RESIDENTS OF ST. PETERSBURG DISLIKE SCIENTOLOGISTS AS NEIGHBORS
SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 19 February 2015
Local residents in St. Petersburg are discontented with the move of an office of the Church of Scientology into the building of a former cinema. Deputies of the Legislative Assembly are drawing up an appeal to the prosecutor's office.
Early in February 2015 it was reported that residents of the St. Petersburg Avtovo microdistrict had opposed the opening of a center belonging to the Church of Scientology of St. Petersburg in the building of a former movie theatre Spring. Unidentified persons distributed on the territory of the microdistrict pamphlets describing the "danger" of Scientology. Residents appealed to the administration of the district.
The deputy head of the administration of the municipality of Avtovo, Artem Savkin, reported that the administration "does not welcome" the appearance of the center, since the religious organization had been a participant in several judicial proceedings and two kindergartens and a school are located in the vicinity of the new center. He said that Scientologists have already visited the school.
"We cannot prevent anybody from going there, but we view this negatively," the bureaucrat said.
On 19 February a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, Vitaly Milonov, reported that he is drawing up an appeal to the FSB requesting they conduct an inspection of the activity of the Church of Scientology. In his opinion, the organization "poses a threat to the constitutional structure of Russia," since "it has been in the forefront of various types of color revolutions."
We recall that, in defending their right to official registration, the Church of Scientology of St. Petersburg went to the European Court for Human Rights. Apparently it was participation in these judicial proceedings that frightened bureaucrats of the district administration. (tr. by PDS, posted 19 February 2015)
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