Teen Calls Scientology a 'Cult,' Faces Charges

A 15-year-old is facing charges for holding a sign calling Scientology a "cult" during a peaceful protest. A London policewoman asked the teen to remove the sign; when he refused, she handed him a court summons, the Guardian reports. Free speech and anti-cult groups are furious, particularly in light of recent gifts from the Church of Scientology to the London Police Department totaling thousands of pounds.

"This barmy prosecution makes a mockery of Britain's free speech traditions," said the head of a human rights group. (More Scientology stories.)