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Operation Happy Shopper

Anonymous | 02.04.2008 11:35 | Analysis | Education | Social Struggles | Birmingham

A short summary of Opperation Happy Shopper, a Protest against the CCHR exhibit "Psychiatry - An Industry Of Death" For more infomation on the the exhibit itself, please read the following link;  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2008/03/393916.html

Around the 12th of March, Anonymous became aware of Scientologists utilising the front group named the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights,' a 'publicly funded charity organisation.'

An email campaign was started; aimed at whoever would listen in a position to try and pull the exhibit;

Telephone calls were made to the town, and several emails were sent to  ajones@goodrelations.co.uk, the Public Relations Company of the Queens Square Shopping Centre.

Here is the template email;

Dear Ms Jones,

I am writing to express my deepest concern over a proposed exhibition to be hosted by the Queens Square Shopping Centre.

The exhibition is called 'Psychiatry - An Industry Of Death' by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and is due to run from Monday 31st March until Thursday 17th April 2008. - See link  http://www.cchr.org.uk/exhibitions.htm

Whilst the name "Citizens Commission on Human Rights" certainly makes it sound like they are a alturistic group looking to help people, the truth is somewhat different.

The group have absolutely no interest in stopping the many human rights abuses around the world, they are an ofshoot of the Church of Scientology ( http://www.cchr.org.uk/about.htm) and their only agenda is promoting the CoS's extreme views on psychiatric care and psychiatric medicines.

The CCHR & Church of Scientology's views on Psychiatric care and psychiatric medicine are well documented and include the belief that psychiatry is responsible for Eugenics and the Holocaust.

See the following image of the Scientology exhibition 'Psychiatry - An Industry Of Death' in Los Angeles -

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Piod_museum_eugenics.jpg
from the page  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatry:_An_Industry_of_Death

This bizarre and offensive belief was also shown in BBC Panorama: Scientology and me, broadcast in 2007.

I'm sure that you realise by now that hosting this exhibition would be HIGHLY OFFENSIVE to a large number of your customers and I trust that you will now reconsider your decision to allow this exhibition to take place in the Queens Square Shopping Centre.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and I look forward to your reply.

Unfortunately, this route bore no fruit, and so Anonymous of Birmingham gathered themselves. Notices were handed to the West Bromwich police for two dates; Monday 31st of March, (the first day of the exhibit,) and the following Saturday, (April 5th), in order to raise awareness of the CCHR, who they were, and what they believe, in order to allow the citizens of West Bromwich an opportunity to make up their own mind on the matter.

Though only three members of Anonymous showed up on the Monday; they caused some waves. A Scientologist you may recognise from watching the Central News coverage of the Febuary 10th Protest was seen lurking around, with Scientologist 'goons' in his flank armed with Video Cameras in an attempt to catch anything they could report to the police, or that would reveal Anonymous' identities...

Chris Wrapson was up to his old tricks again, though instead of calling Anonymous 'Cyber Terrorists' again, he instead spoke to everyone who had made contact with Anon calling them 'Potheads who didn't know what they were on about, who were only here to make a rucus.'

(Video of Chris Wrapson at his old games; denouncing Anonymous as a Terrorist organization on Feb 10th.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4BQdr0kHK8)

(Chris, why do you lie so?)

Not many people bought it.

An amazing amount of flyers were given out that day; and everyone Anonymous spoke to were informed that Legion would take the streets once again on SATURDAY APRIL 5th in greater number.

The Express and Star had been alerted, with a reporter attempting to break free of the football coverage on Saturday to speak with the Protesters; the Queens Square Security and the Police Force were happy with how Anonymous conducted themselves.

The following is a report posted by Brumanon user 'Lulz0Matic' breaking down the day in brief on the forum.

None of the names used are real; only online pseudonyms. Any Scientologists reading, I'm sorry.

Lulz0matic
Posted: Mar 31 2008, 04:21 PM

Here's a break down of what happened.

1 - Lulz arrives in West Brom, cannot find Anon. Decides to check out the exhibit. Tells one worried shopper it was all a cult trying to push their ideals when asked.
2 - Lurking moar. Had a smoke. Found Hermes! Got peacefully ejected from the Queens Square.
3 - Decided to buy card from WHSmiths.
4 - On return from Smiths to the chosen spot, found Mr.Muffin.
5 - Leaflet and sign galore. Several inquisitive people.
6 - Moar and moar. Phonecall made to the Express and Star, possible news coverage for Saturday; reporters should be present at One.
7 - Moar leaflets. SCIFAGS ARRIVE WITH CAMERAS! =O They film our signs/us.
8 - Mr. Chris W. (That is his name, right? We were unsure.) from Birmingham is seen lurking with Scifags around our vicinity. Confirmed by other members of the public who were working (selling Gas/Electric, I believe,) to have spread false information regarding the three of us. 'They're all potheads, they're just here to cause a Rucus.'
9 - Damage control. Lulz. No one believes Scifag liez.
10 - Moar leaflets given, links given, and the likes.
11 - The three of us visited the Police Station before we finished up. No complaints were made, and the Officer who had spoken to us prior was fairly happy with how we conducted the protest. They're aware and prepared, AND expecting MOAR of us on Saturday. That's cool with them, based on our behavior today.
12 - Mr. Muffin definately got the bus home safe, I suspect Hermes got to the Metro too.
13 - I am home, safe, and unfollowed.
14 - ???
15 - PROFIT!

