World

How far does media madness go: the accusation of sexual slavery. The ultimate safeguard for truth: accountability


13 Feb, 2024
 None    World

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As the new series broadcast worldwide on Rael ranks number one among watched series and the media frenzy picks up, it is important to recall the facts and the truth about certain points mentioned.

As a preamble, let us recall that "the reduction to slavery and the exploitation of people reduced to slavery" is a crime of personal injury punishable by 20 years of criminal imprisonment in many countries, including France and Canada. No complaint, investigation, or conviction for such heinous and criminal acts exists. The Raelian Movement and its founder, Rael, remind us, as they have done for 50 years, that it is essential and encouraged to immediately report to the police and judicial authorities any acts of violence, including sexual violence, of which a person could be a victim or witness. Not doing so, as a witness, is a failure to assist a person in danger. And there is still a lot to be done to ensure that their words are heard with dignity by those authorities in many countries, including France and Canada.

The Raelian philosophy is based on absolute non-violence, which includes unconditional respect for others, their integrity, their choices, and therefore consent. This includes all forms of violence: physical, psychological, and sexual.

Has the public become so accustomed to media conflagration, distorting and spreading rumors about Raelian women and their spiritual leader to the point that yet another milestone has to be crossed in this escalation of hatred of religious minorities and the search for an audience? Extremely serious comments are being reported and relayed on social networks, of a journalist who, more than 20 years ago, alleged sexual slavery of women within the Raelian Movement, under the cover of a pseudo-infiltration which was unmasked at the time by the organizers, because it was so ridiculous and not credible.

Following the massive dissemination of this information, to date very few journalists have dared to do their work, to get their information from the source with the aim of contradictory reporting. What do they fear? To commit a serious crime: the illegal practice of Truth?

The seriousness and scope of this accusation demand a right of reply. It is being made clear that legal recourses will be exercised, within the framework appropriate to each country.

Slavery in all its forms, be it sexual slavery or any other form of slavery, is abhorrent, both to the Raelian Movement as an organization and to every individual Raelian, wherever located. It is completely contrary to our philosophy, which is based on respect for oneself and others, absolute non-violence, and accountability.

The subject of slavery and sexual slavery is neither a trivial nor a fun subject, and certainly MUST not be dealt with lightly.

If the person echoing this knows of cases or of truth about sexual slavery, they MUST let the police know right away in the country where they are. Not doing so, and not reporting an alleged crime to the authorities, doesn't it make them responsible for failing to report a crime? Unless their only goal is to gain publicity, by knowingly discriminating against a group and its leader.

In any case, their responsibility is considerable: either they have knowledge of facts and therefore MUST denounce them, or they take responsibility for accusing people of the worst crimes, without proof, as the media did during a dark period of our history when they accused the Jews of nefarious crimes.

Slavery is a crime and MUST be reported. The fact that the person making these accusations did not provide this crucial service to humanity, apparently without going to the police, speaks volumes about their values and character.

It is clear that the truth rarely sells television programs or newspapers. It is therefore tempting to add the terms “sex” and “slavery” to sell a product that the public apparently wants to see. This is a juicy accusation for people who do not realize its seriousness.

The truth is if a story that actually depicted the truth about Santa Claus was done, who would watch it and find any interest in it, right? Let's just imagine that the media wrote such a story and was looking for unhappy or vulnerable people willing to state, for whatever reason, that they heard Santa Claus was "keeping sex slaves hostage, organizing orgies, and liked sex,” would that make it true?

In any case, if there is evidence then it becomes a human duty to report it to the police immediately. Glenn Carter, head of the Raelian Movement in the United Kingdom, reminded a journalist that “Personally, I will go to the police the following second, and I will never let a situation of slavery persist: providing evidence to be of service to the person suffering from a crime that I can put an end to, or freeing that person from it, is a human duty.” This is what every human being MUST do.

 

The story of a journalist relating to a period going back more than 20 years and her attitude is particularly revealing: what has she been doing all these years?

If there was a real danger, why didn't she go to the police and judicial authorities?

In this climate of incitement to hatred, the media failed to point out that RAEL has never been prosecuted for acts of this nature or any other unlawful or criminal acts.  When mentioning “exile”, do the media and authorities that are claiming authority in the anti-sect witch hunt suggest that Rael is a fugitive?

These elements reflect a situation of religious racism and discrimination which continues to rage in countries such as France and Quebec. Insults and death threats were made against Raelians and their spiritual guide, and are at the origin of the forced exile of members of religious minorities.

