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"Témoignage d''Isaac Hayes" par devant le Comité
des Relations Internationales, Sous-Comité des Opérations Internationales
et des Droits de l'Homme
(Traduction partielle, parfois par résumés; passages
non traduits en brun, commentaires du webmaster en bleu entre parenthèses carrées)
11 juillet, 2001
Madame Chairwoman and distinguished members of the Committee:
Je vous suis reconnaissant de me donner l'occasion de parler devant
vous du tort que la France commet en raison de ses préjugés - le pire
étant celui de l'intolérance.
J'espère qu'en expliquant publiquement ce sujet, nous pourrons éloigner
ces lourds nuages qui s'amoncellent dans le ciel de France - un pays
où souffrent actuellement plus de membres de groupes religieux, spirituels
ou ethniques que partout ailleurs dans le monde. [on
remarquera l'extension volontairement mensongère du soi-disant conflit
intolérant aux "groupes ethniques"] Et je ne suis pas optimiste
pour l'avenir, à moins que nous, américains, ne décidions que cela doit
vraiment changer. [la fibre déjà passablement nationaliste
des américains est titillée, le défi lancé]
Je suis allé en octobre dernier en France pour prendre part à une marche
et un rallye pour la liberté religieuse [mensonge: Hayes n'a pratiquement pas fait un pas: il a
été trimballé en voiture de place]. Des milliers de egns de diverses
fois s'étaient rasemblés à Paris pour discuter de nos droits de l'homme
[faux; ils ont prétendu être 7000, mais la préfecture a dit 500, et
j'en ai dénombré un grand maximum de 1100 sur photos]. Il s'agissait
d'un rassemblement pacifique au cours duquel on agitait des bannières
et chantait des chansons de liberté. La préfecture ne nous a cependant
pas autorisés à marcher dans les rues de Paris [déformé:
les organisateurs scientologues voulaient en fait boucher plusieurs
points névralgiques de la capitale, pendant des heures; vu que la secte
avait "appelé aux armes", la préfecture avait de quoi s'inquiéter].
Ces officiels étaient nerveux, effrayés et intolérants. [faux:
: aucun policier présent n'a fait quoi que ce soit de nerveux ou d'intolérant,
sinon d'aider la trafic des manifestants à ne pas encombrer la circulation
des voitures]. Sous la pression de ses maîtres du gouvernement,
la préfecture avait ordonné à 300 policiers anti-émeute de venir. Puis
ils nous ont ordonné de nous disperser. Nous l'avons donc fait, nous
dirigeant en bus dans une zône boisée de la ceinture parisienne, où
nous avons donné notre concert des droits de l'homme. Je n'ai pu m'empècher
de me souvenir de la réaction chinoise à Tien-AnMen en 1989, cette terrifiante
tragédie au cours de laquelle on vit les tanks écraser les étudiants
sur cette place. Dieu merci, personne ne fut blessé à Paris. Mais les
officiels français ont montré la même peur, la même intolérance des
droits des gens à tenir et exprimer leurs opinions et croyances personnelles.
[ce complice de criminels de Hayes ferait mieux de se souvenir du nombre
de réactions racistes qu'il
a vécues aux USA, plutôt que de prétendre avoir vécu l'intolérance française,
alors qu'il a fait en tout et pour tout dix pas dans la rue, et qu'il
a harangué la foule depuis les fenètres d'un bistrot, et que personne
parmi les officiels ne lui a adressé la parole, alors qu'on aurait sûrement
pu trouver un moyen de le bloquer en frontière, comme les services d'immigration
US le font quand une tête ne leur plait pas]
Des membres de religions minoritaires ont perdu leurs emplois, on leur
a refusé l'accès à des bâtiments publics, ils ont été piloriés dans
les médias, leurs carrières ont été détruites, on a refusé l'accès en
maternelle à leurs enfants -- tout cela à cause de leurs croyances.
[il se garderont bien de citer UN seul exemple,
aucun n'existe; mais il est évident que les conseillers scientologues
sont malvenus dans les entreprises, où ils espionnent pour le compte
de leur réseau international WISE - si pas pour le compte du gouvernement
américain; par ailleurs, si la scientologie est parvenue par chantage
à se faire admettre "sans but lucratif" auprès du gouvernement américain,
il n'en est rien en France]. La politique officielle et la pratique
d'intolérance du gouvernement français continuent à engendrer des incidents
quotidiens de discrimination religieuse et économique dans les secteurs
publics et privés.
