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Fathers 4 Justice

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Fathers 4 Justice (or F4J) began as a fathers’ rights organisation in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom branch was temporarily disbanded in January 2006, following reports of an alleged plot by members to kidnap the son of then Prime Minister Tony Blair.[1] Three months later, in May 2006, the group reformed and protested during the live broadcast of the BBC lottery show "The National Lottery: Jet Set".

History

Fathers 4 Justice was founded in the UK by Matt O'Connor, a marketing consultant and father.[1] O'Connor had become incensed with family law after a court barred him from seeing his young sons outside of a contact centre, following separation from his wife in 2000. On 17 December 2002, O'Connor and a small group of supporters staged their first protest by storming the Lord Chancellor's Office dressed as Father Christmas. In January 2003 O'Connor officially founded Fathers 4 Justice. Initially the group targeted the homes of family court judges and family lawyers' homes and offices with traditional protests.

F4J has claimed to champion the cause of equal parenting, family law reform and equal contact for divorced parents with children. F4J protestors interrupted the UK national lottery draw in May 2006. F4J is well-known for its campaigning techniques of dramatic protest stunts, usually dressed as comic book superheroes and frequently scaling public buildings, bridges and monuments. They have also protested by handcuffing two government ministers. [2]

Fathers 4 Justice founded branches in the Netherlands and Canada in 2004, and in the USA and Italy during 2005.

The protest form that has most characterised Fathers 4 Justice has been its members dressing as comic book superheroes and other easily recognisable characters to scale public buildings and monuments. Stunts included supporters storming courts dressed in Father Christmas outfits, clapping the Government's ‘Children’s Minister’ in handcuffs, and most notably group member Jason Hatch climbing onto Buckingham Palace dressed as Batman. Such activities have earned the group a place in popular culture. For example, two costumed superheroes were mistaken for father's rights activists in the 2005 short comedy movie, Spider-Plant Man. The choice of the superhero costumes was based on the claim that "fathers have the role of superhero in the lives of children".

Activities

On 21 October 2003, campaigners Eddie Gorecki and Jolly Stanesby scaled the Royal Courts of Justice, dressed respectively as Batman and Robin.[3] The following day, the group’s members rallied through London around a military tank in solidarity with Goreckwi and Stanesby.[4]

A significant escalation in the protesting style occurred nine days later when group member David Chick scaled a 120 feet (37 m) crane near Tower Bridge, London dressed as Spider-Man. The Metropolitan Police set up a cordon around the area that disrupted traffic through some of East London for several days.[5] Chick was subsequently cleared[6] and published a ghost-written autobiography in February 2006.

On 19 May 2004, a major alert was caused when two members of the group threw purple flour bombs at Tony Blair during Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons.[7] Following the House of Commons incident The Times wrote that the group "has succeeded in becoming the most prominent guerrilla pressure group in Britain ... within eighteen months of its founding."

Protests of a similar nature occurred outside the UK, a protest by a member dressed as Robin the Boy Wonder was held for twelve hours on the Pattullo Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. On 6 May 2005 the group made headlines again after a member dressed as Superman climbed up scaffolding in Old City Hall in Toronto, Ontario to unfurl a banner.

In November 2005, the group received negative publicity when the prime-time ITV programme Tonight With Trevor McDonald appeared to expose some of its members as violent and obnoxious in their behaviour. However, counter-claims have been made that these were never members in the first place and that the programme gave no right to reply.[citation needed]. Some members were expelled but the organisation defended its position and attacked the documentary. On 23 November 2005, Fathers 4 Justice ended its truce with CAFCASS and the Child Support Agency, calling for a public inquiry into family law.

During January 2006 the British newspaper The Sun published a story in which it claimed that members on the fringes of Fathers 4 Justice planned to kidnap Leo Blair, the young son of former Prime Minister Tony Blair 'for a few hours as a symbolic gesture'. The Police said that they were not aware of such a plan, but probably it had never got beyond 'the chattering stage'.[8] Downing Street refused to confirm or deny the existence of a plot as it does not comment on matters concerning the Prime Minister's children.

