Latest news with #AlexBarnes
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Cruise's Second Act Keeps Getting Derailed by Scientology
Tom Cruise's career renaissance hit an unexpected snag at the London premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. As the 62‑year‑old Hollywood heavyweight made his grand entrance — pulling a stunt akin to his Olympics announcement last summer, scaling the nose of twin vintage planes as part of the film's spectacle — a small band of former Scientology members staged a peaceful protest just feet from the red carpet. Their leader, 29‑year‑old Alex Barnes — who is publicly listed on Scientology's websites as an enemy of the group, part of the group's 'fair game' harassment tactic — livestreamed the demonstration, which lasted roughly ten minutes before plainclothes officers swooped in, cuffing protesters under stop‑and‑search laws and searching their bags — by which time Cruise and his fellow A‑listers were already inside the Odeon Leicester Square. More from SheKnows Ana de Armas Spoke About Tom Cruise for the First Time After Romance Rumors & She's Keeping Us Guessing Barnes later decried the incident as 'a completely unnecessary and excessive use of police force which temporarily restricted our rights to peaceful protest,' per The Sun, noting that he'd been neither approached nor asked why he and his group had gathered. 'It was absolutely not our intention to cause any sort of disruption. We just wanted to be heard,' he told reporters, adding that cuffs had left bruises on his wrists. According to the Metropolitan Police, officers responded to reports of suspicious behavior before determining the demonstration was peaceful; no one was formally arrested. This latest disruption underscores the long‑standing shadow Scientology casts over Cruise's every move. Since the group was founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, it has weathered allegations of financial exploitation, emotional abuse, and aggressive tactics to stifle dissent, and that's putting it conservatively. Cruise, arguably the world's most famous Scientologist, has been its public poster child for decades, even as whispers mount that he's quietly distanced himself from the church. He hasn't publicly mentioned his membership in over a year, though insiders insist he's not fully out. For Cruise, these protests come amid a highly publicized second act in his personal life: his alleged romance with Ana de Armas. The pair have jet‑set across Europe together, from helicopter drop‑ins to low‑key Valentine's outings. Yet beneath the apparent bliss lies a thorny question of faith. De Armas, a devout Catholic, hails from a tight‑knit religious family in Cuba, and friends say she's weighed whether Scientology could derail her own future. 'Ana was raised Catholic and her family would not accept Tom because of his beliefs,' a source previously explained, though another insider insisted her heart might be open: 'His Scientologist beliefs are not a deal breaker for Ana.' Whether Cruise and de Armas can navigate this spiritual divide remains to be seen. But on premiere night in Leicester Square, it was clear that no amount of Hollywood pageantry can fully distract from the controversies that cling to one of its brightest of SheKnows 20 Of Jackie Kennedy's Most Iconic Summer Outfits All the Best Photos of Jackie Kennedy With Her Young Kids JFK Jr. & Caroline Kennedy Kristen Stewart, Keke Palmer, & More Stars Who Had Dramatic Hair Changes
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Chaos at Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible premiere as anti-Scientology protesters are cuffed & bundled away by cops
SHOCKING footage shows the moment chaos erupted at Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible premiere. Anti-Scientology protesters were caught on camera being cuffed and bundled away by cops at the film premiere in London last night. 6 6 A group of former Church members were set to pour oil all over Cruise at the star-studded event in Leicester Square for the release of the latest Mission Impossible movie. The Hollywood superstar, 62, climbed onto the nose of two planes at the global premiere for the eighth and final film in the series. Alex Barnes was with other former members close to the red carpet where all the celebs were entering when they were quizzed and cuffed. Alex managed to film the whole event, which went on for approximately ten minutes, before they were released and let go - by which time Cruise and all other famous people had already entered the building. Alex revealed: "We had been peacefully protesting outside the Mission Impossible premiere in Leicester Square for about 30 minutes before police arrived. "They immediately slapped handcuffs on me and detained me under stop and search laws and searched my bag. "Apparently, somebody had called in that I had threatened to throw oil over Tom Cruise. "I was live streaming our protest and it was absolutely not our intention to cause any sort of disruption. We just wanted to be heard." He claimed: "This was a completely unnecessary and excessive use of police force which temporarily restricted our rights to peaceful protest. "I was not approached or asked why we were there or what our plans were - I was immediately put in cuffs, which has left marks on my wrist." Scientology was founded in the 1950s by the late Dr. Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. But since the group was founded by the science-fiction writer, it has been a lightning rod for alleged controversies. A-list actor Cruise is arguably the world's most famous Scientologist and has long been associated with the church. In recent years however, rumours have spread that Cruise - who now lives in London away from the predominantly LA based religion - has distanced from the church. He has not spoken publicly about being a Scientologists in year, but has not been reported to have fully left the cultish religion just yet. Alex continued: "I told the officer that this is exactly the sort of thing Scientology do in order to shut down critics, stifle free speech and intimidate anybody who speaks out. "It was an excessive use of police force, totally unnecessary, and just goes to show why it's important to exercise our rights to free speech. "This sort of incident is the precise reason why so many survivors of abuse in Scientology are afraid to speak out - because if they do, they are painted as criminals by the so-called Church and treated harshly and unfairly by the police." The highly secretive group, which was recognised as a religion in the UK in 2013, has always denied claims made against them. 6 6 6 Like others, Alex says he's been singled out by Scientology for daring to speak out. Last month, he was part of a team who paid for billboard advertising at Tottenham Court Road tube station and has also protested outside its HQ in East Grinstead, West Sussex, when Cruise attended a gala event. "I explained to the police that I am currently the subject of a targeted campaign of harassment, orchestrated by the Church of Scientology, as a result of speaking out,' adds Alex. "They will do anything they can to shut us down, and this proves exactly why we need to raise public awareness of Scientology's dirty tricks. "As somebody who was forcibly held against my will while working as a teenager at the Church of Scientology in London, this whole incident was extremely triggering and traumatising.' The Met Police have been contacted for comment by The Sun. SCIENTOLOGY SCANDALS For actress Leah Remini, Scientology was a religion she "believed in wholeheartedly" for 34 years - until she fled after becoming disenchanted. She was around eight years old when her mother joined the group and over the years Remini 'donated thousands of dollars' to put friends through Scientology programmes. Remini left the church in 2013 shortly after raising concerns about member Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige. The actress filed a missing person report to police and claimed Shelly had not been publicly seen since 2007. The Church of Scientology branded Remini's claims "just harassment" and said Shelly was not seen as she had been working "non-stop". Laura DeCrescenzo, a member from 1991 until 2004, signed a 'one-billion-year contract' that pledged her service to the group at the age of 12. She claimed to have been 'coerced' into having an abortion at 17 due to the group's beliefs and said she was advised it was for the 'greatest good'. DeCrescenzo claimed she was forced to perform "slave labour", while working for Sea Org – a branch of the group that spreads the religion worldwide. She left the church at 25 years old after she faked a suicide attempt by drinking bleach in front of another member. In 2009, DeCrescenzo filed a lawsuit against the church and after nine years they settled out of court for an undisclosed sum – both side's lawyers refused to comment further on the case. But in court papers filed on behalf of the Church of Scientology, they refuted her claims and presented accounts from her 13 years in Sea Org. Scientologists believe humans are immortal spirit beings that have lived countless lives in the past.
