TAGS
TONY ORTEGA
ANTI-RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA
In a pair of articles aimed at marginalizing Australian Scientologists, Ben Schneiders of the Sydney Morning Herald shamelessly employs techniques of antireligious propaganda.
MEDIA & ETHICS
“The kind of outrageous misinformation Sarkisian forwards was disseminated repeatedly about Jews by Nazi minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who referred to members of the faith as ‘guilty,’ stated they ‘organize murder and terror’ and ‘led people to die,’” said National STAND Director Bari Berger. “That the ignorant tragically believed him and spread his lies made them no more true.”
MEDIA & ETHICS
“This is the company USA Today apparently keeps—sex trafficking apologists and antireligious extremists who harass and incite hate against members of a minority religion,” said Bari Berger, National STAND Director, referring to Leah Remini, whose anti-Scientology hate campaign has resulted in more than 600 threats and acts of violence against Scientologists and their children and families.
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
Like the anti-Semitic ‘blood libel,’ Tony Ortega peddles anti-Scientology tropes fabricated to generate hate against members of a minority religion,” said National STAND Director Bari Berger. “To understand the true motivations Ortega attempts to conceal, one need only study any white supremacist manifesto. Ortega feels that those different from him, and those who subscribe to a set of beliefs not his own, do not deserve rights and freedoms. He would prefer they cease to exist, hence his continuous efforts to intimidate Scientologists and spread anti-Scientology hate.”
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
When I first got involved with Scientology, I had to wade through misinformation to really understand what it was and what it wasn’t. Because I had no frame of reference in those early days, all the information sort of mixed together, and it was very hard to separate fact from fiction.
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
The tweet, which fuels racial stereotypes, also exposes Ortega’s hypocrisy. The unemployed blogger—whose funding source is former call girl Karen de la Carriere—daily promotes anti-Scientology hate speech in his postings, in which he includes photos of Scientologist children as well as Church staff, executives and members. With no concern for their security or safety, Ortega lays them open to harm from his rabid and ill-informed followers.
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
With thousands falling ill daily, sex-trafficking promoter Tony Ortega viewed COVID-19 as an opportunity to stir up hate against religion. He first intentionally misrepresented a bulletin issued to all Scientologists.
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
The very bottom of the money-making barrel, in my mind, would be selling drugs or people. I don’t know whether Ortega has done the former, but he has definitely had a big hand in the latter.
COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE
Turns out they were attending a meeting of Baptist pastors at the hotel. Once we straightened out our respective denominational preferences, we quickly realized we had something in common. Both of us had observed that religion in general—whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Scientology or other—was under attack by secular forces.
MEDIA & ETHICS
It may be hard to spot the common denominator of all of Ortega’s flops, but I’ll tell you what I see.
