Former Scientologists deliver petition to 10 Downing Street, asking for UK reform Tony Ortega Jun 07, 2026

[Karen#1]

[Amir Essalhi, Alex Barnes-Ross, Danielle Chamberlain and Zoe Hancock]
We have some breaking news for you. Alex Barnes-Ross and other former Scientologists visited 10 Downing Street today in London, supported by the Aftermath Foundation. Here’s the statement they released…



EX-SCIENTOLOGISTS TO DELIVER PETITION TO DOWNING STREET CALLING ON UK GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON SYSTEMIC ABUSE

London, UK — A group of former members of the Church of Scientology will hand-deliver a petition to 10 Downing Street at 2:30pm on Sunday 7 June 2026, calling on the UK Government to launch an inquiry into abuse within high-control groups and to close legal loopholes that allow such practices to continue.

The group of ex-Scientologists will present a petition along with a dossier of dozens of first-hand survivor testimonies documenting decades of abuse, coercive control, financial exploitation, child safeguarding failures, and forced labour that have occurred within the Church in the United Kingdom.

The handover is expected to take place at the door of 10 Downing Street, where the group will pose for photographs with the petition.

The petition urges the Government to take decisive action, including:

• Launching a public inquiry into high-control groups in the UK

• Strengthening safeguarding laws to recognise spiritual and ritual abuse

• Closing gaps in legislation that allow coercive control outside domestic settings (Serious Crime Act 2015)

• Introducing mandatory reporting requirements for abuse within religious organisations, as proposed by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Safeguarding in Faith Communities.

The petition draws on historic findings, including the 1971 Foster Report, which described Scientology as “socially harmful,” as well as testimonies from former members.

“This is not about belief — it’s about abuse, exploitation, and the failure of safeguarding systems to protect vulnerable people, especially children,” said Alexander Barnes-Ross, who has been leading protests against Scientology’s abusive practices in the UK for the last three years. “For too long, we have been ignored - the media often too afraid to even call us survivors. The Government has previously recognised the harms of this organisation, the Charity Commission ruled it “does not benefit the public” and yet it continues to operate unchanged and free of scrutiny to this day. We are bringing our experiences directly to the Government’s door and asking them to act in order to right the wrongs of the past and prevent further harm.”

The accompanying testimonies describe patterns of alleged abuse spanning decades, including excessive working hours for little or no pay, pressure to sever contact with family members, failure to report crimes to authorities and exploitation of minors within organisational structures. The testimonies demonstrate a systemic issue that has spanned decades, with one account from the 1970s and another as recently as this year.

— Alex Barnes-Ross

 

[Karen#1]

Former Scientologists Take Their Case Directly to 10 Downing Street
Today marks a remarkable milestone in the long effort to expose abuses within Scientology.
On June 7, 2026, former Scientologists Alexander Barnes-Ross, Amir Essalhi, Danielle Chamberlain, and Zoe Hancock stood outside 10 Downing Street and delivered a petition directly to the British government, accompanied by a dossier containing dozens of first-hand survivor testimonies.
Supported by the Aftermath Foundation, the group is calling for a public inquiry into abuse within high-control groups and for legal reforms designed to protect vulnerable individuals from coercive and exploitative practices.
For decades, former Scientologists have spoken out about experiences that include coercive control, family separation, financial exploitation, excessive labor demands, child safeguarding failures, and pressure to remain silent about abuse. Too often these accounts have been dismissed, minimized, or ignored.
What makes today's action significant is that these concerns are no longer being voiced solely in blogs, documentaries, podcasts, or social media. They have now been formally placed before the Prime Minister's office in the form of a petition and supporting evidence from survivors spanning more than fifty years.
The petition calls for:
• A public inquiry into high-control groups operating in the United Kingdom.
• Stronger safeguarding laws that recognize spiritual and ritual abuse.
• Reform of legislation governing coercive control outside domestic settings.
• Mandatory reporting requirements for abuse occurring within religious organizations.
The accompanying testimonies reportedly span from the 1970s to the present day, illustrating a pattern of allegations that former members argue is systemic rather than isolated.
Alexander Barnes-Ross, who has spent the last three years leading public demonstrations highlighting Scientology's abusive practices in the United Kingdom, described the effort as being fundamentally about safeguarding rather than belief.
That distinction is important.
This is not a debate about theology, doctrine, or an individual's right to religious belief. It is a question of whether vulnerable people—especially children—are adequately protected when abuse occurs within powerful and insular organizations.
Many former Scientologists around the world will recognize the courage required for today's action. Speaking publicly about Scientology often carries significant personal costs. Some participants risk family estrangement, social isolation, harassment, or renewed trauma simply by telling their stories.
Yet despite those obstacles, survivors continue to come forward.
The delivery of this petition does not guarantee governmental action. It may not produce immediate legislative change. But it represents another step in a process that has been building for years as former members, journalists, researchers, and advocates continue documenting experiences that were once largely hidden from public view.
For many survivors, the image of former Scientologists standing outside the black door of Number 10 carrying their petition is about more than politics.
It is a statement that their experiences matter.
It is a statement that the stories of those who suffered should be heard.
And it is a statement that accountability, however long delayed, remains worth pursuing.
Whatever happens next, June 7, 2026 will stand as a noteworthy day in the history of Scientology accountability efforts in the United Kingdom.
As someone who spent forty years in Scientology, I never imagined I would live to see former members carrying their experiences directly to the door of the British Prime Minister. It was a moment that felt both historic and deeply moving.