L'état d'esprit intolérant qu'ont créé les officiels français s'illustre
lors d'un incident récent. Un membre d'une religion tout à fait reconnue
aux Etats-Unis rendait visite à un membre de l'assemblée nationale pour
obtenir son aide afin de s'opposer à une législation proposée destinée
à fermer les églises de la minorité. [en clair:
une porte-parole scientologue, probablement Danièle Gounord, voulait
enquiquiner un député français qui ne voulait probablement pas l'écouter,
sachant ce qu'elle avait à dire - et être reçu par un député n'est pas
un droit]. Ce député était absent, son assistante
fut indifférente à ses problèmes. Lorsqu'elle protesta qu'en tant que
citoyenne française, elle avait le droit d'être entendue, elle se vit
répondre: vous n'êtes pas citoyenne, mais membre d'une secte". [entre
nous, il arrive que des membres de l'administration envoient paître
les grincheux et les malotrus, sans qu'il soit question de secte]
Hélas, le gouvernement français a nettement refusé de s'aligner sur
les provisions de liberté de religion de la Déclaration universelle
des droits de l'homme et sur la Convention européenne des droits de
l'homme [est-ce pour ça que la France a obtenu 52
voix sur 53 pour son élection au siège de la commission des droits de
l'homme de l'ONU ?]. M. Patrick Hinojosa a témoigné que sa société
de logiciels, leader dans son domaine, a été boycottée par le gouvernement
et par des agences privées, en raison de l'affiliation religieuse de
son fondateur. Il y a nombre d'autres exemples. On en trouve quelques
uns dans le manuel "Rapport sur la Discrimination Contre les Minorités
Spirituelles et Thérapeutiques en France", compilé avec l'aide d'une
coalition de mouvements spirituels et religieux. J'en joins un exemplaire
à mon témoignage et demande qu'il soit enregistré.
[résumé: Nayah a été écartée du concours Eurovision
parce qu'elle était membre de Rael, mais Hayes oublie de dire qu'il
s'agit d'une pseudo religion frauduleuse dont le gourou s'est soustrait
à l'action du fisc français en filant au Canada, et que plusieurs procès
ont démontré les tendances pédophiles de la secte; ensuite, il exagère
les effets sur la chanteuse, et omet de mentionner qu'elle a menti aux
médias à l'époque. Dans le paragraphe suivant, il est question d'un
soi-disant groupe Zen accusé de prostitution etc. Exactement le genre
d'accusations mensongères que les scientologues eux-mêmes peuvent mettre
en route pour tenter d'acquérir des alliés...]
We hear much of religious and ethnic intolerance in the
abstract. I want
to take a more personal approach by describing some of the consequences
in
the lives of individual men, women and children. As an artist, I am
particularly concerned that the deteriorating human rights situation
in
France threatens freedom of artistic expression, and the ability of
artists to survive economically. Several incidents illustrate this
problem. In 1999, a talented young singer who belongs to a minority
movement was selected out of more than 700 candidates to represent France
in the internationally famous Eurovision song contest. When her religious
affiliation became known, she experienced a string of harassing incidents
before, during and after the competition. As a result, her producers
cancelled 16 TV shows in which she had planned to perform as well as
a
contract for two albums over three years, including tours in Canada
and
Japan.
A musician and graphic artist who belongs to a Zen movement has described
how the movement became the target of a media lynching, with crazy rumors
that his spiritual group engages in arms trafficking, prostitution and
other immoral acts contrary to their beliefs and artistic works. Of
course, it hardly needs saying that this smear campaign has had a stifling
effect on his creative work.
In addition to artists, French officials and private anti-religious
groups
have targeted respected professionals in many different fields. Such
campaigns have had fatal consequences for their victims. For example,
a
doctor who ran a highly regarded therapy center, to which a nearby
hospital and courts commonly referred drug addicts for help, killed
himself after officials closed his center following a vicious propaganda
campaign instigated by a local hate group.
