Peter Ramsay's Letter to Alan Barclay's Employer

Peter Ramsay
(Ramsay's address)

July 19, 1999

 

(to 4 executives at Alan's employer)

Re: Alan Barclay

Dear Sir,

     I am writing to you on a matter which is of some concern to me.

     I do have a specific reason for sending you this letter and that reason is somewhat in the nature of a complaint. However, I'm going to have to ask that you wade through a couple of pages before I get to my point.

     I have been, since 1972, a parishioner of the Toronto Church of Scientology.

     My faith is characterized, more often than no, as one of the "new" religions. It has been my experience that few of the people I meet know much about it. For that reason, I am sending a book on the subject.

     Approximately two years ago, a man named William Hagglund began to conduct a series of "demonstrations" against my church and my religion. Mr. Hagglund is usually accompanied by two other individuals during these exercises. However, it has been obvious from the beginning that Mr. Hagglund is their de facto "leader".

     Although neither Mr. Hagglund nor any of his regular supporters has had any previous contact with my religion, they have adopted a manner of behaviour towards the subject and its practitioners which is, in my opinion, very bizarre and very antagonistic.

     For example, Mr. Hagglund, before venturing out on his first "demonstration", posted to the internet a statement which read, in part, that adherents of my faith "should be treated as wolves used to be".

     Mr. Hagglund has styled himself as a "critic" of my church and my religion. I would be the first to state that Mr. Hagglund has the right to utter his opinions of my religion - even if those opinions are condemnatory. However, right from the beginning of his campaign he strayed from criticism to harassment.

     He and his followers have baited and verbally harassed both staff members and parishioners of my church. Children of parishioners and staff have also been harassed.

     On one occasion, Mr. Hagglund attempted to run infiltrators into one of our annual events.

     He and his crew have also surrepticiously taken photographs of staff members and parishioners of the local church, placed such on Mr. Hagglund's website and requested information about them.

     He has also pulled this same stunt with photographs of some children of parishioners of my church.

     Additionally, officials of my church have had to deal with a bomb threat and an assault committed on one of our staff members. In my opinion, both of these incidents were the result of some of the inciteful literature which Mr. Hagglund had been handing out.

     Mr. Hagglund's actions and those of his supporters were so obviously harassive in intent that officials of my church were forced to hire a duty officer of the Metro Toronto Police to oversee his group during their "visits".

     The Toronto Hate Crimes Unit was contacted and Mr. Hagglund was investigated and interviewed. The name of the investigating officer is Detective Kijewski.

     While Mr. Hagglund was not charged, his file remains "open" at the Hate Crimes Unit and this visit did prompt a marked change in his behaviour and the behaviour of his supporters - they have become much less aggressive and much less vociferous. Indeed, shortly thereafter, Mr. Hagglund took his website off-line, claiming that his house had been "hit by lightning". Unfortunately, he has put it back up earlier this year - in an altered form.

     I wish to add here that Mr. Hagglund impresses me as the type of individual who learns enough of the law so as to push things as far as he can without crossing the line into obvious criminality.

     Although nowadays we see Mr. Hagglund and his band, at most, once a month and then only in the warmer weather, he remains a matter of concern to me.

     Mr. Hagglund may lay claim to being only a "critic" of my church and religion but I see a much darker side to him.

     There seems to be to be a proliferation, these days, of a type of group which has as its goal the wanton harassment, degradation and/or wanton destruction of some chosen segment of society. I am sure that you can think of many examples - the media seems to be rife with reports of such.

     Unfortunately, we all too often hear of these groups only after one of more of its members has committed some senseless act of violence against its chosen "target".

     It is this very possibility that concerns me about Mr. Hagglund and his group.

     The actions of Mr. Hagglund and his friends, during his early "demonstrations", were very aggressive, as were their commentaries on the Internet. They seemed, to me, to be attempting to provoke some kind of untoward response from the members of my church.

     No such response has been forthcoming over a two year period.

     I fear that Mr. Hagglund or one of his followers may, out of mounting frustration, commit some act of violence.

     I can only state that this is a very real concern of mine.

     Accordingly, I am preparing, at my own expense, a multi-paged high-quality brochure for distribution to the home and business areas of Mr. Hagglund and his allies. The text will feature a summary of the harassment perpetrated by Mr. Hagglund's group. My commentary will be highlighted with quotations taken from their Internet postings - in this regard I have a wealth of material from which to choose.

     I also intend to publish their photographs, their home addresses, their occupations, the names of the companies for which they work and their business addresses.

     It is my assured belief that any person who takes the time to read my brochure will see Mr. Hagglund for exactly what I see him to be - a religious bigot, a purveyor of hatred and a lunatic.

     I would apply the same description to his few supporters.

     It is also my hope that the sight of their own words and deeds in print and the knowledge that their neighbors and co-workers are also cognizant of those same words and deeds will prompt a "change of mind" and that they will go off in search of a less destructive and less unseemly "hobby".

     At least this is my hope.

     Thank you for bearing with me - I am finally getting to my point.

     Mr. Hagglund's faithful "lieutenant" throughout this two year period has been an individual whose name is Alan Barclay.

     Alan Barclay works for you.

     Specifically, Alan Barclay works out of (Alan's employer's location).

