Thu, 19 Apr 2007

Expelled members take Anthroposophical Society to court

DORNACH (NNA) – The members of the “Living the Christmas Conference” grouping, who were expelled from the General Anthroposophical Society (GAS) at its recent annual general meeting at the Goetheanum in Dornach, have taken the society to court to get the decision reversed.

Despite fears at the Goetheanum that the expelled members would seek to disrupt the AGM, the well-attended meeting took place without major incidents and voted by an overwhelming majority for the expulsions to go ahead.

In his address to the meeting, Dr Gian Bishoff, representing the expelled members, said that they did not accept the expulsions and would continue to consider themselves members of the society.

On its website, the grouping said the legal action was being taken “to counter the injustice of the expulsions.”

Goetheanum spokesman Wolfgang Held told NNA that the GAS was confident that it could win any legal challenge to the expulsions. According to the statutes of the society, no reason had to be given, yet the Executive Council had carefully justified its move, citing the attacks and disruption instigated by the grouping over the last 18 years.

The claim by the group that the expulsions were an abuse of process “does not hold water”, Held said.

END/nna/cva

Item: 070419-01EN Date: 19 April 2007

Copyright 2007 News Network Anthroposophy Limited. All rights reserved. See: www.nna-news.org/copyright/

More NNA reports at: www.nna-news.org/en/