Aaron Saxton

Scientology response

Scientology in November 2009 said that Saxton's letter to Senator Xenophon was not reliable. The Church of Scientology released a statement in 2009 referring to Saxton as "a mean hateful young man". Saxton said that the AVO was an attempt to suppress his right to freedom of speech. Magistrate Paul Falzon questioned the legitimacy of Hunt's assertions, and said the court would require demonstration of "reasonable apprehension" of a threatening or violent action. The New Zealand Herald commented, "Saxton's allegations about behind-the-scenes church activities caused an uproar after they were quoted in the Australian Senate", and reported that Saxton's statements "formed part of a blistering attack in the Australian Senate". The Australian current affairs program, produced by the Seven Network, Today Tonight, described Saxton's revelations as "shocking". The Editor-in-Chief of The Village Voice stated that Saxton's statements comprised "some of the most cited after Xenophon's speech", and commented, "Saxton's profile in Australia blew up overnight after Xenophon's speech, and his story quickly became familiar there".