During that time, he said, the church coordinated smear and intimidation campaigns against journalists, former members and critics of Scientology.

"We have seen this playbook many times — whipping up of intimidation and of threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it," Starmer said at a press conference Monday, the BBC reported.

It expressed particular concern about reports of voter intimidation, vote-buying and manipulation, and harassment of observers.

And the defense of continuous falsehoods relies on more than repetition; it relies on intimidation and can readily lead to violence.

Earlier this month, former pupils, parents and staff described an environment where fear and intimidation were used to enforce a strict "no-excuses" approach to discipline to achieve strong academic results.