Scientology in the Netherlands

The Church of Scientology has been active in the Netherlands since 1972, opening its first church in Amsterdam in 1974.[1][2]

The amount of active Scientologists in the Netherlands is not definitively known, but media sources estimate membership to be around 100-200 active members as of 2015.[3]

History

In 2008 as part of Project Chanology, members of Anonymous, attempting to target the digital infrastructure of the church, instead accidentally initiated a cyberattack against a Dutch primary school.[4] In the same year, the church applied to the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration for recognition as a public benefit organization, which would give the church and its donors certain tax benefits.[5]

In 2015, the Church attracted controversy when an undercover journalist from De Volkskrant allegedly received an auditing session from an 11-year-old boy.[6]

In 2016, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled that the church and its services offered were operated for commercial purposes, thereby denying their petition for recognition as a public benefit organization.[5]

On October 28, 2017, a new church was opened in Amsterdam with a private ceremony attended by church leader David Miscavige.[2][7] The church had purchased the property in Amsterdam for approximately €5 million in 2013.[8][9]

In August 2022, the Dutch government officially recognized Scientology as a religious public benefit organization, reversing earlier court decisions.[10][11] It was determined by the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration that the activities and practices of the church were of a religious nature and thereby served a public benefit as related to taxation.[10][11]

Church of Spiritual Technology et al. v. Dataweb B.V. et al.

In 1995, confidential Scientology documents were released onto the internet, among them documents describing operating thetans, information usually released only to high-ranking church members.[12] That same year, Karin Spaink, a Dutch journalist, published some of these documents on her personal website.[13] The following year, Spaink removed the documents from her website and replaced them with articles which contained quotes and citations from the confidential documents.[13] The Church of Scientology initiated a lawsuit against Spaink and Dutch internet providers responsible for hosting her website, claiming copyright infringement.[13] The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed in favor of the respondents, with the Dutch court establishing that the publishing of quotations from the documents constituted fair use, and thereby did not constitute copyright infringement.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Rondleiding" [Tour]. Church of Scientology Amsterdam (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. "A staat voor Amsterdam – een nieuwe Scientology Kerk straalt in alfa-wereldstad" [A stands for Amsterdam - a new Church of Scientology shines in alpha metropolis]. Church of Scientology Amsterdam (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  3. "De toekomst van Scientology is grimmig" [The future of Scientology is grim]. Trouw (in Dutch). 14 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  4. Singel, Ryan. "Anonymous Hackers Shoot For Scientologists, Hit Dutch School Kids". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  5. Van der Aa, Edwin (1 September 2022). "Fiscus geeft Scientology belastingvoordeel, tegen uitspraak Hoge Raad in" [The tax authorities give Scientology tax benefits, against the Supreme Court ruling]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2023. [The Church of Scientology Amsterdam, a controversial religious movement, has been granted a tax-friendly status by the Tax and Customs Administration after years of legal battle. The 'church' would comply with the current rules, the tax authorities said in an explanation on Wednesday evening. While the Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that the organization is not a Public Benefit Institution like other churches.]
  6. "Scientology zet kinderen in als psycholoog" [Scientology uses children as psychologists]. www.at5.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  7. "Scientology Kerk klaar voor feestelijke opening: 'Heel intimiderend'" [Church of Scientology ready for grand opening: 'Very intimidating']. www.at5.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  8. "Grote 'Scientology'-letters lichten op in de Wibautstraat" [Large 'Scientology' letters light up in Wibautstraat]. www.at5.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  9. "Even tienduizend euro regelen: Waarom Scientology altijd geld nodig heeft" [Just arrange ten thousand euros: Why Scientology always needs money]. Trouw (in Dutch). 12 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  10. "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Netherlands". United States Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  11. "Donations to church of Scientology now tax deductible". NL Times. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  12. "Road Map to: The Church of Scientology vs. the Net". MIT OpenCourseWare. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  13. "Scientology Kerk verliest zaak tegen Karin Spaink" [Church of Scientology loses case against Karin Spaink]. Recht.nl. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
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