http://www.la-croix.com/afp.static/pages/081001194559.35cxo4op.htm
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EPINAL, 1 October 2008 (AFP) - 600 to 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Vosges against accusations of pedophilia
About 600 Jehovah's Witnesses according to the police, a thousand according to organizers, demonstrated Wednesday afternoon at the prefecture in Epinal in the Vosges to protest against accusations of pedophilia against them.
The participants condemned the "serious accusations brought to misinform and to harm the Jehovah's Witnesses and prevent the construction of a place of worship" to DEYVILLERS (Vosges), told AFP Guy Canonici, president of the Federation of Christian Jehovah's Witnesses, after a meeting in prefecture 18.00.
"This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. We heard criticism for many years. But enough is enough!", Was indignant Mr. Canonici.
The anger of the faithful is against the association for the defense of the Environment DEYVILLERS (ADED), active since 2004 to prevent the construction of a "room of the kingdom" of 1,500 parking places with 500 seats in this village 1400 souls.
The Adede, with 400 members invited to a meeting Wednesday evening Bill Bowen, a Jehovah's Witness for 43 years, excommunicated because he exposed the hypocrisy of the church deal with victims of abuse, which would be more than 23,000 "throughout the world ", according to him.
"From the first day, officials of the organization deny the fact that there are victims (of sexual abuse, ie). They know the problem but refuse to deal with. They continue to hide. They are poor people, "said Bowen, president of the association" Silent lambs. "
Former "elder" of the movement, Bill Bowen, 51 years old, who worked at the organization's headquarters in New York said he received more than 7,000 testimonies of faithful abused "anywhere in the world," which he published a thousand stories on the website of "silent lambs".
"When a child is abused Catholic, her parents called the police. Among Jehovah's Witnesses, it needs to be called seniors, which retain the internal procedure. Thus, no story comes out," he told at d ' an interview with AFP.
The event Wednesday in Epinal is the same kind of "bullying tactics" of Jehovah's Witnesses to "do what they want," said the man.
Despite having bought four years ago land of 64 hectares to DEYVILLERS, Jehovah's Witnesses were unable to advance the project, the building permit is currently blocked by the mayor of the municipality.
Jehovah's Witnesses in 2007 called the dissolution of the Adede, because it orchestrated "a systematic campaign of denigration" carrying "of discriminatory actions to prevent the construction of a building of worship." The Correctional Court of Epinal has rejected in May 2007.
Mr. Bowen was received Tuesday by, among others, Georges Fenech, the chairman of the MIVILUDES (Interministerial Mission vigilance and fight against sectarianism), it was learned from this mission.
