The map of Germany in the national colors BRAINWASHINGGERMANY GERMANY’S SCIENTOLOGY FILE
THE HUMAN COST
WETZLAR, GERMANY

They Came After My Family

Thomas had lived in Wetzlar with his family for years. He was a dentist and an elected city councilor.

Then everything changed.

NAME
THOMAS
OCCUPATION
DENTIST
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The Brainwashing of a Nation: Germany’s Scientology File, by Peter Schulte

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For decades, few subjects in Germany have generated more controversy than Scientology.

It was investigated. Debated in parliament. Monitored by intelligence agencies. The subject of government warnings, court cases and countless headlines.

But behind all of that was another record—the government’s own.

“MY WIFE AND I, AND MY FAMILY, WERE REDUCED TO THE STATUS OF AN OUTCAST ALMOST FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT.”

—THOMAS

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TRANSCRIPT

My name is Thomas. I am a dentist. I have my own dentist office in Wetzlar.

I have always lived in Wetzlar with my family. In 1985, I became a city councilor for the first time in Wetzlar. Then, around 1991, 1992, I became the president of a local association, of the local association Wetzlar-Mitte, of the CDU [Christian Democratic Union] here.

Yeah, I then woke up one day and there was the headline in the local section: “Is the Scientologist Dr. Röder still acceptable as city councilor?” And that was the start of an enormously intensive campaign against me and the Church of Scientology in general. Over a quarter of a year, there was practically daily, actually daily, either in the newspaper or the radio and sometimes even on TV, a report. And those were absolutely not good times for us.

We were attacked in a variety of ways. The most intense thing was actually that personal letters were written.

I found various things in my documents, letters or postcards, and one said, for example, “You Scientological a------. Are you still there? On the 3rd of August ’92 your ultimatum runs out. At 10 o’clock, the CDU Citizens’ Forum will execute you and your practice and your house will be blown up and will go up in flames.” And in this way, we received a whole series of letters. There were a lot of threats.

And part of this whole campaign against us were also so-called “information events.” So, the whole city was gathered there. And an absolutely unbearable smear campaign was launched against us.

And so a decision was made that membership in the CDU and at the same time in the Church of Scientology would be incompatible. Consequently, expulsion proceedings were started against us. Then there was a vote and it was voted that I would then be excluded and could pack my briefcase and leave.

So from the status of an admired role model, my wife and I, and my family, were reduced to the status of an outcast, almost from one day to the next.

And ultimately, nothing of what was claimed was proven in three decades of observation.

THANK YOU.

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