HC Deb 11 February 1976 vol 905 cc579-88

10.16 p.m.

Mr. John Hunt (Ravensbourne)

I am very glad to have the opportunity of raising tonight a matter which has been of great concern to me for more than three years and which I have raised repeatedly since October 1972, both by means of parliamentary Questions and in correspondence with the Home Office. I refer to the activities of a sect calling themselves the Children of God.

I am bound to say that in my view the response of the Home Office—and, indeed, of the Metropolitan Police—to the representations from myself and many others on this matter has been one of general complacency and indifference.

The activities of this sect were first brought to my attention at my advice service in Bromley in October 1972. At that time the sect had established its headquarters in Bromley, and I began to receive many complaints about the strange teachings of the sect and about the mystery leader, Mr. David Berg, who goes under the name of Moses and distributes letters and pamphlets to what he calls his communes. These letters and pamphlets bear little resemblance to the teaching of Christianity and are in some cases blatantly pornographic.

I have also been concerned about the way in which the young people were recruited into this sect and, once they were in, deliberately alienated from their parents, from the Church and from society itself.

I am told that new converts are made to sign a document under which they promise to give all my goods and income, to let you open my mail and to obey rules and officers. It is not surprising, therefore, that young people, particularly those with wealthy parents or, better still, with a private income of their own, are of particular interest to the sect.

There is evidence, too, that teenagers in a depressed or unbalanced state of mind—perhaps because of the pressure of examinations or of some domestic conflict—are also particularly vulnerable to the approaches from the Children of God.

On 22nd October 1972 I wrote to the then Home Secretary, and in a reply dated 30th November 1972 my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Runcorn (Mr. Carlisle)—whom I am pleased to see in the Chamber, and who was at that time Minister of State, Home Office—told me: Although the way of life of the Bromley commune may be thought unorthodox, local police have found no evidence to substantiate allegations that the organisation has been guilty of any breach of the criminal law. He went on to say, referring to powers under the Aliens Order: There do not seem sufficient grounds for using these powers generally to prevent the admission to this country of adherents of the Children of God cult, but their activities will be kept under review and the Immigration Rules will be enforced to deny entry to any individuals who are considered by the immigration officer to be personally undesirable. A few days later I was told, in reply to another parliamentary Question, that over 150 aliens had been permitted to enter the United Kingdom in connection with the Children of God movement in 1972. In December 1974 I was told that up to that date no one had been either refused admission or deported on the ground of membership of the Children of God sect. Yet in spite of the mounting evidence of the undesirable activities of these people, and the heartbreaking accounts from parents whose children had been abducted into this sect, nothing was done.

Let me quote just three letters from the scores I was receiving in 1974. One letter was from Swindon and it said: My son, who is 15, has been under their influence for about two years and as a result is very unhappy and at times almost deranged. Another letter, from Clapham, said In May of this year my brother suddenly and mysteriously left his job and disappeared leaving us (his parents and five brothers and sisters) not knowing where he had gone or what had happened to him. It went on to say: Since he joined this community he has been completely cut off from, not only us, but all his friends; in fact he has rejected us all and seems to have become quite a different person. A letter from Dorking said My 18 year old daughter recently out of a convent public school, was picked up by the Children of God at Victoria and taken to a house and disco club in Pimlico. She was at that time—in July—being treated by a psychiatrist for adolescent depression and was in a most suggestible state. The letter continued: Her total rejection of the love of her friends and family, and particularly the rejection of her 8 year old sister, is a cruelty which she would not normally be capable of doing, let alone wanting to do. All this indicates the degree of family distress caused by what I would call these disciples of dissension and deceit.

At about that time in September 1974 the Attorney-General of the State of New York published a revealing and disturbing report on the activities of the Children of God which included documented allegations of rape, kidnapping and brainwashing. In the light of that report I asked our own Attorney-General whether he would institute his own inquiry into their activities in this country. On 19th June last year he again refused to do so. Subsequently, however, the Home Secretary decided—and I welcomed his action, however belated—to ask the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to inquire into the activities of the sect in the United Kingdom. This investigation was completed last October.

In a Written Answer to me the Under-Secretary of State said: It is not, of course, for us to express a view on whether the activities of this group are or are not desirable. Their activities concern the police only in so far as it is necessary to consider whether criminal offences may have been committed by anyone in pursuance of those activities; and they concern my right hon. Friend in so far as it is necessary to consider whether they should affect the exercise of immigration control over people connected with the group. The inquiries disclose no present grounds for further action."—[Official Report, 16th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 753–4.] The use of the word "further" in that context implied that there had already been action. But, apart from the investigation which was set up, nothing had been done. It is of this protracted inactivity on the part of the Home Office that I am complaining tonight.