A naturopath and speech therapist who practices an eastern spiritual
discipline lost 60% of his clients after an organization called the
Association for the Defence of the Family and the Individual, known
as
ADFI, began circulating propaganda against religious minorities to schools
and universities. ADFI denounced him publicly and savaged his reputation
in the media. As a footnote, ADFI is one of the associations named by
parliamentarians to have the right to bring civil complaints against
religious minorities under newly enacted legislation.
Even older minority movements have come under attack.
A member of a
Rosicrucian movement forfeited his parental rights and can now only
see
his children once every two weeks between 10am and 6pm. This followed
a
divorce and four-year judicial procedure, during which his membership
of
the Rosicrucians was used to prejudice the court and local officials
against him. Another example is that of a Celtic Orthodox priest who
belongs to what used to be a thriving network of 25 health centers.
Then,
an article appeared in a national French magazine, claiming to cite
documents from the French internal security agency, the Renseignement
Generaux, connecting the movement with the notorious Order of the Solar
Temple. The health centers filed a complaint against the magazine, and
the
documents were exposed as fabrications in court. The centers won a one
million franc judgement, reduced on appeal to 120,000 francs. But the
false accusations continue to haunt the network of health centers, with
the result that practically all are financially ruined and no longer
operate.
French governmental intolerance of minority faiths has even been
introduced into schools. One mother who is a Scientologist unexpectedly
discovered that her 13-year-old daughter's sports class had been cancelled
and replaced by a mandatory conference on "cults." Her daughter was
extremely upset by the bigotry and prejudice spread at this conference,
conducted with the support of the Ministry of National Education and
the
Interministerial Mission to Fight Against Sects. And indeed, central
to an
understanding of such incidents is that the French government, and French
officials such as Alain Vivien of the "Interministerial Mission to Fight
Against Sects", create a climate that feeds and nurtures such intolerance.
I could list example after example of how the French government has
created a climate which makes life for religious minorities in France
a
hard-fought battle for survival. In addition, governmental intolerance
now
also threatens France's major churches. According to the president of
the
French Protestant Federation, representing 16 major churches and 5,000
associations including Reformed, Lutheran and Pentecostal churches,
some
Protestant churches in France are considering removing the word
"evangelical" from their names for fear of official repercussions. An
evangelical church in Lyons with 5,000 parishioners regularly organizes
gospel events in the town square. Until a few years ago, they enjoyed
the
support of local authorities. But in recent times, local officials have
become obstructive and have placed various barriers in their way, such
as
denying them electricity. After years of broadcasting their religious
messages on local radio, and after a series of increasingly harassing
restrictions put on their right to broadcast, they were eventually refused
access to the airwaves.
Some of the groups whose experiences I have described are among the
172
religious and spiritual minorities blacklisted in a 1995 French
parliamentary commission report. This report has been criticized by
international human rights organizations, the U.S. State Department
and
expert scholars in religion for its bias, the undemocratic manner in
which
it was produced, and the discrimination it has created. Yet, as you
have
heard, France has now passed the most oppressive legislation in western
Europe targeting religious organizations. When French authorities start
applying the new law to bring about the dissolution of these groups,
the
1995 report with its blacklist 172 such movements will form their basic
reference.
You will hear from French officials trying to explain away the intolerance
that "freedom in France is not the same as freedom in the United States."
But this argument comes from the perpetrators of intolerance, not its
victims. Freedom is freedom. It means freedom to think and believe
according to one's conscience, and that includes the freedom to
communicate one's ideas and beliefs, and the freedom to act upon them.
I read the debate that took place in the National Assembly on the day
that
the new legislation passed. One MP stood up and said that he regretted,
and I am quoting, "a great night of the sects unfortunately cannot take
place that would allow us to handle it all at once." Nobody spoke up
in
protest when this man uttered those words of violence. It is a symptom
of
the decay of human rights and freedom in France that nobody objects
when
an elected official makes such an outrageous, egregious appeal to base
prejudice and intolerance.
As an African-American, I am also very worried by remarks made by the
authors of this new legislation. Madame Picard, a member of the French
National Assembly, was quoted in the media the day the law passed, saying
that groups of a "spiritual, ethnological or philosophical nature" are
prime targets.
