This is a series of entries that I didn’t publish in the end, compressed down to one verbose article. Now that the “Epic Nose Guy” story seems to have run it’s course, I thought I’d share my take on the whole situation. As the article covers topics like media representation and news manufacture, it felt apt to publish it now in light of the David Mudkips story from the weekend.

I studied media at college, I read more than a token amount of Chomsky et al and maintain a healthily cynical approach to the media in general. The whole process of news manufacture is weird but it never really hits home exactly how weird it is until you’re actually involved in a story.

Last month was another Anonymous protest against the Church of Scientology. I attended the two London raids and for the most part it was business as usual. Until around 12:30, while stood on “the upper deck” at Queen Victoria Street, when I saw about 40 people hightail it up the stairs and down a rarely-used alleyway.

It turned out that one of Anonymous had wound up in trouble with the law. Prior to the protest there had warnings via one of the Police liaisons that the City of London Police, who have jurisdiction over the site of the first protest of the day, might take issue with some of the protest signs due to complaints made by the Church of Scientology. Specifically they were offended by placards saying that Scientology is a (dangerous) cult or that it can kill.

The general consensus was that people take whatever signs they want but be prepared to take them down if requested by a Police officer or face the consequences. As people arrived at Queen Victoria Street, representatives of the City of London Police confirmed that any signs that expressed a negative opinion of Scientology could fall foul of the advice given to them by the Crown Prosecution Service and that the word “cult” was banned. Most started amending or covering up their signs.

One young man, christened Epic Nose Guy due to his harlequin-style mask, was carrying a sign reading “Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult” and refused to back down. The Police explained what could happen to him if he continued to display it and his reaction was to quote Mr Justice Latey’s closing comments from a 1984 court case regarding a family broken up by Scientology:

Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious… In my judgement it is corrupt, sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies and deceit and has as its real objective money and power for Mr. Hubbard, his wife and those close to him at the top. It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the line unquestioningly, and to those who criticise or oppose it. It is dangerous because it is out to capture people, especially children and impressionable young people, and indoctrinate and brainwash them so that they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living and relationships with others.

Epic Nose Guy was then taken aside and served with a letter saying he might get a court summons as a result of his actions. His actual crime was unrelated to the “hate crime” - instead he would possibly be charged with violating Section 5 Public Order Act of 1986. As he was served with this “summons” another policeman was explaining what was going on and I’ve actually got to applaud this guy as despite being completely mobbed by camera-toting shouting protesters, he managed to remain calm and professional.

The rest of the day continued as normal albeit with a slight sense of anger in the air. Once the raids (and obligatory post-protest piss-up) were out of the way, people started discussing the events on the Internet, trying to work out exactly what had happened. Epic Nose Guy was in some kind of limbo as he wasn’t given an actual summons, so Anonymous started calling anybody who might be able to clarify his legal position. The buck was passed between the City of London Police, the Hate Crimes Unit and the Crown Prosecution Service but ultimately nobody was taking responsibility. Epic Nose Guy was silent due to a temporary loss of Internet connectivity and the fact that he was in the middle of his GCSEs, so instead the discussion degenerated into terrible legal advice and a myriad of definitions of the word cult.

The story first surfaced on the 16th May in SchNews, a Brighton-based weekly newsletter aimed at the political activist community. 4 days later it was featured as a report on the Guardian website.

And then all Hell broke loose. On the 21st the story featured in many on-line and print articles ranging from local to national distribution, as well as blogs and forums well outside of Anonymous’ usual sphere of influence:

• BBC - Protest teenager may face charges
• Telegraph - Church of Scientology: Boy faces court for “cult not religion” placard
• Metro - Teen in trouble for calling Scientology “a cult”
• Daily Mail - Teenager, 15, facing prosecution for holding a sign labelling Scientology “a cult”
• Mirror - Teenager to face prosecution for calling Scientology a cult

The story was also mentioned in The Wright Stuff on Channel 5 and featured on the BBC London News at 6 and 10 o’clock:

This kind of coverage is unbelievable. Since the start of the Anonymous protests, despite having reporters and photographers at each event, there was very little mainstream media coverage. One journalist admitted that after the initial declaration of war video and the first protest of masked Internet weirdos, there wasn’t much of a story to sell to the general public - people protest about all manner of things all the time, a protest in itself is not news.

Earlier today, the CPS dropped the case:

In consultation with the City of London police, we were asked whether the sign, which read ‘Scientology is not a religion it is a dangerous cult’, was abusive or insulting.

Our advice is that it is not abusive or insulting and there is no offensiveness, as opposed to criticism, neither in the idea expressed nor in the mode of expression. No action will be taken against the individual.

News reports:

• BBC - No charges over Scientology demo
• Guardian - Schoolboy avoids prosecution for branding Scientology a “cult”
• Case dropped against boy, 15, who held up sign branding Scientology “a cult”
• Evening Standard - CPS drops case against Scientology protest boy

If Anonymous had known that’s all it took to get this kind of coverage, you can bet there would have been a “martyr” months ago. The most amusing part is that Scientology really hates being called a cult; they even went so far as to buy the Cult Awareness Network in the States in the early 90s just to stop CAN from constantly calling them a cult. Due to the complaints they made to the City of London Police the words “Scientology” and “cult” have been in the same sentences in TV reports, newspaper articles, blogs and forums up and down the country, even reaching as far as news outlets in Australia and Germany. Every substantial article has also brought up the old allegations of corruption of the City of London Police by Scientology which is more bad PR for Scientology and may have had an influence on the case being dropped.

Congratulations to Epic Nose Guy for standing up what he believed in and thankfully not having to pay the penalty. Thanks to the CPS for realising that there wasn’t a case to fight, especially when there’s a backlash from surprising quarters. But thank you mainly to the London Metropolitan Police who don’t take any crap from the Scientologists and just let Anonymous get on with their thing.

So what now? The Church of Scientology still hasn’t been taken down, so this is a good victory but there’s still the war to fight. Interestingly, Liberty will continue the fight against the CPS and the COLP, to find out exactly in whose “best interests” the City of London Police were acting.