*Dresden, Germany
June 2, 2000
S=E4chs. Zeitung Dresden

*Dresden is the capitol city of Saxon, where Leipzig is located. Leipzig's population is greater than that of Dresden.]

by Thomas Schade=20

Today, U.S. President Bill Clinton receives the Aachen Charlemagne Award. This distinction will also put Leipzig into the limelight a little bit. Because tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Old Stock Exchange in the City of Fairs [Leipzig] an Alternative Charlemagne Award will be given out for the first time, presented by the "European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA," which has specifically taken on totalitarian groups and sects. Their members include sect commissioner Ursula Caberta from Hamburg and Thomas Gandow from the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. It is possible there will be a confrontation in Leipzig. That is because the citizens committee, which was previously not well-known, concerns itself with a widely feared sect, with Scientology.=20

The dispute was sparked by the first recipient-to-be of the alternate award, multi-millionaire Robert Minton. The 53-year-old U.S. American will receive the award, because he "had earned it with his involvement, which was directed by courage and civic duty, in society in the USA, which is at risk to the totalitarian Scientology Organization," as the basis read. Minton is regarded as a significant Scientology opponent. He finances victims and former members who disagree with the sect in court. He allegedly has already expended about three million dollars in his campaign. It is said that Minton transferred over 200,000 marks to an attorney's office in Clearwater. The office intends to obtain damages from the sect of $144 million in connection with the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. The 36-year-old woman died under conditions which have not been explained. Because Minton openly criticizes the sect, it has formed a front against his award in Leipzig. Top German sect members sent an open letter on May 29 to the bishops of the Evangelical State Churches in Berlin-Brandenburg and Saxony.=20

A demonstration is not out of the question

It was demanded of Berlin Bishop Wolfgang Huber that Sect Commissioner Gandow be immediately dismissed. He amounts to the "spiritus rector" of the Leipzig arrangement. The letter said that the Saxon state church should "distance itself from the procedure" and not take part in the award. The sect called Minton "an international con man who caused massive harm ... in Nigeria." It was said that the American became rich when he was deeply involved in the restructuring of debt in developing countries. It was also alleged that 12 billion marks disappeared out of over 200 foreign bank accounts and that Minton was "the main string-puller," as Scientology claimed.=20

The sect has been rather busy trying to obstruct the gathering. Scientology spokesman Georg Stoffel from Munich verified that it had been explained what was planned there for the people responsible for the Old Stock Exchange [site of the award] and for the Auerbachs Keller [site of the reception]. He did not rule out a morning demonstration on Saturday.=20

Thomas Gandow from Berlin reacted calmly to the accusations. He said that, after all, Clinton had received his award in spite of his affair with Monica Lewinsky.=20

---

Gandow:
No criticism of Clinton's life-style

Dresden, Germany
June 3, 2000
S=E4chs. Zeitung Dresden

Dresden. Responding to the SZ article "Dispute involves Millionaire Minton" of June 2, page 2, the sect commissioner of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, Thomas Gandow, said, "The presentation of the 'Alternative Charlemagne Award' concerns civil rights activist and philanthropist Bob Minton and his involvement against Scientology. What we are reacting to is the bestowal of the Aachen Award to U.S. President Bill Clinton, who is being criticized for his support of Scientology. I was not making implications about the life-style of the U.S. President" (SZ)=20