Ima, if someone said \u201cScientology speedrun\u201d to me I would think about Tom Cruise in tight shorts. But that is not what is happening, is it?<\/p>\n
Not quite, Cait. The Scientology speedrun appears to have spawned in March when content creator Swhileyy filmed himself rushing the Church of Scientology<\/a> on Hollywood Boulevard<\/a> in Los Angeles. That video gained 90m views before it was deleted.<\/p>\n Since then, groups of mostly young men have documented themselves charging into the LA centre, pulling in millions of views on TikTok<\/a>. The unofficial goal: see how far inside the building you can get.<\/p>\n It has escalated quickly. Some users have started mapping out blueprints of the building based on videos of the raids.<\/p>\n Others have taken a more avant garde approach, storming the lobby dressed as Jesus<\/a> or Minions<\/a> demanding to see Tom Cruise. To obscure their identities, speedrunners generally wear face coverings, cat masks or even full dinosaur costumes.<\/p>\n So it started in LA, but now people are doing it in Australia. Why are people doing this?<\/p>\n I can\u2019t speak for the speedrunners themselves, but it largely comes down to a mix of public intrigue and the internet\u2019s appetite for absurdity.<\/p>\n Scientology, founded by American author L Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, has long drawn accusations of being a high-control group or cult<\/a>, which the church has strenuously denied. Combine that with the reality that extreme public pranks practically guarantee social media engagement and you\u2019ve got a recipe for virality.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already seen the global expansion of these speedruns to the UK<\/a>, where hundreds of teenagers attempted to rush Scientology buildings at various locations. Now, the trend has reached Australian shores.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n On Saturday, Sydney and Brisbane Scientology buildings were surrounded by a group of mostly young people, demanding access to the building.<\/p>\n In Sydney, \u201ca crowd of about 100 young people\u201d gathered outside the church on Castlereagh Street at about 1.30pm, according to New South Wales police. A police spokesperson said officers including members of the riot squad dispersed the group. A 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl were arrested for failing to comply with police directions.<\/p>\n A similar crowd targeted the Brisbane Scientology building on George Street in the CBD. According to Queensland police, one teenager jumped into the driver\u2019s side of a police car before quickly hopping out, while another rode a BMX bike over the roof of the same vehicle. Two teenagers, aged 15 and 18, were charged.<\/p>\n Despite the disruption, neither the Sydney nor the Brisbane group actually made it inside the buildings to fulfil their speedrunning goals.<\/p>\n There were whispers of it happening in South Australia. \u201cI saw three kids acting over-excited out the front of there yesterday,\u201d one Reddit user commented under a thread about a potential Adelaide Scientology speedrun. Another said: \u201cTikTok trends usually annoy the shit out of me, but I\u2019ve gotta hand it to the kids on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n I see. But is Scientology even that big in Australia?<\/p>\n In terms of presence, sure. In terms of actual numbers, it\u2019s unclear.<\/p>\n Scientology has an outsized presence in Los Angeles, with celebrity adherents including Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but its reach extends globally.<\/p>\n In Australia, the church has established sprawling facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Canberra.<\/p>\n