As a thought experiment I decided to check the Church of Scientology against the list and see how they fared up. If you don't want to read the whole article, the Wikipedia article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_fascism#Umberto_Eco) on definitions of fascism summarises the points as follows.

* "The Cult of Tradition", combining cultural syncretism with a rejection of modernism (often disguised as a rejection of capitalism).

In Scientology, one of the gravest sins one could commit - and the "justification" for much of the cult's aggression towards the Free Zone - is to become a "squirrel", that is, to alter the practices of Dianetics and Scientology in any way from what Hubbard originally wrote. The documents were perfect when written and any attempt to change them in any way would be to render the Tech ineffective or even deadly. Things must remain as they always were, and history must be rewritten if necessary.

* "The Cult of Action for Action's Sake", which dictates that action is of value in itself, and should be taken without intellectual reflection. This, says Eco, is connected with anti-intellectualism and irrationalism, and often manifests in attacks on modern culture and science.

Scientologists are discouraged from questioning the effectiveness of the Tech or reflecting on how Scientology is working for them. The cult's opposition to some branches of science (specifically Psychiatry and Pharmaceuticals) is well known. This, however, is perhaps the weakest fitting of the traits Eco lists.

* "Disagreement is Treason" - fascism devalues intellectual discourse and critical reasoning as barriers to action.

Pretty much the slightest glance at any criticism of Scientology bears this out.

* "Fear of Difference", which fascism seeks to exploit and exacerbate, often in the form of racism or an appeal against foreigners and immigrants.

Scientology has a very strong "us against the world" component, as demontrated by the numerous groups Hubbard identified as being after him (the FBI, the CIA, the KGB, MI5, the German government, the psychiatric establishment, the pharmaceutical establishment, the IRS, all the world's media, etc.). Where traditional fascism attempts to appeal to a would-be majority and manifests itself with the targetting of minority groups, Scientology in the reverse position identifies numerous authority figures attempting to suppress it.

* "Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class", fearing economic pressure from the demands and aspirations of lower social groups.

This is a point which I would be fascinated to know more of - the demographics of Scientology and typical economic makeup. A glance at the price list for Scientology auditing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business#Costs) tells us that to get very far at all one would have to be at minimum upper middle class - much of their publicity shows executives and other professional types in relatively spacious homes.

* "Obsession With a plot" and the hyping-up of an enemy threat. This often involves an appeal to xenophobia or the identification of an internal security threat. He cites Pat Robertson's book The New World Order as a prominent example of a plot obsession.

I'll let the cult do my talking for me:  http://opposing.scientology.org/31-behnd.htm

** Although the forty-year assault against Scientology assumed large proportions, the source must be remembered-that small but influential circle of psychiatrists and their government stooges. Nor did the means change over the years: false allegations selectively planted in the media, then seeded into even more federal files as background “fact.”

** It is a method, with small adjustments, that also served to cause trouble overseas. The international pipeline left the US, primarily through IRS and FBI links, and discharged among the voluminous dossiers of Interpol.

** Interpol (originally designed to coordinate criminal apprehension between countries) was convenient on three counts: First, as a private organization it is not accountable to the people of any country, as are government agencies, and is free to amass secret dossiers and spread them far and wide; second, files bearing the authoritative Interpol stamp are assumed to be true; and, third, it had a decades-old relationship with the IRS and the FBI, the main repositories of false reports on Scientology in the US. In fact, IRS and FBI files contained virtually every rumor ever disseminated about Scientology, further substantiating Congressional findings that these agencies were often used to launch politically motivated attacks against targets that had committed no crimes at all.

Rumour has it that David Miscavige, head of the cult, has recently declared Anonymous to be the fourth or fifth wave of the invasion fleet of the Marcab Confederacy, bad guys in much of Hubbard's sci-fi-on-LSD scripture.

* "Pacifism is Trafficking With the Enemy" because "Life is Permanent Warfare" - there must always be an enemy to fight.

** "We are not a turn the other cheek religion" - Scientologist Lawyer Earle C Cooley on CNN after the copyright raids of activists homes in 1995

* "Contempt for the Weak" - although a fascist society is elitist, everybody in the society is educated to become a hero.

Scientology teaches that the Tech is perfect and that any human being should be able to advance through the ranks. Failure to do so is thus a failure of the Scientologist rather than the Tech.

* "Selective Populism" - the People have a common will, which is not delegated but interpreted by a leader. This may involve doubt being cast upon a democratic institution, because "it no longer represents the Voice of the People".

Again, borne out by pretty much everyone who ever escaped the cult.

* "Newspeak" - fascism employs and promotes an impoverished vocabulary in order to limit critical reasoning.

Hubbard was obsessed with language. In Dianetics and his other works, words (such as Suppressive, Survival, Ethics, Audit, Clear) are redefined according to a specific Scientology meaning. It is theorised by some that this is a way to force people to internalise the doctrine by changing the way they think about everyday words.

And that's the lot. Does this make the Church of Scientology fascist? Perhaps it does, perhaps it doesn't. Overall it need not effect the fight against the cult, or against fascism, as both are reprehensible on their own qualities. The comparison, however, has been an interesting one.