The following is a link to the organization of round two with the CCHR; if you express an interesting in showing your support in the form of Protest, I would stress that proceedings are 100% peaceful and that their are rules that Anonymous follows;

 http://brumanon.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=173 (Organizing.)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-063clxiB8I (Code of Conduct, will paste the text at the end of the article.)

The exact location of protest is speculated to be between Queens Square and Kings Square, which is in the centre of the West Brom high street beneath a large Red 'pyramid like' rain shelter.

User Lulz0Matic also posted the following hints and tips on BrumAnon.

Hints and Tips -
- Bring an Umbrella. Pigeon Sh!t very likely where we were stood.
- MASKS or at the very least Sunglasses. Scientologists were present with Video cameras right in our faces. God knows who else around was one of them.
(For the significance of this, please run a google search of the Fair Game policy.)
- Not everyone will have passed or pay attention the exhibit. Explain it to them if they haven't.
- Camera/Video camera to document? We didn't have one.


Signs that worked -

Scudmuffin's laminated sign he posted a picture of.
My 'Lisa McPhearson - A Victim of the CCHR - Ask us' sign
My 'Would you pay an excess of 150,000 to be denied Psychiatric aid? The CCHR would like you to' sign
Hermes' 'Ask us why Elli Parkson is Dead' sign.

All connections with the CCHR/Scientology were explained, but I personally felt that if people saw CCHR in place of Scientology, people who had seen the exhibit would be more likely to come check it out. It worked.


~ Anonymous.


Rule #0: Rules #1 and #2 of the internet still apply. Your memes are not, at this juncture, something that the real world can appreciate. Although meme speak between fellow Anonymous is acceptable, focus on the target and keep it to a minimum.

Rule #1: Stay cool.

Rule #2: Stay cool, especially when harassed. You are an ambassador of Anonymous. Although individuals trying to disrupt your demonstration will get on your nerves, you must not lose your temper. Doing so will harm the protest and tarnish the reputation of Anonymous.

Rule #3: Comply with the orders of law enforcement officers above all else. Doing otherwise is harmful to the demonstration as a whole and may compromise your performance as a human being. Do not request badge numbers unless you are being treated in a very abusive manner, as doing so will anger officers.

Rule #4: Notify city officials. Most jurisdictions either have rules about public protests, or would prefer to be notified that they are taking place. Know the rules for your jurisdiction and abide by them.

Rule #5: Always be across the street from the object being protested.

Rule #6: In the absence of a road, find another natural barrier between yourself and the target of protest. Doing so will make it more difficult for individuals hostile to your cause to come and harass you.

Rule #7: Stay on public property. You may be charged for trespassing if you do not.

Rule #8: No violence.

Rule #9: No weapons. The demonstration is a peaceful event. Your weapons. You will not need them.

Rule #10: No alcohol or pre-drinking. Violating this rule may easily precipitate a violation of rules 1 and 2.

Rule #11: No graffiti, destruction, or vandalism.

Rule #12: If you want to do something stupid, pick another day. These should be self explanatory. Violation of these rules during a demonstration will tarnish the reputation of Anonymous, harm the demonstration itself and leave you vulnerable to attention from law enforcement.

Rule #13: Anonymous is legion. Never be alone. Isolation during a protest marks you as a target for handlers who wish to provoke an angry reaction from you and other hostiles. In keeping with this principle...

Rule #14: Organize in squads of 10 to 15 people.

Rule #15: One or two megaphones per squad. A megaphone is helpful for maintaining the overall cohesion of a demonstration and spreading your message. However, too many will confuse the public and render you hearing impaired.

Rule #16: Know the dress code. Forming a loose yet reasonable dress code for protest members will help to maintain cohesion and get the public to take you seriously.

Rule #17: Cover your face. This will prevent your identification from videos taken by hostiles, other protesters or security. Use scarves, hats and sunglasses. Masks are not necessary, and donning them in the context of a public demonstration is forbidden in some jurisdictions.

Rule #18: Bring water. A dehydrated, thirsty Anonymous is not a useful Anonymous.

Rule #19: Wear good shoes. Following these rules will assure your comfort during the demonstration. Keep in mind that demonstrations may often be quite lengthy.

Rule #20: Signs, fliers, and phrases. Have yours ready. Make sure that signs are large enough to read. Also ensure that the text on your signs and your phrases are pertinent to the target of the protest.

Rule #21: Prepare legible, uncomplicated and accurate flyers to hand out to those who wish to know more regarding the motivations behind your actions.

Rule #22: Document the demonstration. Videos and pictures of the event may be used to corroborate your side of the story if law enforcement get involved. Furthermore, posting images and videos of your heroic actions all over the internet is bound to generate win, exhorting other Anonymous to follow your glorious example.

Anonymous
- Homepage: http://www.brumanon.co.uk

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  1. nice work! — Temple of Xenu