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> Press Release Regarding Protest At Manor

>

>

> --------

> ------

> BY ASTA SAKHI

>

> ENGLAND, Aug 31 (VNN) — PRESS RELEASE SENT OUT BEFORE PROTEST:'

>

> 25th August 2000-08-25'

>

> A protest against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or

> ISKCON, better known as the Hare Krishna Movement is being launched this

> Sunday, 27th August. The protesters, mainly women and children, will be

> picketing and distributing leaflets at the main gates of the Hare

> Krishna's UK headquarters and temple, Bhaktivedanta Manor in Letchmore

> Heath near Watford. The protest will begin around 2:00 pm and will go on

> until late.'

>

> It is being timed to coincide with the Krishna Janmastami festival, which

> annually attracts up to 100,000 Hindus to Bhaktivedanta Manor.'

>

> After the founder of ISKCON, or the Hare Krishna movement died in 1977,

> there has been an intense power struggle amongst leaders in order to

> control their growing congregations. In all this time, the spirituality

> which was present within the movement rapidly deteriorated, leaving many

> of the older members (devotees) feeling disillusioned about the way things

> were going.'

>

> Many of the leaders have seriously deviated from their spiritual path.'

>

> However, worse still are many leaders' implications in child abuse cases,

> rape and murder. Corruption became rampant where money was concerned. For

> the general congregation of devotees, pure spiritual practices had been

> greatly minimised. In this time, there have been several attempts by

> devotees to "clean up" it's own house. Whenever anyone seriously tries to

> speak out against the management, they become officially banned from

> worshipping in the temple. All banned devotees who try to attend the

> temple are removed from the property by the police.'

>

> In April 1996, one highly respected Indian sadhu, Shree-Shrimad

> Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj, came to England for the first time. Many

> ISKCON devotees found the teachings of Shreela Narayan Maharaj to be

> refreshingly pure and enlivening. Consequently, more and more devotees

> have begun to consider themselves his followers. Very quickly, ISKCON made

> a policy against any church members found to have any affection for Srila

> Narayan Maharaj. Since this time ISKCON has systematically published false

> propaganda against Srila Maharaj and has threatened all the devotees who

> they believe may be following him. Consequently, many devotees have kept

> their affection for this guru secret out of fear of reprisals.'

>

> In July this year, many hundreds of Hare Krishna devotees went to Wales to

> spend one week attending lectures given by Srila Narayan Maharaj. When the

> devotees returned to Bhaktivedanta Manor, they found that they had all

> been banned from the temple.'

>

> ISKCON leaders are now using tactics such as telling their devotee friends

> never to speak with these individuals again.'

>

> They are even turning families against each other. Two teachers from the

> state-accredited school situated at Bhaktivedanta Manor have lost their

> jobs as well as their right to even go onto the property. The children,

> some as young as 7 years old can no longer attend the school because they

> have accepted Srila Narayan Maharaja as their spiritual guide. Other

> children from the school were asked not to speak with these children about

> "their trip to Wales".'

>

> One man is used as security at Bhaktivedanta Manor even though he has a

> history of very violent behaviour. Yesterday, he was overheard to have

> said a few times that he would kill one of the women who have been

> involved with arranging this protest. We were told that this man would

> definitely be stationed at the main gate of Bhaktivedanta Manor on Sunday.

> Although the ladies who are protesting wanted to have the court put a

> restraining order on this man, the ^120 cost was prohibitive as we are,

> for the most part single unworking mothers.'

>

> ACCOUNT OF THE DAY'S EVENTS:'

>

> Protest against ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple'

>

> On Sunday the 27th of August, a protest was held outside the main gates of

> Bhaktivedanta Manor, the main Hare Krishna temple in the UK under the

> auspices of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.'

>

> Mainly women and children participated in the protest. They were

> protesting the decision of the temple management to ban them from

> worshipping at Bhaktivedanta Manor. The police left the protest after they

> were assured from members of the Bhaktivedanta Manor management at the

> gates that everything would remain peaceful. As soon as the police and the

> members of the press left, the same ISKCON management members at the gate

> beckoned to a group of twelve young Indian men who were waiting further up

> the road on the grounds of Bhaktivedanta Manor. These men came down to the

> gates, surrounded the women and children. Taunting and swearing at them,

> the men forcibly took their placards, smashing them and began tearing up

> their leaflets.

>

> The children were age 14 and under. The children were badly shaken but

> only suffered from minor injuries. Due to a passerby's intervention, the

> young men backed away from the crying women and children. He called the

> police and kindly waited until the police returned by which time the

> attackers had run back into the grounds of Bhaktivedanta Manor. Although

> management members stood and watched the attack, they told the police that

> they saw nothing. The management refused the ladies entry onto the

> property with the police to point out the attackers saying that we would

> have to get a court order to do so. There were around 15,000 people who

> attended the temple that day. One placard was saved by one 14 year old

> girl who ran and hid with it in a hedge.'

>

> Ironically, that one remaining placard said "BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR HIDES THE

> TRUTH-WOMEN AND CHILDREN-ABUSED, WOMEN AND CHILDREN-BANNED. The women and

> children courageously carried on the protest with that placard and

> distributed around 3000 leaflets despite their cuts and bruises. The

> police apologised for leaving the protest and remained with them until

> 7:30pm with no further incident.'