MEDIA WATCH | GEICO CORPORATION

Geico Stop Supporting Hate on A&E

As members of Scientologists Taking Action Against Discrimination (STAND), we write to express our utter disgust at Geico once again sponsoring A&E’s Leah Remini’s show and to place our demand that you cease any further corporate support of this blatant religious bigotry and hatred. A&E’s show has to date caused over 500 threats of murder and violence, which is what your advertising dollars are supporting.

August 21, 2017

Assistant Vice President Marketing
Geico Corporation
Washington, DC 20076

Dear Mr. Brower:

When the first episode of the second season aired on August 15, we were truly disappointed to see that Geico supported this virulent attack on our religion and the religion of millions of others worldwide. The salacious innuendo was shocking in its irresponsibility and its invitation to incite hatred and violence against peaceful religious people sincerely going about their community good works.

Leah Remini’s hate campaign of religious bigotry in its first season alone generated more than 400 incidents of harassment, threats of violence and vandalism against our churches and members.

The threat level has again risen, precisely coincident with A&E’s promotion and airing of the second season of this show, now spawning even more threats—bombings, murder and acts of physical violence. We pray that it will not require a death to convince you to cancel your sponsorship of this treachery.

It is important to understand the depth of impact on Scientologists from the Remini-Rinder scripted hatred, provided by Disney/ABC/A&E and sponsored by Geico and other advertisers. Below is a small sample of what A&E and its executive structure has caused:

(a) A man called stating he had planted a pipe bomb in our Los Angeles church. Police are investigating.

(b) A Scientology cross was destroyed at our Tampa church.

(c) A second-floor room in our Minneapolis church was set ablaze by an arsonist while Church staff and parishioners were in the building. Fast action averted disaster. The arsonist was caught by police.

(d) A man posed as an FBI agent and threatened the church. Law enforcement tracked him down.

(e) A mentally deranged man threw a hammer through the Los Angeles church glass door. He was put under psychiatric care and mental health officials filed a mandatory Tarasoff report on him for threatening to kill a Church official. He has since been convicted of felony vandalism of a church.

(f) A man was jailed for threatening to “assassinate” a Church member—he said he was influenced by “the King of Queens lady” [Leah Remini].

(g) Children of Scientologists have been taunted and bullied for being Scientologists.

(h) A woman who was “inspired” by Leah Remini drove a car through the front doors of the Church of Scientology in Austin, Texas, coming to rest just short of a nursery where children had been playing earlier.

(i) A father wrote a letter of apology to the Church when he found his son had posted a death threat against a senior official of the church on Facebook after binge-watching the Remini series with a friend. The police investigated and the father apologized on behalf of his son.

(j) The Church has received hundreds of other threats including bomb threats and death threats, the most recent two days ago. “You are all dead. I am gonna murder all of you pig cult bastards and blow up your building.”

(k) A 13-year-old boy lost his best friend to Leah Remini’s hate campaign, solely because he is a Scientologist. He has filed a change.org petition asking for help in getting the show cancelled as it has so marginalized him.

Mr. Brower, it is time to end this anti-religious bigotry and hatred. Today’s incendiary times mitigate against inflammatory rhetoric. We are shocked that Disney/ABC and A&E are involved in this bigotry, and that corporate sponsorship is forthcoming from organizations such as Geico.

We hereby place our demand that you instruct your advertising agency to remove your advertisements that support A&E’s Leah Remini show.

Withdrawing your support and putting your investment in worthwhile places will reap far greater benefits for your company as well as for the millions of people around the world who have experienced what Scientology truly is and the enormous help it brings to them and others.

As Scientologists, we and our families, our children and our grandchildren deserve to live in a world free of mockery, bullying and hate from those who in ignorance support content of programs motivated by religious bigotry and hatred. Programming such as this show is intolerable and your advertising dollars should not support it.

Sincerely,
Edward Parkin
International Director STAND