“The Scientology people are tough, what they try to do is they try to play with your head and destabilize you.”
When asked if there have been instances where he’s had to deal with Scientology members outside of the world of internet trolls, Gibney would only say, “You know that the cyber sometimes become physical.”
In an email to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Scientology calls Gibney's accusataions, "another publicity stunt by Gibney’s PR machine to manufacture interest in his grossly inaccurate and fictional film."
"The Church of Scientology has been very public and very transparent in its response to Gibney’s 'documentary,'” the email went on to say. "Our Freedom Magazine website has published videos and white papers exposing the fraud Alex Gibney is perpetrating on his audiences, as well as all the material he ran from because it totally undercut his film. Please watch to see how he avoided the Church for two years."
The email also stated: "Because Mr. Gibney remained anything but objective, the Church has compiled the unvarnished truth in the form of video footage, court documents, publicly available records and testimonials by pertinent individuals who represent Scientology, and were intentionally ignored by Mr. Gibney and HBO." It concluded: "Under the guidance of the leader of the religion, Scientology has expanded faster in the last 10 years than in its previous 50 and is the fastest-growing religion of the 21st century."