The point I want to put strongly is this. Bearing in mind the American leadership of the Children of God, if the sect operating in the United Kingdom were to be deprived of the presence of those American leaders it would, in my estimation, very quickly wilt and wither away.

I should like to know how many American citizens are currently holding work permits to enable them to operate in this country with the Children of God and why those permits cannot be revoked or, at least, not renewed. I submit that working with the Children of God can hardly be classified as gainful employment. I contend that the American leaders of the sect are undesirable aliens and that the people of this country, particularly the young people, would be well rid of these religious charlatans.

Admittedly, the indications are that the operations of the sect in this country are now contracting, but I see no reason why we should not help to accelerate that process. The signs are that many of its activities are now being transferred to the Continent and that many of the young people currently being recruited into the Children of God in this country are promptly shipped over to Europe to join there one of the communes, or colonies as they are called. I hope that, if that is so, European Governments are being alerted to the activities of these people and that Interpol will be on the watch for them.

The growth of the Children of God in recent years in this country and elsewhere illustrates how gullible and immature young people can be persuaded to join a sect of this kind, of highly dubious motives and objectives. I believe that it is our duty to protect people from this kind of religious confidence trick and to warn their parents and themselves against these people. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will be able to give some reassurance to the parents of these people and to me. I await her reply with great interest.

10.26 p.m.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Dr. Shirley Summer-skill)

I am glad that the hon. Member for Ravensbourne (Mr. Hunt) has taken this opportunity to raise the question of the activities of the Children of God cult in the United Kingdom. This is a question in which he has taken a considerable interest, and I appreciate his concern about the disturbing allegations which have been made about the cult.

The group known as the Children of God was founded in 1968 in the United States of America. Its founder is a man named David Berg, otherwise known as Moses. It is a self-styled youth evangelistic movement, which subsequently set up branches in such diverse countries as Mexico, Japan and Australia. Like other cults of American origin, it also crossed the Atlantic and became established here, though the number of its members in this country is not thought to have ever exceeded 200 or 300. I understand that members live in small communities or "families", run by "elders" who are often American.

There have been reports that converts are required to hand over their possessions and money to the group, and members do not continue in outside employment. One of the cult's main sources of income appears to come from the sale of literature, about which I shall speak more fully later. Members of the cult are believed to live an austere existence based on the cult's interpretation of the teachings of the New Testament. Life in the communities involves intensive study of the New Testament and all members adopt biblical names. It would appear that contact with non-believers in the sect is discouraged. Throughout the teachings and practice of the cult, it is apparent that the founder, David Berg, exerts a considerable influence.

The organisation has a respectable face. Its stated aims are to advance the Christian religion…particularly amongst the poor, sick, drug addicts and those who resort to taking drugs, vagrants, beggars and social outcasts". But the activities of the cult have also given rise to concern among some of those who have come into contact with it. The hon. Member has explained some of the reasons for this concern. In particular, a number of complaints have been made by parents that their children who have joined the cult have become alienated from them; and the literature produced by the group is regarded in some quarters as offensive and obscene.

The complaints concern different authorities. First, there is the question of breaches of the criminal law; it is for the police to investigate any complaint which amounts to an allegation that a criminal offence has been committed. Second, there is the question of the organisation's charitable status: this is a matter for the Charity Commission rather than the Home Secretary, who has no responsibility for the day-to-day work of the Commissioners or for their handling of individual cases. Since I have some developments to report on the cult's charitable status—which will, no doubt, be of interest to the House—I shall deal with that aspect first before going on to the police aspects.

The cult was entered in the Central Register of Charities on 5th April 1974. I should make it clear that inclusion in the register does not indicate that the Charity Commissioners approve the objects of an organisation. Provided that its articles are charitable in law, the Commissioners are obliged under the provisions of the Charities Act 1960 to register it. Under the Act, however, the Commissioners also have an obligation to ensure, as far as they are able, that charitable funds are applied to the charitable purpose. In this connection they asked the Children of God in 1975 to withdraw a number of their leaflets which, in the view of the Commissioners, were not in furtherance of the organisation's charitable purpose and about which they had received a number of complaints.

Early this year the Commissioners were informed through the organisation's solicitors that the majority of its members had now gone on missionary service overseas and that, due to the greatly reduced size of its membership, the organisation felt incapable of carrying on the administrative work of a charity and no longer regarded itself as a charity. Accordingly, in January the Commissioners notified the organisation's representative that the Children of God had been removed from the register of charities and reminded her of the obligation to supply the Commissioners with the accounts of the charity up to the date of the removal showing how any balance of assets had been dealt with. Therefore, on the basis of this information, it would seem that the activities of the cult in this country have been, and will be, considerably curtailed.

Mr. Hunt

Before the hon. Lady leaves that point, can she say whether those accounts have been supplied to the Charity Commissioners, or are they still waiting for the accounts?

