalitarian system, and
that
the leaders were criminal. I sat there in front of the television and
thought,
Well, Mr. Blüm, that's easier said than done. But working together,
with
your staff of the contemporary Federal Labor Ministry, and with my staff
of the
Task Force on Scientology, we won the legal proceedings against
Scientology together,
and it was very significant, in that phase of German history, because Mr.
Blüm
was the first Labor Minister who had expressed himself in such a clear
fashion.
And unfortunately I do have to say, speaking as a Social Democrat to the
Christian
Democrat, that he was the only minister to have ever done so.
Unfortunately I must say that I was not pleased, as a Social
Democrat, to look out over the Red-Green federal administration in view of
this
theme, and be greeted by a valley of sorrow. We of the committee had to
find somebody,
and there was only one person who had ever been a federal minister,
Norbert Blüm,
to give thanks to for their involvement, and for that we are in your debt.
Thank
you very much. |