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19. 07. 12. - 12:00

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19. 07. 12. - 12:00

UFO believer stands for council

Kathryn Quinn

A Swiss sect that believes in UFOs and urges people to go naked in public is hoping to be elected to a town council.

Allan Tschopp, head of the Swiss division of the Raëlian Movement – a group that is active around the world – is planning to stand in local elections in Valais in October.

The ET believer said: "We want to show that capitalism can be overcome as our leader Rael wanted it. We want to bring a movement of paradise to Valais."

The sect, a UFO religion that was founded in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon - now known as Raël - attracts leaders from other churches despite having liberal views of sexuality. It teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim.

As well as believing in flying saucers, the Raëlians also promote human cloning and have set up an organisation, Clonaid, to further research in this area. In 2002, head of the company Brigitte Boisselier, claimed to have cloned a human baby named ‘Eve’.

Speaking against Tschopp’s attempts to enter Swiss politics, sect expert Georg Schmid said: "It’s a contradiction in itself that a Raelian organisation wants to go into politics. They reject democracy as part of their ideology, instead promoting ideas of the dominance of the most intelligent."

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