Un article écrit by Massimo Introvigne
en français : https://bitterwinter.org/une-critique-suisse-de-la-miviludes-francaise-methodes-opaques-et-donnees-imprecises/
A Swiss Criticism of the French MIVILUDES: “Opaque Methods, Imprecise Data”
The Director of the Intercantonal Information Center on Beliefs (CIC) co-signed a severe indictment of the French governmental anti-cult agency.
The suicides and homicides of the esoteric movement Order of the Solar Temple happened in France, Switzerland, and Québec between 1994 and 1997. French-speaking countries were particularly shocked, and commissions investigating “cults,” the creation of public agencies, and laws followed.
Manéli Farahmand (left) and Fabrice Berna (right).
France created the MILS, which then became the present-day governmental agency MIVILUDES (Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances, “dérives sectaires”: note that the French “secte” and its derivative words should be translated into English as “cult” and not as “sect”). Switzerland asked Cantons to create ad hoc institutions.The Cantons of Geneva, Valais, Vaud, and Tessin established together the Intercantonal Information Center on Beliefs (CIC), which quickly acquired a national fame. Despite a common origin in the discussions that followed the Solar Temple tragedy, the two institutions are different. The MIVILUDES’ mandate is to crack down on “cultic deviances,” while CIC is more about spreading balanced information and let Swiss citizens form their own opinions by themselves.
