An advert promoting the controversial Scientology religion at a London Tube station has caused shock and disbelief among commuters.
The poster, which encourages Londoners to find out more about the group, was spotted over the weekend at a Tube platform.
Scientology has been labelled a ‘cult’ by critics, and has been criticised for its claims about mental health, its finances and even abusive practices.
The Tube advert says in large writing ‘I’m a Scientologist’, accompanied by the picture of a cinematographer called Robert.
The billboard hopes to spark the interest of commuters, asking ‘Curious?’ before directing them to the religion’s website.
The choice of advertising has been slammed by Londoners familiar with Scientology’s controversies.
One Londoner said: ‘TFL doesn’t allow junk food to be advertised, but this is apparently fine.’
Another complained: ‘A cult being advertised on the Underground. Appalling.’
A spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) told Metro: ‘The advertisement was reviewed against our advertising policy and was found to be compliant.’
TfL banned the advertisement of junk foods in 2019 in a bid to tackle child obesity, while their advertising policy also bans any posters which are ‘likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public.’
Scientology describes itself as a religion that was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard.
Members of the group submit to a process called auditing which, through questioning and the use of devise that measures the body’s electric flow, claims to help a person locate areas of spiritual distress.
The Church of Scientology, however, has been hit by allegations of misconduct for decades.
The group’s leader, David Miscavige, has faced a number of lawsuits, including human trafficking allegations.
One is trafficking lawsuit filed in 2022 by Valeska Paris and married couple Gawain and Laura Baxter, who claim they were trafficked into Scientology as children and forced to work as adults for little to no pay.
A spokesperson for the Church has previously denied these allegations, calling them ‘absurd, ridiculous, scurrilous and blatantly false’.
A later statement described the lawsuit as ‘nothing but blatant harassment and an attempted money shakedown. This case has now been sent to religious arbitration, where it always belonged’.
A number of celebrities have embraced the religion, such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
Scientology became a recognised religion in the UK in 2013. Last year, demonstrations from an ex-Scientologists group outside its British headquarters in East Grinstead led the organisation to seek a protest ban.
Shock over Church of Scientology advert allowed at London Tube station
Shock over Church of Scientology advert allowed at London Tube station