Scientology
on Display

Huge anti-psychiatry exhibit isn’t
breaking any laws, says Con U

DENOUNCING THE “INDUSTRY OF DEATH”: CCHR’s set-up

by MATT JONES

What do declining educational standards, Nazism, the Columbine shootings, 9/11 and the death of Kurt Cobain have in common? If you passed through the hall of Concordia’s McConnell library building last week, you might think they’re all caused by the pernicious influence of psychiatry.

Organized by the innocuous-sounding Citizens’ Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), “Psychology: Industry of Death” is a travelling exhibit that spent four days in the open hall of the university library, arousing curiosity, controversy and at least one attempt to shut it down. The exhibit’s gothic imagery tries to link psychiatry to most of the major atrocities of the last 200 years.

“You see these black panels with big, red scary letters. It looks like a dungeon,” says Scott, a student who refused to give his full name out of fear of Scientology reprisals. “This is Scientology; I knew it right away.”

The CCHR turns out to be closely linked to the Church of Scientology, the controversial self-help religion founded by millionaire pulp fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1954. The church has been accused of harassing critics and former members, leading some of its detractors to attempt to hide their identity. The CCHR, though, does not hide its affiliations.

“It’s no secret that we’re funded by the Church of Scientology. It’s the truth!” beams CCHR Montreal director Richer Dumais.

Inside the black panels is a stack of books and DVDs put out by the CCHR. A group of students huddle around a flatscreen where talking heads extol the perils of psychiatry: teenage victims cry about being unjustly medicated by their shrinks while psychiatrists, especially Thomas Szasz, a founder of the anti-psychiatry movement in the 1960s, claims that there is no objective proof for the existence of mental illness. Dumais himself is particularly concerned by what he sees as the overmedication of children in Quebec’s school systems.

“What we’re doing to our children might make them look cute, but if you look at a class of kids and all of them are sitting properly and looking attentive, is that really what a real class looks like?” he says.

Critics say these arguments show only the nicest face of their criticism. “It’s a bait and switch scheme,” says Scott. “Ultimately their goal is to eliminate psychiatry, psychology and neurology and replace it with their own techniques [the self-help practice of Dianetics].”

The church’s rental of the space caused controversy when it was revealed, but Concordia insists not everyone is opposed to their decision. “The response has been mixed,” says Concordia spokesperson Christine Mota. “Some people are upset but there are those who say, ‘Hey, get a grip, chill. If you can’t deal with this stuff in an academic institution, where can you?’”

Scott disagrees. “I’m embarrassed that the university put its stamp of approval on this quackery.”

So can any organization rent space at Concordia? Lyndon LaRouche? The Raelians? White supremacists?

Mota says it would depend on whether their show violates the university’s rules. “The university looks at the criteria defined by the government: is this group illegal? Do they promote hate crimes? You won’t find those kinds of groups at Concordia,” she says. “Here we are talking about an organization that is recognized as a church and as a charitable organization in Canada.”

Meanwhile, Dumais is determined to keep his feet on the campus. “A university is a good place because students are curious. The response has been very positive. Ninety per cent of the people who have come through here are very interested,” he says.