Dr. Summerskill

I am afraid I cannot give the hon. Member that information at the moment, but I shall write and let him know whether the accounts have been submitted or whether they are being examined by the Charity Commissioners.

I come now to the police aspects. With regard to the complaints of alienation, there have been, as the hon. Member said, distressing instances, a number of which have been brought to the attention of the Home Office, where young people have joined the Children of God and, as a result, have left their home, given up their possessions, abandoned their careers and refused to keep in touch with their parents, regarding them as non-believers. It has been claimed that the sect itself deliberately fosters feelings of hatred towards families and former friends. There have even been allegations that converts who subsequently become disillusioned are prevented from returning home. Confronted with sudden changes in attitudes in children whom they formerly believed they knew well, parents have feared that brainwashing techniques have been employed.

I should like to make it plain that I have every sympathy with parents whose children become estranged from them in these circumstances. I can quite appreciate their distress. However, I must point out that in the majority of cases involving the Children of God brought to the notice of the Home Office the young people involved have been 18 years old or more. Distressing as it may be, these young people are adults who have the right to choose to live their own life; and, respite the allegations of threats, inducements, coercion and abduction, I am not aware of any case where such criminal activities have come to light. If any hon. Member, or any constituent, considers that he has such evidence, I ask him to bring it to the attention of the police so that it can be properly investigated.

As regards the cult's literature, there have been complaints that it is indecent, obscene, racialist and subversive. It is true that the contents of the organisation's pamphlets present a startling contrast to other publications sold as Christian literature. The language often seems crude and the tone spiteful and aggressive. There have been two prosecutions of members for selling indecent literature, but I understand that it is not considered to date that the pamphlets provide grounds for prosecution as being obscene or contravening the Race Relations Acts.

The collection of money or sale of articles for charitable and other purposes, in the street or other public place, is subject to regulations made by local licensing authorities under the Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916. These regulations apply to any, collection or sale of articles, except for the normal purposes of trade, whether or not the organisation to benefit is charitable in law. In 1974 and the early part of 1975 a number of cases of unauthorised street collections on behalf of the Children of God were reported to the Metropolitan Police and there were several convictions for such unauthorised street collections in the Metropolitan Police District. Again, it is open to any member of the public to draw the attention of the police to any alleged offence.

Apart from those minor offences, despite the complaints received there has been no evidence that the organisation has been involved in criminal activities in this country.

However, in the autumn of 1974 there were disturbing reports in the Press of a report which had been made by the Charity Frauds Bureau to the Attorney-General of New York about the activities of the cult in the United States. The report pieced together information from a number of sources and contained allegations of criminal offences such as rape, brainwashing, kidnapping and forgery. As a result, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary asked the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to establish the extent to which it was considered by the American authorities that the allegations were proved and would result in criminal proceedings, and to establish whether there was any evidence of similar criminal activities in this country.

As the hon. Member pointed out, the ensuing investigation took several months and it was not until October last that I was able to report, in reply to his Question, that the Commissioner had completed his inquiries. He had informed my right hon. Friend that it was understood that there were to be no prosecutions in the United States and that inquiries in this country had not produced any evidence of criminal activities here. The inquiries therefore disclosed no grounds for action by the police, and this remains the position today. I repeat, however, that if any hon. Member or any member of the public has evidence, he should certainly submit it to the police for investigation.

I now come to the point about immigration that the hon. Member raised. There are no special immigration restrictions imposed on the Children of God. They are dealt with as individuals under the Immigration Rules in the same way as other foreigners and no special difficulties have arisen. On the evidence at present available, the Government are not satisfied that the case has been made out for immigration restrictions on the movement.

As regards the number of members, for which the hon. Member asked, I do not have specific numbers in relation to American citizens—which I think was his question—but the number of foreign members of the sect believed to be in the United Kingdom at present is about 50.

I am aware that this reply will be a disappointment to the hon. Member, who would appear to have been pressing for some curtailment of the cult's activities which would presumably be achieved by some change in the law to make membership of the sect illegal. I do not wish to criticise those who exert such pressure. I know they do so from the best of motives. This country, however, is rightly proud of its traditions of freedom of speech and expression. I do not think that anyone in this House would wish to see those freedoms unnecessarily curtailed.

I accept that we must protect those who are vulnerable. However, we must also allow each other the freedom of choice, if necessary, to make our own mistakes. A free society is not one in which a person is entitled to hold and practise only beliefs which are considered right and proper and wholesome by the Government of the day. A free society is one in which a person is allowed to hold beliefs and engage in activities which hon. Members or I may consider foolish, misguided, far-fetched, dubious or even distasteful, provided that he does not step into the area which is the proper concern of the law.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at twenty minutes to Eleven o'clock.