Tom Cruise is expected to face protests when Scientology’s annual gathering takes place in Sussex this weekend, after reportedly arriving by helicopter earlier in the week.
The 64-year-old Top Gun star is understood to have reached Sussex already, having made a dramatic helicopter arrival at the event last year.
Cruise and other attendees are expected to encounter demonstrations by former members of the organisation. The annual gathering typically draws as many as 7,000 people.
The three-day event is held at Saint Hill Manor, Scientology’s British base in East Grinstead, Sussex. The estate was once the home of the church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and attracts followers from around the world.
Former members and other protesters are expected to gather near the site again this year, amid allegations of mistreatment and unpaid labour within the movement. Scientology, which critics describe as a cult, denies the accusations.
On Thursday, a small group marched from East Grinstead town centre towards the manor entrance. Demonstrators carried a banner stating, “It’s time to end abuse in Scientology”, along with signs bearing the message, “Your doubts are valid.”
During last year’s protest, the church reportedly played loud bagpipe music through a large speaker in an attempt to drown out the activists.
The International Association of Scientologists gathering begins on Friday evening and continues throughout the weekend. Members from Scientology churches across the globe, including the United States, South Africa and Denmark, are expected to attend.
Cruise is among the event’s most anticipated guests. He became involved with Scientology in the 1990s, while fellow actor John Travolta is also a member of the movement.
Former members and other protesters are expected to gather nearby again this year amid allegations of mistreatment and unpaid labour, which Scientology denies. Demonstrators marched through the town on Thursday.
Alex Barnes-Ross, who says he joined Scientology aged 15 in 2011, has organised protests against the movement in East Grinstead.
The annual fundraiser, attended by 7,000 Scientologists from around the world last year, is being held at Saint Hill Manor, Scientology’s UK headquarters in East Grinstead.
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Tom Cruise is pictured arriving by helicopter at the annual East Grinstead event in 2025.
The Top Gun star has followed Scientology since the 1990s.
Protest organiser Alex Barnes-Ross, a former member, has previously alleged that Scientology required followers to work 18-hour days and seven-day weeks for little or no pay.
He joined the church aged 15 in 2011, during what he describes as a vulnerable period in his life, and began speaking publicly against the organisation in 2023.
Barnes-Ross has also claimed that members who commit an infraction or fail to meet expectations can be assigned menial “hard labour” and have their meals restricted to small portions of rice and beans.
Scientology has previously rejected these allegations.
Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead is a country house built in 1792 and was formerly the residence of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Hubbard, an American science-fiction writer, moved to the estate in 1959. It remained the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Scientology until 1967.
Cruise is even said to have spent time on a luxury wing of the estate as his ‘lockdown sanctuary’ during the Covid pandemic.
Earlier this week, Mid Sussex District Council gave the go-ahead for the organisation to construct a car park for 683 cars and a large events area, featuring huge marquees, for this weekend.
It has allowed the change of use of Juhring and Hobbs Fields to operate as the reinforced car park for up to 50 days each year, with use of the full 683 spaces for just seven days a year.
Three temporary event marquees can remain standing for up to 84 days each year.
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