"Spiritual, ethnological, or philosophical" -- that just about covers
everyone. Who is not a member of some spiritual, ethnic or philosophical
group?
France is a nation of 60 million people touched by many ethnic groups,
including North African, Indochinese, Slavic and Basque. At least three
and a half million of the French population are immigrants, more than
half
from outside the European Union. During the past ten years, an increasing
number of politicians have been speaking publicly against ethnic
minorities. In Marseille, North Africans make up approximately a quarter
of the cityÕs 800,000 inhabitants, and there is a stark contrast between
the affluent parts of the city and the areas where the ethnic minorities
live. Relations are often tense, and itÕs more than a matter of the
government forbidding Muslims to wear their headscarves in public schools.
One Senegal-born woman who has spent most of her life in France, and
speaks French perfectly, still reports discrimination; when she tried
to
find an apartment, landlords, hearing her over the phone, mistook her
for
a white woman and agreed to rent to her. But when they met her in person,
they suddenly discovered that the apartment had "already been taken."
The
seeds of prejudice and intolerance have taken root, and intolerant French
officials will now be able to use the new legislation to nourish those
seeds, and, if they so choose, to bring about the dissolution of targeted
ethnic minority groups.
The French government is undoubtedly the most intolerant in western
Europe. But certain other European governments continue to refuse to
comply with their international human rights commitments. In February,
for
the 8th successive year, the U.S. State Department's Annual Human Rights
Report criticized German government discrimination against Scientologists,
as well as against certain Christian groups. Scientologists continue
to
suffer harassment, stigma and invasion of their private lives by the
German government's domestic security agency, the Office for the
Protection of the Constitution. In addition, although the German federal
government claims to have relaxed its use of so-called "sect filters"
making employment or contractual relations conditional on individuals
stating that they are not Scientologists, the public and private sector
continue to use such filters. Moreover, German officials continue to
deny
American artists the right to perform at state-sponsored concerts in
Germany, solely because of their religious association. Thanks to the
fine
work of American congressmen and the State Department, the legendary
jazz
musician Chick Corea, winner of 11 Grammy Awards, has been able this
year
to arrange a series of privately sponsored concerts in Germany.
Nonetheless, the difference in how officialdom treats this great artist
in
Germany compared with in the United States could hardly be greater.
In
May, Mr. CoreaÕs hometown of Chelsea, Massachusetts, named a street
in his
honor. But one month previously, a state-sponsored theatre in Augsburg,
Germany cancelled a performance Mr. Corea was due to give there in
November, because Mr. Corea is a Scientologist. The American singer
and
performer Julia Migenes, famous for her roles in Fiddler on the Roof,
Salome, West Wide Story, and, with Placido Domingo, as the flamboyant
Carmen in the film of that name, has also experienced state-sanctioned
discrimination in Germany. While these artists may be able to perform
privately, most of the major musical venues in Germany are
state-sponsored, and the German governmentÕs denial of their right to
perform there places them at a severe commercial disadvantage.
In Belgium, government officials deny fundamental rights to members
of
minority religions, based in large part on a 1997 parliamentary report
that blacklisted 189 such movements, including Hasidic Jews and the
Catholic movement, Opus Dei. The International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights reports that in October 2000, an eastern movement was banned
by order of a municipal mayor in Brussels from holding a public meeting.
The organizers were informed that the ban had been imposed following
orders from state security. The movement, which has never been prosecuted
for illegal activities in Belgium, was told that their meetings were
forbidden and any discussion of their religion would result in arrest.
Madame Chairwoman, over the last several years, many of us have come
here
and have spoken out against discrimination in France, and Germany and
Belgium. It is time to do more than utter words of protest. That is
why,
Madame Chairman, I concur with the other witnesses today that the time
has
come to consider tough-minded action against western European governments
that refuse to respect human rights. We have the legislation to do it
--
the International Religious Freedom Act. Let's use that tool to take
a
stand for people who may not be able to take a stand for themselves
--
individuals of whatever religion or ethnicity who face extinction of
their
rights in France.
I thank you for your commitment to religious freedom, to ethnic diversity,
and to human rights, and for taking the time to listen to my testimony
today.
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