New Acropolis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Acropolis (NA), (official name I.O.N.A. International Organization New Acropolis) is a worldwide non-profit organisation founded in 1957 by Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi (died 1991) ([1]) firstly as a School of Philosophy and later on as an International Organization devoted to Practical Philosophy studies and practice. It has been denounced in Belgium and France as being a cult. The anti-fascist Resistances magazine has pointed out its anti-equalitarian views and the existence of an internal Security service. Members of this security service make the roman salute between themselves. ^[1]

1 Ideology
2 Criticism
3 References
4 External links
- 4.1 Institutional links
- 4.2 Critics Links

[edit] Ideology

Its founding charter allegedly claims:

To unite men and women of all creeds, races and social conditions around an ideal of universal fraternity.^{[citation needed]}
To awaken a global vision in men and women through the comparative study of Sciences, Religions, Arts and Philosophies.
To enable men and women to live as part of Nature and to express their true personalities, by developing the capacities of each individual.

Aside from regular philosophy courses & studies the organization also engages in several social philanthropic activities such as food collection campaigns, art workshops, environment cleaning of monuments and parks, and disaster rescues.

However, critics have pointed out its links with the far right and its anti-equalitarian discourse. In 1967, Jorge Livraga Rizzi published the "Manual of the Leader" where he exposed his views on leadership and the hierarchical functionning of the New Acropolis. It takes model on the hierarchical system described by Plato in The Republic. It is implanted in 46 countries, and counts 8,000 members (around 50 in Belgium).^[1]

The group first implanted in Belgium in 1977, and has since made of Bruxelles its international headquarters (in 1990-91). At the end of the 1970s, members of the Belgium far-right attended its courses.^[1]

[edit] Criticism

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.

Different viewers, such as the "center for studies on new religions", claim that the organization is a religious cult. The French Commission on Cults (1995) as well as a Belgian parliamentary commission, in 1997, have registered it as cults. The Resistances anti-fascist political review has criticized its proximity with far right figures and discourses, including the use of the roman salute by its security members, charged of intelligence matters.^[1]

!Note that the site of Miguel Martínez (the man who left New Acropolis in 1980 with a brawl) claims that the founders of New Acropolis were Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi and his wife Ada Dolores Albrecht.^{[citation needed]}