Protesters plan Scientology demonstration

A PROTEST is set to take place in the city centre against the Church of Scientology.

Organisers of the march say more than 100 masked protesters will turn up at the rally in the Old Town on Saturday.

The peaceful protest will take place at Hunter Square, which is close to the Scottish headquarters of the religion.

A group calling itself Anonymous Scotland is behind the protest, and they have urged former Scientologists and those with relatives in the church to join in.

They are protesting at what they describe as human rights violations across the world and want to highlight the fact the church has more of a presence in the Capital than many people realise.

A spokesperson for the protesters said: "Many people believe that the church is harmless or ridiculous, however it is in reality very dangerous.

"We are here to unmask the Church of Scientology by revealing its terrible practices. We will force the Church of Scientology to reform or collapse."

The movement was founded in 1953 and is based on writings by science fiction author L Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986. Its members include the films stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta.