Georges Fenech caught red-handed
Picture: recording on TV channel LCP (the Parliamentary channel) of the hearings of the enquiry commission, when Fenech says “… such a derisory figure …”
Since it was established, the Miviludes (Interministerial Mission to fight against sectarian abuses) has shown that it will do anything to justify its existence. There is no definition of a “sect”, even less of a “sectarian abuse”. The vagueness of these terms has been used by Miviludes to put under watch a broad array of groups they deem unconventional—whether supporting organic food, personal enhancement, well-being, therapeutics groups or spiritual and religious groups.
In a report to the Prime Minister in 2008, Georges Fenech, soon to become president of Miviludes, clearly explained his vision: “The repressive action of the State must be applied as soon as specific criteria exist: one or more individuals who start to attach themselves to circulating ideas, different from ideas usually shared by the social consensus”. In other terms, abuse starts as soon as one has unusual ideas…
Almost everybody could then fall under the purview of Miviludes. The most extraordinary figures are indeed fed to the media by Georges Fenech, who claimed on RadioVatican on October 15, 2010 : “We are talking of basic figures involving maybe 10 million French people.”
The true facts
When he talks about minors, Georges Fenech gets entangled in his own contradictions. In an interview with daily Le Figaro on October 13, 2010, he mentioned that 50,000 children were “victims of sectarian influence”. On France 2, Fenech claimed that 60,000 children were in danger; on France 3 he said there are 80,000, but on LCP the figure is only 20,000. Is this a joke? An attempt at disinformation? Or is Miviludes publishing false information?
The true facts are available. See the online video “The truth about some lies” on www.ethique-liberte.org. Officials from various government ministries and bodies testified in 2006 in front of a Parliamentary commission, presided by Georges Fenech, on the sectarian influence on minors:
Ministry of Interior
Testimony of Mr Didier Leschi, Head of the Central Office of Cults, 17/10/2006
“The figure of 45,000 children of Jehovah Witnesses was sometimes mentioned . […] In view of this hearing, I required prefectures to list, over the last three years, the incidents connected to transfusions. What came up is a small number of incidents, often settled by discussion. No incident involving children or life-endangering situations was mentioned.”
Ministry of National Education
Testimony of Mr Jean-Yves dupuis, General Inspector, 10/10/2006
“During the past school year, academy inspectors or rectors referred 19,000 cases to Republic’s prosecutors, regarding children they estimated were in danger, for various reasons. When we asked the inspectors how many, among these kids in danger, were considered so because of sectarian groups, they told us there were eight.”
Ministry of Justice
Testimony of Mrs Sancy, Office of Legal Affairs, Director of Legal Protection of Youth, 3/10/2006
“… we realized that [the problem of cults] was very marginal compared to all the other problems that our office has to handle for these same minors, such as problems of violence, of truancy from school, of job placement, or family problems.”
Ministry of Youth, Sports and Associations
Testimony of Mr Etienne Madranges, Director of Youth and Popular Education, 18/10/2006
“Statistically, in the last three years, we had no case where we could demonstrate that minors were deliberately endangered.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Testimony of Mrs Françoise Le Bihan, deputy director of the service of French abroad and Foreigners in France, 17/10/2006
In this vast collection, I found only two cases showing a link with sectarian behavior.”
Renseignements Généraux (RG)
Testimony of Joël Bouchité, central Director of RG, 4/10/2006
During our relations on the ground, in prefectures, with national education, DDASS [social services], recreation centers and all bodies working with youth, we never had to deal with 60,000 alerts, not even with 30,000—at the most it was a few dozen.”
Gendarmerie Nationale (Army Police)
Testimony of General Guy Paraire, general director of Gendarmerie Nationale, 4/10/2006
“The associations concerned with sects sometimes claim that 20,000 minors could be under the influence of sectarian groups. […] All in all, even if they are but the emerged part of the iceberg, cases handled by the Gendarmerie are far below these estimates: since 2004, only thirty-seven procedures were handled by gendarmerie units.”
video link : http://www.coordiap.com/video14-fenech-caplc-2323.htm
source : Ethique et Liberté
