France Fights Minority Groups, Not Dérives Sectaires: a Demonstration in Quotations

France Fights against Minority Groups (the “Cults”) and Not against Dérives Sectaires: Demonstration, with Supporting Quotations

Georges Fenech, current president of the MIVILUDES

In a press communiqué signed on 27 June 2005 by Georges Fenech (then a deputy), he justifies the use of the list of cults from the French parliamentary report of 1996: “A reference for the work of prevention and of fighting against dérives sectaires” (source).

In a document entitled “La justice face aux dérives sectaires” (La documentation française) of which he is the author, Georges Fenech specifies that the notion of the cult has no “legal definition” (page 20). Why then does there exist within the national police a reference investigation group on “cults” in liaison with the MIVILUDES (page 25)? Why does the MIVILUDES work in close partnership with anti-cult associations of which Georges Fenech indeed specifies that they are structures of “defence against the cults” (page 39) – for example Catherine Picard, president of UNADFI, is a member of the Orientation Council of the MIVILUDES –? Why does Georges Fenech advocate the creation of a “European observatory on the cults” (page 47)?

Interviewed on 19 December 2008 on Paul Vermus’s set (VSD) in a debate around integration and the cults, Georges Fenech specifies: “If I give you the names of the cults I have in my crosshairs, I am in for a lawsuit within the hour… Not easy to put five hundred cults and communities under surveillance; that concerns five hundred thousand people, including eighty-five thousand children” (source).

In the 1 pm news of the radio station France Inter, 15 June 2011, the journalist Claire Servajean questions Georges Fenech: “Does that mean the cults can attack anyone and that nobody is safe?”; answer of the president of the MIVILUDES: “Nobody, nobody is safe” (source).

The journalist Robert Ménard, I>télé, 15 June 2011, points out to Georges Fenech that the UN criticises France’s action in the matter of cults; – G. Fenech: “These are NGOs which are front organisations of these cult organisations, which are accredited to the United Nations” – R. Ménard: “Now that, that’s too easy when it’s the United Nations calling you into question” – G. Fenech: “No, it’s not the United Nations…” – R. Ménard: “What, they’re infiltrated by the cults?” – G. Fenech: ”… These are NGOs which are fronts, once again, which are accredited to the Council of Europe, to the UN, to the international bodies; they do an extraordinary lobbying (…)” (source).

In Lyon Capitale, 30 September 2011: – Georges Fenech: “I am a magistrate. I currently preside over an interministerial Mission”; – Journalist: “…which fights against the cults”; – Georges Fenech: “Which fights against the cults”.

At the same period, interviewed by Robert Ménard, I>télé, 15 June 2011, Georges Fenech does not hesitate to assert: “Me, I do not know what a cult is, I have no list, you ask questions, I answer you. There is no legal definition of a cult, I do not fight against the cults” (source).

Television programme Envoyé spécial, France 2: Georges Fenech claims that “there is no authority in France that labels: ‘you are a religion or you are a cult’.”

Parliamentarians

Statement of deputy Jacques Myard, at the hearing of M. Jancovici during the parliamentary Commission of inquiry of 2006 on the theme “L’enfance volée”: ”(…) Monsieur, you alluded to two cults, one of which had already made headlines in the past, (…) and the other which I did not know because indeed, they are swarming (…)” (source). As a reminder, Georges Fenech chaired this parliamentary Commission of inquiry.

Statement of deputy Jean-Pierre Brard (member of the Orientation Council of the MIVILUDES), at the hearing of M. Rufo during the parliamentary Commission of inquiry of 2006 on the theme “L’enfance volée”: “We (…) have been working on the cults for some time, most of us here, to preserve individual and collective liberties (…)” (source).

Between January and September 2009, 51 questions concerning dérives sectaires were put to the government by parliamentarians. In the database of the National Assembly, the questions are categorised by a field called “Tête d’analyse” which has the value “sectes”. Of these 51 questions, 44 contain the term “sectes” in the text, and certain questions were systematically put to every Ministry (Assemblée Nationale).

10 February 2009 – question to the government from deputy Robert Didier – “Concerning the cults, he would like to know the measures envisaged to control and prevent the diffusion, publication and free sale on the national territory and on the francophone Internet of works published or written by persons identified as belonging to and promoting these cult movements” (Assemblée Nationale).