     He appears to have some skill - possibly a great deal of skill - in computer technology and certainly shows, from a review of some of his Internet postings, an interest in and understanding of science in general.

     This skill and understanding, in my opinion, is utterly surpassed by his lack of understanding of the humanities.

     And I would add that this lack in Mr. Barclay is rivalled only by his maliciousness.

     Like Mr. Hagglund, Mr. Barclay has had no prior contact with any facet of my religion yet he too seems bent on creating as much of a negative effect on the staff and parishioners of the local church as is possible.

     He has continually referred to adherents of my faith as "clams".

     At the beginning of Mr. Hagglund's hate campaign against my church, Mr. Barclay undertook to spy for him - observing the goings-on at my church and gleefully reporting his interpretation of our activities to his allies on the Internet.

     He has verbally baited staff members of my church.

     He has surrepticiously taken photographs of both staff members and parishioners of my church and posted these on the Internet. He only ceased this activity when it became apparent to him that a charge of criminal harassment was in the offing.

     It is a precept of my religion that certain scriptures are confidential and may only be studied by a parishioner after that parishioner has undergone a thorough eligibility program and has demonstrated a high ethical standard in all areas of his life. Yet Mr. Hagglund, knowing this, has manufactured false versions of these and both he and Mr. Barclay seem to take great delight in passing these out in the street.

     Again, like Mr. Hagglund, Mr. Barclay has extended his harassment of Scientologists to include children. On one occasion, Mr. Barclay approached some younger members of my church who were asking passers-by if they wished to sign their "Say No To Drugs" Honour Roll - this is a drug awareness campaign sponsored by my church. Mr. Barclay began to take pictures of them. When he was asked by the in-charge why he was taking their pictures he replied that he was "with the media".

     When pressed as to what specific media outlet he was with, Mr. Barclay referred them to an anti-Scientology Internet site to which he himself was a regular contributor.

     This in-charge of this small group of parishioners was an individual by the name of (Name) - a friend of mine. At the time of this incident (Name) was fourteen years old.

     I attach some of Mr. Barclay's Internet postings authored under his handle "Artemis". I think that they clearly show Mr. Barclay's demeanour and intent towards my religion and its adherents.

     I would also like to make the obvious point that none of the actions or incidents of which I have written herein - all of which have been documented and forwarded to the Toronto Hate Crimes Unit - constitute, in any way, "criticism" of my faith. Rather, I think it obvious that they all have, as their basic intent, harassment.

     It may be whimsy on my part to think that communication of a complaint to an employer regarding one of its employee's extracurricular activities will result in much. Nevertheless I make the complaint.

     And to it I add these opinions.

     Like most Canadians I know something of (Alan's employer). It is one of Canada's oldest and most respected corporations. In my opinion, Mr. Barclay's activities are so far removed from the ideal which (Alan's employer) represents as to be antithetical.

     Furthermore, I would not be surprised to find that even some of the parishioners of my church were themselves customers of (Alan's employer).

     It is certainly true that Mr. Hagglund's hate group is a small one (four individuals) and that his hatred is directed against a relatively small religious community. But the problem itself is not a small one. Both the Jewish and black communities are finding themselves under increasing attack from intolerant and, in my opinion, insane individuals and groups.

     I have attached a July 19, 1999 Globe & Mail article which discusses this very problem.

     I hold the opinion that corporations have not only an obligation but a duty to speak up when intolerance and hatred is found to be originating from within their ranks.

     These, however, are my opinions - you certainly have the right to form and hold your own.

     I wrote to Mr. Barclay a little over two months ago. In my letter I gave him an ultimatum. I told him that if he did not cease harassing my fellow parishioners with Mr. Hagglund during his sporadic "demonstrations" and if he did not cease making derogatory comments and statements about my church, my religion and my friends on the Internet, then I intended to include him in my educational campaign on Mr. Hagglund and his activities.

     Mr. Barclay declined my offer. So be it.

     Specifically, I told Mr. Barclay that I intended to include a section on him in my brochure. His section will detail some of his actions and some of the statements which he has made both on and off the Internet such as those to which I have referred in this letter. I also intend to feature, along with Mr. Barclay's name and photograph, his address, his profession, the name of the company for which he works and his business address.

     I also told Mr. Barclay that I intended to distribute my brochure heavily to the areas of his residence and business.

     I mean to do this.

     Furthermore, I told Mr. Barclay that I would be procuring a public address phone number which would allow members of the public to hear the contents of my brochure on a recorded message. It is also my intention to have manufactured lawn signs which will feature the phone number, the faces of Mr. Hagglund and Mr. Barclay and their friends and the slogan "The Face of Religious Intolerance".

     I told Mr. Barclay that I also intended to distribute my lawn signs heavily in the areas of his residence and business.

     I mean to do this as well.

     Finally, I told Mr. Barclay that, if necessary, I would conduct my own demonstration on (Alan's employer's street) outside the offices of (Alan's employer) and hand out my brochure there.

     And, if necessary, I mean to do this too.

     It is not my intention to become adversarial with (Alan's employer). However, I am convinced that broad public exposure is the only certain antidote to the venom put out my miscreants such as Mr. Barclay and his ilk.

     Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

     I thought that I should at least bring this matter to your attention.

Sincerely,

 

Peter Ramsay