At Saturday’s “Operation: Fair Game: Stop,” Anonymous’ latest installment in a series of monthly global protests, one local member abandoned his ridiculous three-pronged disguise of glasses, a fake nose and a mustache. Instead Mike Vitale wore his name in white letters emblazoned across a black cotton T-shirt. For Vitale, it’s no longer necessary to obscure his face with the cheap gag getup. The Church of Scientology already knows who he is and where he lives. Days before the protest focusing on ...

Meet at the Umbrella Man. 11:00, Saturday. The crowd, wearing British folk-hero Guy Fawkes masks in the style of the book and film V for Vendetta, surrounded the bronze man with a parasol and were heading towards a clash with the disciples of Hubbard and Cruise. “We are Anonymous, we are legion, we do not forget,” they proclaim. The Anonymous, or anons as they’re called in the wiki-shpere and chat rooms, have taken part in sabotage and cyber-disruption and have called ...

In the battle of creepiness, the Church of Scientology scored a decisive win against Anonymous, the shady group of internet hackers and hooligans who have spent the past few months protesting the controversial religion. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reports that Gregg Housh, a member of Anonymous, will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of harassment brought by the Church of Scientology. Anonymous has become well known for protesting in Guy Fawkes masks, inspired by the comic book and movie V ...

A previously covert member of a controversial web-based group called Anonymous is headed for Boston Municipal Court this week to face misdemeanor harassment charges for his alleged role in anti-Church of Scientology demonstrations. In an unusual case pitting First Amendment free-speech protections against an individual's right to practice religion without harassment, Anonymous member Gregg Housh is slated to be arraigned on April 30. Housh, already on probation in federal court, is charged with unlawfully participating in a series of protests between ...

Masked protesters have begun a campaign against the Auckland headquarters of Scientology New Zealand, as part of a worldwide movement against the church. The protest, called Operation Reconnect, was organised by a global group calling itself Anonymous, which began its internet-based "War on Scientology" in January. It aimed to bring together families it says have been torn apart by the church. The latest protest on Saturday was the third of its kind, held across the road from the church's Panmure headquarters. ...

[Picture / Caption: Science friction ... former high-ranking Scientologist David Graham has gone public with his concerns about the religion and what he considers a denial of human rights Helen Nezdropa Photo: Helen Nezdropa] AN AUSTRALIAN man who was a former high-ranking member of the Church of Scientology is calling for the religion to be "totally dismantled" because of the human rights abuses he says it inflicts on its followers. David Graham has gone public after years of keeping quiet when ...

CLEARWATER - The Internet-based group Anonymous held its third protest in about three months Saturday outside the headquarters of the Church of Scientology. Although it started with about 50 people at 3 p.m., the number swelled to about 200 an hour later. Joshua Nussbaum, 20, an organizer, said the point of Saturday's protest was to focus public attention on what he says is the church's practice of ostracizing loved ones perceived as a threat. Elizabeth Daly-Watts, Clearwater public safety spokeswoman, said ...

"David" from the web-based activist group Anonymous talks to Paul about about what he wants from the Church of Scientology: honesty and transparency would do very nicely thanks.

SoCal Anonymous has announced that the DA has decided not to proceed with prosecution in the case of Anonymous member Sean Crasov, who was arrested on Saturday, March 15th, for a charge of "Criminal Threats." Total bail was set at $50,000. Sean "Rorschach" Carasov's arraignment was scheduled for April 9th, at 8:30am. Anonymous is providing a videotape of the incident to authorities, which they believe may contain enough evidence to charge the CoS with filing a false police report. It may ...

The Church of Scientology plans to move into a former Time Warner building on Dublin Road on the Northwest Side, near Grandview Heights. The church has to move out of its Downtown headquarters, 30 N. High St., because there isn't enough room, said the Rev. John Carmichael, president of the Church of Scientology of New York. The new church will be used for Sunday services, classes and counseling, Carmichael said. Plans call for an opening by mid-2009. The church asked the ...

The controversial group has been labeled secretive, inspirational, dangerous and misunderstood. The Church of Scientology? [Picture]Disguised members of an internet-based group called Anonymous protest near buildings associated with the Church of Scientology on Saturday, March 15, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Chris Weeks/AP Photo) No, it's a mysterious group of masked men and computer hackers called Anonymous who say are committed to dismantling the powerful religious organization renowned for its celebrity members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Over the past ...

Moscow, March 24, Interfax - More than 700 activists of Rossiya Molodaya (Young Russia), a youth group, were joined by students and lecturers of Moscow's Bauman State Technological University (MGTU) in a rally on Friday to demand that a Scientologist office located in the vicinity of MGTU be shut down. "Not so long ago, an organization emerged in the vicinity of our university whose main goal is to get MGTU students to join it. The name of that organization is the ...

Many people are desperate for affordable housing in Los Angeles, so much so that there is often a long waiting list for government-issued Section 8 vouchers that help lower the rent for low-income tenants. Since they are so difficult to obtain, more than 250 people jumped at the chance to buy a voucher through a Compton nonprofit despite being charged as much as $1,500 apiece. Turns out those vouchers were fraudulent and those renters are out of luck, the Wave Newspapers ...