2 June 2009 – question to the government from deputy Michel Zumkeller – “M. Michel Zumkeller questions the Minister of higher education and research on the annual report on the cults, published by the MIVILUDES (Interministerial mission of vigilance against dérives sectaires). This report describes the methods employed by the cults to install themselves in the ‘new niches’. He would like to know the actions carried out to fight against the hold of the cults in the domains within her competence” (Assemblée Nationale).

23 February 2008 – Jean-Luc Mélanchon, French political leader – speaks of the MIVILUDES as the “Interministerial mission of vigilance and combat against the cults” (ContreInfo).

“I have just been appointed Rapporteur on the protection of minors against the influence of the cults at the Council of Europe”. Thus speaks Rudy Salles, deputy of the Alpes Maritimes, and he adds: “I recognise that a difficult and long-haul work awaits us, Georges FENECH and me” (source).

Ministers

28 July 2009, answer of the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries to a question to the government – The minister specifies that he “implements a policy” aiming notably to ”(…) develop towards his staff an information to help them understand the organisation of the fight against the cults and dérives sectaires in France, as well as the steps to take as soon as they find themselves facing a suspicion of dérive sectaire, or indeed a proven one” (Assemblée Nationale).

15 July 2009, Laurent Wauquiez, Secretary of State – “I can testify to it (…) on my own territory, certain cults have instrumentalised professional training bodies” (Assemblée Nationale).

23 September 2009, Laurent Wauquiez specifies, during a sitting at the Senate: “For the year 2010, the principal stake will be to purge professional training of the cancer of the cults, a phenomenon tolerated for too many years. The Government will conduct a pitiless hunt in the matter!”

15 September 2009, Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of the Interior, announces in the Figaro: “I am going to table, on the occasion of the next penal text, a measure which will indeed make it possible to dissolve notably associations, groups or cults which have engaged in fraud.”

Anti-cult activists

On the programme C dans l’air of 3 August 2009 on France 5, entitled “Secte ou pas secte”, on which Georges Fenech was present, Jacques Miquel, president of the CCMM, and then a member of the Orientation Council of the MIVILUDES, expressed himself on the subject of the MIVILUDES’s référentiel: “There was talk at one point of a référentiel on movements with dérives sectaires and I heard that it would unfortunately not be given to the public. I would like to point out one thing which does astonish me greatly: in this country, nobody has the idea of going mushroom-picking without a flora, and believe me, I am an amateur mycologist, the movements with dérives sectaires are far more toxic than mushrooms”.

Journalists

If the bankruptcy of the media counter-power on the question of the said “cults” is in no doubt, one can at least grant the journalists that they have not let themselves be deceived by the subterfuge of the “fight against dérives sectaires”.

On 7 April 2010, Europe 1, Marc-Olivier Fogiel questions Georges Fenech: “Today, there is no list on which all these cults would appear? It would surely be simpler for all those listening to us. Isn’t that a lack, isn’t that a deficiency?”.

On 8 April 2010, the programme C à dire, France 5, Thierry Guerrier observes, as a self-evident fact, that: “The work of hunting down the cults in France is not about to stop”.

On 10 April 2010, the programme Revu et corrigé, France 5, the journalist Paul Amar presents the MIVILUDES at the start of the programme as “the mission against the cults”; probably alerted to his blunder, he corrects himself later in the programme.

On 7 April 2010, on RTL, Vincent Parizot speaks of “the release of the MIVILUDES report on the cults”.

On 15 June 2011, Le Journal du Dimanche presents the MIVILUDES as “The Interministerial Mission for the fight against the cults”.

On 14 June 2011, Le Figaro entitles an article: “End of the world: the alert of the anti-cult mission”.

On 16 June 2011, the programme Ça vous regarde, LCP, Antoine Guélaud, editorial director of TF1 and a guest on the programme, gives his opinion: “On prevention, me, I remain persuaded that the public must be informed still more and that a list of the cult movements must absolutely be established. (…) The cults today are everywhere and people must know it”.

On 31 July 2011, L’Indépendant headlines: “The mayors face up to the dangers of the cults”. The article mentions “specialists in the fight against the cults” and quotes public officials and the MIVILUDES.

On 22 September 2011, L’Est Républicain entitles an article: “Morano hunts the cults”.

On 21 October 2011, LyonMag declares: “The prefecture launches the hunt for the cults”.

On 9 February 2012, Le Figaro asserts: “1,500 training bodies infiltrated by the cults”.

On 9 February 2012, L’Express warns: “Professional training infiltrated by cults”.

Etc.