SYDNEY - June 30, 2010 – On Sunday, Australian police broke up a peaceful celebration of the ancient and sacred swastika symbol in Queensland and arrested the leader of the Australian Raelian Movement during events held for World Swastika Rehabilitation Day. Raelians, Buddhists and Hindus are now preparing protests to have this religious symbol and freedom of religion respected in Australia.

The International Raelian Movement (IRM) had organized the worldwide celebration of the swastika for June 27 after Rael, the IRM’s founder and spiritual leader, called for the rehabilitation of this sacred and ancient symbol that forms part of the Raelian emblem.

The Australian celebrations included a procession to float a large, white swastika kite carrying the words “LOVE, INFINITY and PEACE” over Main Beach, Gold Coast. Placards explaining and illustrating the noble history of the swastika within Buddhism, Hinduism and many other cultures of the world were also on display and viewed with great interest by passersby.

But those activities soon came to an abrupt and unexpected halt when authorities intervened.

As helium balloons were being attached to lift the large swastika, police interrupted the preparations, saying they were following a complaint from an undisclosed source. The police then alleged that the swastika displays constituted racial discrimination and said they were stopping “the protest” under the Racial Discrimination Act.

“While all the demonstrations in Europe, America and Asia were welcomed peacefully, the Australian procession was stopped before it even began,” said Jarel Aymonier, leader of the Raelian Movement in Australia. He said his explanation to the officers – that the events were not a protest but a display of religious information to educate the public about peaceful uses of the swastika that pre-dated Nazism – came to no avail.

“The police are welcome to investigate any complaint, but after checking that we were peacefully presenting the religious meaning of the swastika, they should have let us continue and they could even have protected us from being threatened,” he said. “But instead of protecting us, they decided to deny us our freedom of expression. This was a clear misuse of power and I refused to comply.”

He said the police insisted that the swastika kite be dismantled and the placards removed. In addition, he said, participants were asked for ID, warned to vacate the area and told not to display the swastika placards lest they be subject to arrest. Aymonier refused.

“I couldn’t accept being asked to hide my own symbol, which is a symbol of peace and respect that I wear every day around my neck,” Aymonier said.

He said he was then arrested and taken to the police station along with the “offending” placards (see for photos ). After spending a short time in a police cell, he was released. No charges were made against him.

“It’s a sad day for religious freedom and freedom of expression in Queensland,” Aymonier said later. “The police force is at the service of the citizens to protect their freedom, not to remove it from them. We should never take our freedom for granted. If we don’t stand our ground to defend our freedom on all occasions, it will be taken away from us. ”

Raelians are asking all Australian Buddhists and Hindus to protest to the authorities about the disrespect shown toward their religious symbol, and to join with Raelians in future public protests for freedom of religion.

“The Raelian Movement will also continue to inform the public about the peaceful swastika and it will reschedule the event in the near future,” Aymonier said. “We will never accept that we must hide our symbol since it was given to us by our creators, scientists from another planet. We should all be very respectful of this gift and of the teachings associated with it.”

According to the Raelian philosophy, the extraterrestrial scientists who created all life on Earth were responsible for the origin of all religions because they sent messengers called “prophets,” who prepared humanity to recognize its creators for who they really are once we are scientifically advanced enough.

Raelians say their symbol was one of the recurring teachings given by these messengers and that this is why we find it symbolizing peace and well-being in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism and many more religions around the globe.