What is a Scientology speedrun' and why is social media suddenly obsessed with it?

"The Scientology speedrun appears to have spawned in March when content creator Swhileyy filmed himself rushing the Church of Scientology on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. That video gained 90m views before it was deleted. Since then, groups of mostly young men have documented themselves charging into the LA centre, pulling in millions of views on TikTok. The unofficial goal: see how far inside the building you can get. It has escalated quickly."

"Some users have started mapping out blueprints of the building based on videos of the raids. Others have taken a more avant garde approach, storming the lobby dressed as Jesus or Minions demanding to see Tom Cruise. To obscure their identities, speedrunners generally wear face coverings, cat masks or even full dinosaur costumes. So it started in LA, but now people are doing it in Australia."

"I can't speak for the speedrunners themselves, but it largely comes down to a mix of public intrigue and the internet's appetite for absurdity. Scientology, founded by American author L Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, has long drawn accusations of being a high-control group or cult, which the church has strenuously denied. Combine that with the reality that extreme public pranks practically guarantee social media engagement and you've got a recipe for virality."

"We've already seen the global expansion of these speedruns to the UK, where hundreds of teenagers attempted to rush Scientology buildings at various locations. Now, the trend has reached Australian shores. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email On Saturday, Sydney and Brisbane Scientology buildings were surrounded by a group of mostly young people, demanding access to the building. In Sydney, a crowd of about 100 young people gathered outside the church on Castlereagh Street at about 1.30pm."

A “Scientology speedrun” began in March when a creator filmed himself rushing the Church of Scientology on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, then deleted the video after it gained massive views. After that, mostly young men documented similar raids in Los Angeles, aiming to see how far inside they could get. The activity escalated quickly, with some people mapping building layouts from raid footage and others staging themed entrances, including dressing as Jesus or Minions while demanding to see Tom Cruise. Participants often wear face coverings, cat masks, or dinosaur costumes to hide identities. The trend spread beyond the US, including the UK and now Australia, where Sydney and Brisbane buildings were surrounded by crowds demanding access.

Read at www.theguardian.com