When one grimly observes the minimal consideration given to the life of an Iraqi child, a child from Gaza, or that of a "migrant" drowning in the Mediterranean, in the eyes of many politicians and media, the level of consideration to the life of a Raelian and their family is even less.

And what about two-sided debates and freedom of expression, or simply freedoms? In 1992, Rael wrote the book Religious racism financed by the socialist government, in which he deciphers the inquisitive policy of shutting down Human Rights in France (free download, in French only: rael.org/fr/ebook/racisme-socialiste)

Fierce advocates of freedom! Yes, the Raelian philosophy advocates freedom on all levels, including sexual freedom. Above all, it encourages the freedom to be oneself, happy, and fulfilled in one's sexuality, be it in a polyamorous relationship, exclusive with one partner, in heterosexuality or homosexuality, bisexuality, or without a partner... A choice that only has to do with individual freedom and one’s privacy. All forms of sexuality are possible, with absolute respect for the people involved in the relationship, their consent, and within the framework of the laws in place. These are the foundations of true sexual freedom. This freedom is also that of having children or not, of joining the Raelian Movement or leaving it, of working in the sex industry or not, of contributing financially or not, of getting involved in the religious Order of Angels or not, to leave it or not. These are personal choices, made by consenting adults.

Nicole Bertrand, the spokesperson for the Raelian Church of Canada, stated in April 2023: “The lies regularly conveyed by the media, in Quebec in particular, are numerous: human trafficking, exploitation of women, misogyny, to name just a few”.

The Raelian Movement is not above the law, and alleged victims who want to testify about abuse of any kind have already been invited in the past to report these crimes to the authorities concerned. This is the opportunity once again to remind them.

Freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility: that of reporting duly proven reprehensible acts to the competent authorities is part of it.

In addition, let’s recall that:

  • One of the “witnesses”, Jean Parraga, appearing on the set of a television show, Ciel mon Mardi, broadcast in 1992, is a repeat offender, violent, and his Raelian wife left him. He was convicted of pimping. His fight against cults was used to cover up these activities by creating an association, one of whose honorary members was the assistant to the host of this television show, Christophe Dechavanne. There is no mention of these facts or the convictions that followed this “fabricated”, “staged” broadcast. Amidst the planned cacophony on the set, who heard Rael express with the utmost authority: I agree with you (we are not allowed to touch children)? Who heard that the children (of the "witness") were with their mother (and not in the community, which does not exist since there is no Raelian community)? 

On this subject, the truth about this affair can be read in the chapter “The media-liars” in Raël's book published in 1992: Religious racism financed by the socialist government (free download, in French only: rael.org/fr/ebook/racisme-socialiste)

  • In a case mentioned, George Fenech, former magistrate, made a notable error: it was not two Raelians but a Catholic man and a Raelian man who were convicted of the crime of rape of an 11-year-old girl, in the context of a strictly private evening. The police and judicial authorities duly carried out their work. This has nothing to do with the Raelian Movement and it was never involved.
  • Methods consisting of filming people, in a private setting, characterize an illegal invasion of privacy. Unfortunately, the possibility of issuing an injunction to stop the broadcasting remains difficult to implement to this day. Even if a victim wins compensation, the moral and reputational damages have already been done to individuals since the lies of the media will remain forever in people's minds, poisoning the public opinion conditioned by these hoaxers.
  • We have been able to observe through testimonies that the "infiltrators" have willingly engaged in relationships, it seems! Or if they were not consensual, what are they waiting for to mention it to their employer or file a complaint?
  • Raël has never been prosecuted or implicated. However, authorities have not hesitated to deploy resources over these decades, presumably to dismantle a supposed international pedophile network that has never existed. Shouldn't these resources be deployed within the Catholic Church: 216,000 victims of members of the French Catholic Church, and up to 330,000 victims when considering sexual abuses committed by laypeople working in Catholic Church institutions (chaplaincy, teachers in schools, youth movements)? This places the Catholic institution as more dangerous than the education or sports sectors... and just after families.  

Also consult the site: https://rael-justice.org/

  

Bernadette Rigal-Celler, Professor Emerita of North American Studies and Sciences of Religions and Societies, brings her expertise on the question: Can the Raelian Movement be defined as a religion? (in French only) https://rael-justice.org/le-mouvement-raelien-peut-il-etre-defini-en-tant-que-religion/?lang=fr