Alain Vivien

Alain Vivien (born August 20, 1938) is a French Socialist Party (PS) politician,^[1]^[2] best known for chairing (1998–2002) the French Mission Interministérielle pour la Lutte contre les Sectes, MILS,^[3] a ministerial organization designed to observe the activities of various religious organizations defined as "Sectes" (cults).

Early career edit

He was mayor of Combs-la-Ville in 1977–1983 and 1989–1992. In 1983 he was elected to the French National Assembly for Seine-et-Marne as a PS candidate. The author of a report on cults requested by Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy in 1982, he was Secretary of State under Édith Cresson in 1991–1992.^[4] From 1997 to 1998 he was president of the Centre contre les manipulations mentales.^[5]

^ Hart, K., M. Blanchot and Z. Paul. 2010. Political Writings, 1953–1993: Fordham University Press. [1].
^ Côté, P., E. Barker and Université Laval. Groupe de recherches en sciences de la religion. 2001. Chercheurs de Dieux Dans L'espace Public: Groupe Beauchemin. [2].
^ Tromso, N.J.R.L.A.P.R.U. 2009. Scientology: Oxford University Press, USA. [3].
^ Palmer, S. 2011. The New Heretics of France: Minority Religions, la Republique, and the Government-Sponsored War on Sects: Oxford University Press, USA. [4].
^ Palmer, Susan (2011-09-23). The New Heretics of France: Minority Religions, la Republique, and the Government-Sponsored War on Sects. Oxford UP. p. 17. ISBN 9780199875993.

^ (in French) ("Why did the fight against cults fail?") by Thomas Lardeur, VSD, August 22 to 28, 2002
^ CESNUR, Anonymous, Innocents Abroad: French Anti-Cultists, Mission Support China’s Anti-Cult Campaign [5] (Retrieved October, 2005)
^ Le Parisien, June 19, 2002.
^ (in French) Sectes : Alain Vivien placé sous protection policière L'Humanité, January 14, 1999 .
^ Council of Europe, by Dick Marty: Doc 10470 of 7 March 2005