Skip to main content

A new Scientology Mission centre which John Travolta helped just two weeks ago has already been vandalized.



The letters 'ANON' were spray painted on the windows of the mission in Ocala, Florida, early Wednesday morning, before the center opened at 1pm.

The blinds were drawn still as passers-by stopped to check out the graffiti.


Defaced: Front view of the Scientology Mission in Ocala, Florida, before vandals got to work

Anonymous is the name of the internet-based group that has frequently attacked Scientology in the media, often with videos claiming that the organisation is a criminal racket.

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston live in Ocala and were at the opening of the new Mission on May 29.

The actor broke down in tears while thanking the town for the support given to his family following their 'intense loss' of their son Jett, who passed away in 2009, radaronline.com reports.

Jett died while on a family vacation in The Bahamas.

The death certificate attributed the cause of death to a seizure.

Addressing the crowd of 1,000 people, Travolta said: 'This community protected us and safeguarded us.


Arch enemy: Members of the group Anonymous have attacked Scientology in the media, but the church claims it has threatened them with violence as well

'When the chips are down, you know who your friends are. Our friends are right here.'

'So the biggest gift I can give you in return is this mission.'

 Kelly Preston walked on stage and gave him a tissue and a hug, according to the Ocala Star Banner newspaper.

The Scientology Mission of Ocala is 4,500 square feet and the restoration was a $500,000 project for the organisation.

Attacking the Anonymous group, a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology said: 'Anonymous is an internet-based criminal organization currently under investigation by the United States Department of Justice, local law enforcement, and law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and Spain, among others.


Proud moment: John Travolta with wife Kelly Preston and Ocala Mayor Randy Ewers and his wife Lorri Ewers at the opening of a Scientology Mission on May 29 in the Florida town

'Anonymous has claimed responsibility and is currently under investigation for its attacks on Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Sony's PlayStation Network, the Church of Scientology, the Spanish government and national police, as well as for crashing the Australian government's websites in response to Australia's attempts to curb the spread of child pornography on the internet.'

He claimed the attacks against the Church of Scientology have included anthrax threats, bomb threats, plus threats to kill, cause arson and kidnap.

The spokesman added: 'These crimes, among others, are currently part of an open hate crimes investigation by the United States Department of Justice.'

Travolta, originially a Roman Catholic, has been a practitioner of Scientology since 1975.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he joined other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, by flying his Boeing 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area.

He has credited his family and faith in helping him survive the tragic death of his son, and in moving forward with his film career.

Anonymous has not claimed responsibility for the graffiti.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ebola outbreak vastly underestimated

The death toll from the world's worst outbreak of Ebola stood on Wednesday at 1,069 from 1,975 confirmed, probable and suspected cases, the agency said. The majority were in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, while four people have died in Nigeria. The agency's apparent acknowledgement the situation is worse than previously thought could spur governments and aid organisations to take stronger measures against the virus. "Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak," the organisation said. "WHO is coordinating a massive scaling up of the international response, marshalling support from individual countries, disease control agencies, agencies within the United Nations system, and others." International agencies are looking into emergency food drops and truck convoys to reach hungry people in Liberia and Sierra Leone cordoned off from the outside world to halt the sprea...

Four of the last reporters and photographers willing to cover crime stories have been slain in less than a week in violence-torn Veracruz state

Four of the last reporters and photographers willing to cover crime stories have been slain in less than a week in violence-torn Veracruz state, where two Mexican drug cartels are warring over control of smuggling routes and targeting sources of independent information. The brutal campaign is bleeding the media and threatening to turn Veracruz into the latest state in Mexico where fear snuffs out reporting on the drug war. Three photojournalists who worked the perilous crime beat in the port city of Veracruz were found dismembered and dumped in plastic bags in a canal Thursday, less than a week after a reporter for an investigative newsmagazine was beaten and strangled in her home in the state capital of Xalapa. Press freedom groups said all three photographers had temporarily fled the state after receiving threats last year. The organizations called for immediate government action to halt a wave of attacks that has killed at least seven current and former reporters and photographer...

Former British and European champion boxer Jamie Moore has been shot in Marbella

Former British and European champion boxer Jamie Moore has been shot in Marbella - apparently in both legs. Moore, the former European light-middleweight champion, was in Spain working at a gym owned by boxer, Matthew Macklin, who he is training. It is understood the 35-year-old Moore, from Walkden, Greater Manchester, has now left hospital after treatment. Moore, highly regarded in the sport, was on the verge of a WBC title shot, in 2009, but decided to quit the sport in 2010 on medical grounds. Moore is a former two-time British light-middleweight champion and Commonwealth champion. A source told  the Manchester Evening News : "It would appear he was out and about, not at the gym, when he was shot." A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed that a British national had been shot over the weekend. Moore was helping prepare Mackin for a fight in Dublin later this month against Argentinian, Jorge Sebastian-Heiland for the WBC international midldeweight title. As well as a wo...