French Scientologists raise awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Paris launched their year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a flash mob. Their intention: To raise awareness of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

These energetic young dancers carried a banner saying “Human Rights—What Are They?” And they encouraged people to discover the 30 rights everyone has simply by being human.

Paris has a very special place in human rights history. It was here that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948—a mere three years after the end of World War II, a conflict that plumbed the depths of Man’s inhumanity to Man.

The fledgling United Nations, comprising 48 Member States at the time, met at the Palais de Chaillot, across from the Eiffel Tower. For the first time in history, an international body representing the nations of Earth agreed on the rights inherent in every member of the human family: the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

While Eleanor Roosevelt, an American, was the first person to chair the UN Commission on Human Rights and she oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, her vice-chairman, French law professor and judge René Cassin, is credited with being the one most responsible for drafting the document, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968.

Since its earliest days, the Church of Scientology has championed human rights. The Creed of the Church of Scientology begins with the belief “That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights.” And the Code of a Scientologist includes the commitment “To support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”

French Scientologists take pride in the role their country played in raising the bar on human rights. Scientology Churches in France sponsor chapters of United for Human Rights and its program for young people Youth for Human Rights.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support United for Human Rights, an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at local, regional, national and international levels. Its membership is comprised of individuals, educators and groups throughout the world who are actively forwarding the knowledge and protection of human rights by and for all.

The initiative is inspired by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s conviction that “It is vital that all thinking men urge upon their governments sweeping reforms in the field of human rights.”

In his Human Rights Day Message in December, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UDHR 75 Initiative to “rekindle the spirit, impulse, and vitality of the UDHR and renew a worldwide consensus on human rights.” 

These French Scientologists accepted his challenge. And they ask the question, “Will you?” 

Humanitarians from the Gambia to India and from Guatemala to Taiwan use the educational materials of United for Human Rights to change lives. The impact of these advocates and the history and activities of the campaigns are documented in episodes of Voices for Humanity, an original series on the Scientology Network.

Since the Scientology Network launched with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, these episodes have been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church’s global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.