'Speed running' Scientology: TikTok trend causes havoc, church alleges 'hate crimes' - BERITAJA

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is known for its colorful formed of characters. But moreover by those standards, the scenes of Jesus Christ and Sonic the Hedgehog racing past information guards employed by the Church of Scientology successful caller days were a small bizarre.

On Saturday afternoon, personification dressed arsenic the Christian messiah was among the dozens of group successful costumes and masks seen connected a video forcing unfastened the doorway of a Scientology building connected Hollywood Boulevard aft a tug-of-war pinch a information guard. The footage posted connected TikTok and Instagram shows the group sprinting up and down stairs and clashing pinch black-shirted information guards, giggling and gasping to drawback their activity while religion members shriek astatine them to leave.

On their measurement retired — arsenic information guards attack equipped pinch occurrence extinguishers — 1 of the sprinters stops and dances to observe their successful escape, a move reminiscent of a taunt from the video crippled Fortnite.

For weeks, groups of group person barged into 2 of the church’s Hollywood properties, racing done hallways and tussling pinch information guards, trying to spot really acold they could get earlier they are forced to time off by religion staff. They telephone it “speed running,” slang for trying to hit a video crippled arsenic quickly arsenic possible, scurrying about hazards and taking shortcuts to skip done levels.

Those posting and commenting connected the contented online dainty the events for illustration real-life gaming, musing about facing disconnected pinch celebrated Scientology figures successful a “boss fight” and referring to each caller area of a Scientology spot seen connected a tally arsenic a measurement toward unlocking parts of a level map.

Church officials opportunity the incidents are not a crippled and person accused the velocity runners of “hate crimes.”

After dozens connected Saturday stormed the Ivar Avenue building that houses an grounds dedicated to the church’s founder, subject fabrication writer L. Ron Hubbard, the outer doorway handles were removed from each 3 of Scientology’s properties connected Hollywood Boulevard by Sunday morning. Guards could beryllium seen blocking the doorway to 1 building connected Monday afternoon.

The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles astatine 4810 Sunset Blvd. connected Feb. 7, 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

“These incidents are not ‘speed running.’ They are organized trespasses into belief and nationalist accusation accommodation for societal media attention,” Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg said successful a statement. “Over caller weeks, individuals person many times forced their measurement into Church properties connected Hollywood Boulevard, disrupted belief and nationalist facilities, damaged Church property, and endangered staff, parishioners and visitors.”

Bloomberg said respective unit members were “knocked down successful the chaos” connected Saturday. He declined to connection specifics about updates to the church’s information measures.

An LAPD spokesperson said constabulary person received 5 reports of trespassing incidents astatine Scientology’s Hollywood properties this year. All occurred astatine either the Hubbard grounds aliases the church’s accusation halfway astatine Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place, constabulary said. Only 2 of those incidents resembled a “so-called velocity moving attempt,” according to the LAPD spokesman.

No arrests person been made and nary injuries person been reported. After the large-scale incident connected Saturday, the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division was tasked pinch investigating the “incident arsenic an alleged dislike crime.” Detectives “have not identified immoderate connection” betwixt the incident past play and anterior trespassing episodes, according to the spokesman.

“The LAPD remains committed to ensuring the information of each houses of believe successful Los Angeles,” the section said successful a statement.

A personification progressive successful the about caller “speed run,” who said to The Times connected the information of anonymity for fearfulness of reprisal from some the Church and LAPD, said the events were “a operation of exposure, prank and activism.”

“For maine personally, it’s about raising awareness, getting group to inquire questions, and of course, emotion of the crippled lol,” the personification said successful a message. “I bask questioning authority and sparkling ray connected things group usually don’t look into.”

The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles astatine 6331 Hollywood Blvd. connected Feb. 7, 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The incidents person divided anti-Scientology activists. Some erstwhile members judge the runs are an effective shape of protestation against an statement that has been accused successful lawsuits of activity abuse, violating kid labour laws and forcing members to get abortions. The religion has denied wrongdoing successful each cases. In 2018, a female who accused the Church of Scientology of forcing her to person an abortion settled a suit complete the matter; the statement denied the allegations.

Prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson was convicted successful 2023 of sexually assaulting 2 chap religion members successful Los Angeles, during a proceedings wherever it was alleged that religion policies barred his victims from reporting him to constabulary decades earlier. Church officials were besides accused of trying to “derail” the lawsuit against Masterson by harassing 1 of the prosecutors assigned to the case.

The religion has antecedently denied having immoderate argumentation limiting members from reporting crimes and called the allegations regarding the charismatic connected the Masterson lawsuit “categorically false.”

“What mundane citizens do to troll Scientology and get viral views connected TikTok ... are the only things being done to make Scientology uncomfortable and to move them into a joke truthful that caller group don’t get trapped by them,” said ex-Scientologist Jenna Miscavage, the niece of the church’s leader, David Miscavage. “I for 1 very overmuch admit it.”

The “speed runner” who said to The Times said allegations against the religion and its estimation for secrecy, successful part, motivated the attention-grabbing “raids” connected religion buildings.

“That’s what this is about for maine and others — applying pressure, demanding transparency and pushing for answers,” the personification said.

The religion spokesperson said turning Scientology properties into “targets for viral stunts is not journalism, protestation aliases civic activity. It is trespass, harassment and disruption of belief facilities.”

Actress Leah Remini, a erstwhile religion personnel who became an outspoken activistic and is locked successful a heated legal conflict pinch the organization, said past week successful a station connected X that she feared the “speed running” inclination would backfire.

“I want arsenic galore group arsenic imaginable talking about the dangers and criminality of Scientology,” she wrote. “But I spent decades connected the different broadside of this, and if I had been confronted by group moving done Scientology buildings and harassing maine aliases staff, it would person pushed maine further into Scientology.”

Brian Levin, professor emeritus astatine Cal State San Bernardino and laminitis of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, wondered if group would respond otherwise if specified actions were carried retired astatine a much accepted location of believe — a Christian church, Jewish temple aliases Islamic mosque.

Levin said it was “extraordinarily troubling” to spot group “invading” belief centers for the liking of creating a viral moment.

“One doesn’t person the correct to definitive themselves successful a convulsive way, that invades personification else’s spot of tranquility,” he said. “I could attraction little what the religion is.”

There were 16 reported instances of dislike crimes committed against Scientologists successful 2024, according to a study generated by the L.A. County Commission connected Human Relations. That made them the third-most targeted belief group successful the county, down only group of Muslim and Jewish faith, the study said.

Some of the caller videos show the runners bumping into information guards and shoving past religion staff, past leaving aft being cornered and told to get disconnected the property.

Levin, who is besides a erstwhile constabulary officer, said it is imaginable those colliding pinch information guards could beryllium charged pinch battery.

“Anyone that does this is not only doing a vile thing, they’re really putting themselves astatine bonzer [legal] risk,” he said.

The stepped-up information astatine Scientology buildings appeared to dissuade 3 teens who approached the building while a Times newsman observed a Hollywood location connected Sunday afternoon. The trio pulled up connected e-bikes, drove up to the entranceway of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to return drags disconnected a vape while peering done the shuttered doors. They drove disconnected down an alley erstwhile guards appeared.

William Gude, a Hollywood resident and outspoken professional of Scientology who runs the “Film The Police L.A.” relationship connected societal media, said that while he didn’t condone rule breaking, it was clear the disruptions were impacting the church’s operations.

“It’s analyzable and its not thing I would condone … but the much attraction that Scientology gets, the worse it is for Scientology,” he said. “They run connected secrecy.”

Times unit writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.