“This marks a significant step for the Scientologists who until now had to travel all the way to the US, Australia or England for their higher spiritual progress, said Paul Sondergaard, National Director of the Church’s Public Affairs Office .
Hate Crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation. Hate crimes differ from conventional crime because