To the Members of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organising Committee,
I am writing this letter not just as a former member of the Church of Scientology, but as a survivor and an activist now dedicated to seeking justice for those who suffered abuse at their hands. It has been widely reported recently that Tom Cruise, Scientology’s most famous advocate, is expected to play a prominent role in the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France this Sunday, where he will receive the Olympic flag on behalf of Los Angeles, the next Olympics host city.
Let me be clear: This decision is a profound betrayal of the principles the Olympics are supposed to uphold. It is a direct affront to every person who has suffered as a result of Scientology’s harmful and coercive practices, harassment tactics and toxic regime. By featuring Tom Cruise—a man who has openly and aggressively defended Scientology, and who has also disconnected from his own daughter as a result of ‘Church policy’, you are legitimising an organisation that has been widely condemned for its human rights abuses, including allegations of human and child trafficking currently being tried in U.S. courts.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a history of taking principled stands against discrimination and human rights violations, and it’s reputation for doing so is what makes this even more disappointing. In 1964, the IOC made the bold decision to ban South Africa from the Tokyo Olympics due to its refusal to comply with the Olympic Charter’s anti-discrimination principles under apartheid. This decision sent a powerful statement that the Olympic movement would not tolerate racism or discrimination.
The IOC has further committed to upholding human rights and equality through initiatives like “Agenda 2020,” which emphasises the need for sustainability, transparency, and respect for human rights. Yet, by placing Tom Cruise at the heart of the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony, you are disregarding these commitments and handing Scientology – a group that is considered to be a dangerous cult by the French government – an endorsement on the world’s biggest stage.
MIVILUDES, the French governmental agency tasked with combatting cults, has repeatedly warned against Scientology, describing it as a “totalitarian structure” that exerts a “destructive influence on its members.” On 2nd August, after Scientologists were seen distributing leaflets outside major Paris Olympic venues, it issued a statement warning “Scientology practices present risks of psychological destabilisation, exorbitant financial expectations” and people being split from their families and friends associated with Scientology.
This is an organisation that has a track record of illegal activity tried in the French courts, with the Paris Correctional Court in 2009 exposing how Scientology deceives and exploits vulnerable individuals and extorts them for financial gain. In 1997, a former Scientology Lyon executive was convicted of involuntary manslaughter following the suicide of one of its members and in October 2013, the Court of Cassation fined Scientology and a number of its staff €600,000 for organised fraud, aggravated receiving of stolen goods, extortion and the illegal practice of pharmacy without a licence.
In addition to this, Scientology’s deeply entrenched anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is in direct violation of the IOC’s commitment to equality. The Olympic Charter clearly states that the Games are meant to be free of discrimination of any kind, including “discrimination on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender, or otherwise.” Scientology’s teachings and practices are in stark contrast to these values, promoting harmful ideologies that have caused untold suffering to LGBTQ+ individuals within and outside the organisation.
For those of us who have escaped Scientology’s grip, the pain does not simply disappear when we leave. Many of us continue to struggle with deep psychological scars and endure continued harassment for speaking out publicly as a result of it’s ‘Fair Game’ policy, which seeks to intimidate former members into silence. Seeing the Olympics, which is supposed to be a beacon of human rights and equality, endorse a figure so closely tied to our abusers is a devastating blow. It tells us that our suffering is irrelevant, that the world would rather turn a blind eye than confront the uncomfortable truth about the harm we’ve endured.
This decision is more than disgusting. It is dangerous. By platforming one of Scientology’s most prominent public figures, it is offering legitimacy to a harmful organisation that continues to abuse its members in every city in which it operates.
The Olympics should stand as a symbol of hope and unity, not as a platform for enabling abuse.
I urge you, as the organisers, to reconsider your decision to feature Tom Cruise in the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony. The integrity of the Olympic movement, and the mental well-being of those who have suffered as a result of Scientology, depend on it.
Please. Do not let the 2024 Paris Olympics be remembered as the Games that endorsed abuse.
Sincerely,
Alexander Barnes-Ross (aka ‘Apostate Alex‘)
Former Scientologist and Activist