Masked protesters led small, peaceful rallies in cities around the world Saturday as part of a protest by an online movement calling itself Anonymous. The organization declared "war" on the Church of Scientology in January because of the church's "suppression of dissent" on the Internet. Some tactics employed by Anonymous have proved controversial, including attacks against Scientology websites and unauthorized circulation of church materials. The church also accuses the movement of mailing fake anthrax letters and making bomb threats – charges ...

THE CHURCH of Scientology in New Zealand has laid a complaint with police after allegedly receiving death and bomb threats from an internet-based protest group that has waged an online war against the religion. The group, calling itself Anonymous, held a worldwide action day yesterday, with about 20 people gathering at Britomart in downtown Auckland and in other centres, handing out fliers attacking Scientology as a dangerous cult "that scams members with pseudo science". The project was started in response to ...

CLEARWATER — While thousands of college kids on spring break enjoyed a gorgeous Saturday on Clearwater Beach, another group of young people descended on the otherwise-deserted downtown wearing surgical masks, fake beards and bandannas. A group of about 150 people, mostly college-age, spent the sun-splashed day protesting the Church of Scientology outside its spiritual headquarters. Timed to coincide with Scientology's celebration of founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday, it was the second major protest in Clearwater by a loose-knit Internet activist group ...

[Picture / Caption: "A bomb squad robot heads into the alley behind the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center at 336 First Ave. N in St. Petersburg on Thursday after the Scientology headquarters in Clearwater received a bomb threat. A large suitcase found in the alley behind the St. Petersburg office did not contain a bomb."] CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology was told again Thursday it could not have a court order restraining Anonymous protesters this weekend, largely because the ...

The church filed a suit for an "injunction for protection" from a group called Anonymous. [Picture / Caption: "Anonymous protesters walk south on Fort Harrison Avenue in front of the Church of Scientology's new Super Power Building on Feb. 10 in downtown Clearwater."] CLEARWATER - After weeks of enduring Internet video taunts from a group called Anonymous, the Church of Scientology posted a YouTube video of its own Wednesday. It includes what Scientology claims are video snippets from Anonymous, threatening phone ...

[Picture / Caption: "A bomb squad robot heads into the alley behind the Dianetics & Scientology Life Improvement Center at 336 First Ave N in St. Petersburg after the Scientology headquarters in Clearwater received a bomb threat. A large suitcase found in the alley behind the office was found to contain clothing and a Bible. [Lara Cerri, Times]"] ST. PETERSBURG – When police opened the suspicious brown suitcase found behind a Scientology office downtown, it contained no bomb - just clothing, ...

CLEARWATER - The Church of Scientology tried to stop protesters from returning to the sidewalks outside its headquarters this week by filing a type of petition in court usually used by women in fear for their safety. And in large part because of that approach, a Pinellas-Pasco circuit judge denied it late Wednesday afternoon. In a petition filed Tuesday, the church claimed the Internet-based group Anonymous wants to harm the church and its leaders, in particular the Rev. Heber Jentzsch, the ...

CLEARWATER – Circuit Judge Douglas Baird today denied a motion for a temporary injunction sought by the Church of Scientology to prevent protesters from getting within 500 feet of Scientology buildings. A group of protesters calling itself Anonymous plans demonstrations against Scientology Friday and Saturday, coinciding with the church's birthday celebration of its founder, L.Ron Hubbard. This is the second of two similar suits filed by the Church of Scientology this week. The first was rejected by Circuit Judge Linda Allan ...

The church is seeking a restraining order to stop a new round of protests. CLEARWATER - With the Internet activist group Anonymous threatening a second round of protests against Scientology this weekend, the Clearwater-based church went to court late Tuesday, filing a petition for a temporary restraining order. The petition was filed just before the close of court Tuesday afternoon, and the St. Petersburg Times could not obtain a copy of the petition. Pat Harney, a spokeswoman for the Church of ...

L. Ron Hubbard, the pulp fiction writer who gave the world Battlefield Earth, as well as a nuisance known as Scientology, would have turned 97 years old this Thursday, March 13. Ron’s been worm food for more than a score of years now, so it probably won’t matter to him that the best birthday party being held in his name will take place a couple of days late. On Saturday, March 15, the surprisingly upstart, leaderless movement known as “Anonymous” will ...

A number of Washington University students, together with a group calling itself "Anonymous," staged a protest outside the University City Church of Scientology yesterday. The group, which is based online and attracted the attendees through a message board, drew more than 50 people to criticize the religion's membership recruitment and retention practices, which demonstrators claimed were inhumane. "[This protest] is not against the beliefs of the Church," said the moderator of the forum that organized the protest. "It's their methods and ...

Watch Tom Cruise goes Missing [G, 2:51min.] (Help): Play The video But there are some people whose tender feelings receive a lot more consideration from the News Ltd empire. On the same day that News's website carried a link to The Australian's piece about Carey's childhood, it carried another story right next door. Global Scientology protests begin in Australia. — News.com.au website, Global Scientology protests begin in Australia But what's this? A pixelated poster? What can it have ...

A new demand for transparency and justice from netzins... In late January, news media across the world picked up on a phenomenal development on the Internet. A virtual civil rights movement had arisen from a most unlikely source: Internet gamers. It all kicked off when an in-house video of Tom Cruise preaching to members of his faith, the controversial Church of Scientology, was leaked onto the Youtube internet video sharing site. Indeed, Cruise is a frightening spectacle and his incoherent rant ...