The Vancouver location of the controversial Church of Scientology has been a focus point for a growing online trend involving young people trying to see how "deep" inside Scientology buildings they can get.On Saturday afternoon, Vancouver police reported that around 300 people had gathered in front of the Church of Scientology building along West Hastings Street at the corner of Homer Street.Police reported that the group attempted to kick down a gate at the back of the building but were unsuccessful. They also allege that objects had been thrown by members of the group towards officers.The crowd initially dispersed before reconvening a couple hours later; at that time, a 16-year-old boy was arrested by police before being released to his parents.Police say they are not recommending criminal charges..The incident in Vancouver comes as the trend of attempting to "speed run" inside of Scientology locations has grown in popularity. The trend first began in April in Los Angeles, where the Hollywood location of the Church of Scientology was broken into multiple times by people trying to film the inside of the building.The Los Angeles location, which has been the ground zero for this trend, has had to remove the external door handles to prevent people from gaining access to the building.The goal of the "speed run" is to see how far inside the building you can get before being kicked out or restrained. The church's infamous secrecy has led to people breaking in to try and film the inner workings of the church.A spokesperson for the church said that the incident in Vancouver on Sunday was "not a peaceful visit or a lawful protest."Vancouver police have warned against any further "raids," saying that those engaging in this behaviour may face criminal charges.
