TikTokers mob Scientology buildings as viral 'speed run' stunt comes to UK: Moment youths descend on church's London HQ in bid to sprint inside

By ADAM POGRUND, REPORTER and FREYA BARNES, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:14, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 10:14, 8 May 2026 TikTokers are mobbing Scientology sites across the country as part of a viral trend where teenagers 'speed run' through the buildings. Scientology speed running, which began in Los Angeles and has spread globally, sees groups of youths sprint into the buildings in different directions and see how far they can reach inside before they are escorted out by staff. Gatherings in the UK are advertised on social media for this weekend, with one TikTok post reading: 'Scientology of London speedrun 9th May 3pm. Bring as many people as you can. Be ready'. Another suggested the use of Lime bikes to break into the buildings. One Snapchat post about another London stunt spread widely last weekend. It said: 'First UK raid of Scientology. Happening this Saturday 2nd May. Bring face coverings and GoPros. Spread the word.' Around 100 people, some balaclava-clad, dressed as dinosaurs or in cat masks, then descended on the capital's main Scientology centre near Blackfriars where they were greeted by City of London police. One 16-year-old said he had travelled for four hours from Carlisle 'to be part of the trend, to be part of something'.  Footage posted on TikTok shows hordes of teenagers sprinting through the streets of London before arriving outside the church in a bid to enter. Other speed runs took place in Deansgate in Manchester and in South Bridge in Edinburgh last weekend. TikTokkers are mobbing Scientology centres across the country as part of a viral trend where teenagers 'speed run' through the buildings Footage posted on TikTok shows hordes of teenagers sprinting through the streets of London before arriving outside the church  A large group of teenagers, some balaclava-clad, dressed as dinosaurs or in cat masks, tried to storm a Scientology centre in the City of London last Saturday Greater Manchester Police said it had increased its presence in the area as a result. The controversial church claimed the use of its spaces is 'trespass[ing], harassment, and disruption of religious facilities'.  It said: 'The church welcomes lawful visitors. It does not welcome mobs forcing entry, damaging property, disrupting religious spaces or endangering people for views.' Former Scientologist Alexander Barnes Ross, who demonstrates against the sect's practices, criticised the trend for undermining peaceful protests. He said: 'The speedrun trend may be bringing a lot of attention to the issue of Scientology and it may attract younger audiences who may not otherwise watch long-form exposés.  'I welcome that. But in the longer term, it weakens our credibility here in the UK.'  The activist has campaigned for the right to protest outside Scientology buildings and fears the trend 'risks giving the church an opportunity to reopen the case' against allowing demonstrations. The trend began in Hollywood on March 31 with one TikTok user called Swhileyy dashing through the lobby of a building at the church's Los Angeles headquarters. The video gained 90million views before being deleted and soon led to imitations in New York and Vancouver.  Some attempting to break in claimed they were keen to learn more about the church, although others dressed as Minions and claimed they were looking for Tom Cruise - a long-time member of the church.  One Snapchat post about a London stunt spread widely last weekend. It said: 'First UK raid of Scientology. Happening this Saturday 2nd May. Bring face coverings and GoPros. Spread the word.' Around 100 people descended on the capital's main Scientology site near Blackfriars on Saturday where they were greeted by City of London police The capital's main Scientology site near Blackfriars (pictured) face speed runs last weekend Swhileyy told the Hollywood Reporter: 'I do not condone what I did, even though I didn’t break any laws.  'All I did was explore the building. I was never asked not to come back to the premises.' A spokesperson for the Church of Scientology said: 'Some online have referred to this as a “trend” or “speed running.” In reality, it involves individuals attempting to enter religious and public information facilities for social media attention. 'In the UK, there has been no established pattern of such activity. There was no incident in Scotland involving entry to Church premises, and a minor, isolated incident in Manchester, which was reported to local police and addressed. 'Church facilities are peaceful spaces designed to welcome parishioners, visitors and members of the public. Turning them into targets for social media stunts is not journalism, protest or civic activity. It is trespass and disruption of religious spaces. 'The Church welcomes lawful visitors. It does not welcome individuals attempting to force entry, disrupt religious services or use its facilities as a backdrop for online content.'    A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 1.20pm on Saturday, 2 May, 2026, we received a report of youths gathered outside a premises on South Bridge in Edinburgh. 'Officers attended and the group had dispersed. 'Enquiries were carried out however no complaint has been made.' A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said last week: 'We are aware of an incident involving several youths attempting to gain entry to a business on Deansgate in Manchester. 'We have increased our presence locally and will continue patrols to prevent any further antisocial behaviour.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.