Fathers 4 Justice founder Matt O'Connor condemned the alleged action and threatened to shut down the campaign because of it. Within days, Fathers 4 Justice had been disbanded.[9]

On 20 May 2006, Fathers 4 Justice protested during the showing of the BBC lottery show "The National Lottery: Jet Set". The show had to be taken off-air for several minutes after six Fathers 4 Justice protesters ran from the audience onto the stage displaying posters.[10] The protesters were soon removed from the studio and the lottery draws continued as usual, albeit rushed so the show finished in time for the annual Eurovision Song Contest. A spokesman for the group stated afterwards, "Tonight marks the dramatic return of Fathers 4 Justice".

There was no widely publicised further action until 29 November of that year, when veteran campaigner Jonathan Stanesby climbed onto the roof of family court Judge David Tyzack's home, dressed as Santa Claus. The story was publicised after Stanesby claimed the judge was holding a shotgun. Judge Tyzack, however, retorted that he had taken the gun out thinking the noise on the roof was a bird.[11] Stanesby explained to reporters he was still restricted to seeing his daughter one weekend every two weeks.

On Sunday, 10 December 2006 Fathers-4-Justice US staged a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party, titled the 'Boston "Custo-Tea" Party' in protest at perceived corruption in the family court system in which lawyers provoke battles between parents over custody of children for profit.

On Sunday, 8 June 2008 two fathers from Fathers for Justice UK climbed onto the roof of Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman's house wearing superhero-style costumes. The characters were "Captain Conception" and "Cash Gordon". Mark Harris who was the "Cash Gordon" character, protested that he wanted change that would allow fathers to have the same right as mum's new boyfriend. He also said that they would not come down unless Harman read his book, "Family Court Hell".[1]. On Wednesday 9 July another set of fathers, this time in spiderman and batman outfits scaled Harman's roof and draped a banner "Stop The War On Dads".[2] Nigel Ace who was the spiderman character voiced four measures of reform via a loudhailer on the roof. They were condemned for it in the House of Commons the next day at Prime Minister's Questions. [12] Harman claimed the group had never sought democratic dialogue with her, but O'Connor claimed he had sought a meeting through his MP Mark Oaten and been ignored.

In September 2008, Fathers 4 Justice was publicly disbanded by its founder. On the same night it closed, a new movement was formed by key members of the original F4J. The group was named New Fathers For Justice and is intended as a continuation of the original F4J. The groups culture however is more case led and cause led as opposed to the egotistical regime of its original founder Matt O'Connor. The group has said it will be more "free spirited" and intended to cause mass public notoriety by more eye-catching stunts.

In September this year 'New Fathers For Justice' lobbied Dawn Primarolo with a banner reading "KIDS NEED REAL DADS NOT DAWN'S LESBO DADS". Gay rights organisations were outraged and the Pink News quoted a protestor as saying gays and lesbians should not have children. [13]

Criticism

Critics of the organisation claim that the inequalities which F4J claim to fight against are exaggerated. [14]

Members of the group are also alleged to have conducted a variety of intimidating attacks in order to terrorize court staff and family lawyers. These attacks include throwing purple (the group's colour) paint on the outside of CAFCASS buildings, pushing rotten meat/fish through letterboxes, sending fake bombs, hate mail and verbal abuse. NAPO (the union for CAFCASS staff) have compiled a file of the incidents. Fathers 4 Justice have admitted to incidents involving CAFCASS property but deny involvement in the harassment of individuals. During protests outside CAFCASS offices individual case workers were identified by name in a similar style to animal rights protesters.[15]

Impact

Fathers 4 Justice's main impact remains upon media coverage and legal treatment of fathers' rights issues in the UK. The use of high-profile and disruptive stunts has garnered significant UK media coverage.

A significant, unintended result of the F4J campaign has been the exposure of flaws in security at high profile British institutions such as Buckingham Palace and the House of Commons, at a time when the British government is particularly concerned with the threat of terror attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Deborah Ross, Matt O'Connor: The man behind Fathers4Justice, The Independent, 4 July 2006.
  2. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/09/familyandrelationships
  3. ^ "Rooftop protest by 'caped crusaders'" (HTML). BBC News. 2003-10-21. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Rally over fathers' rights" (HTML). BBC News. 2003-10-22. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Spiderman cordon criticised" (HTML). BBC News. 2003-11-03. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Spider-Man cleared after police tactics are revealed". The Times. 15 May 2004. p. Pg 5. {{cite news}}: |page= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Blair hit during Commons protest" (HTML). BBC News. 2004-05-19. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Police aware of 'Leo kidnap plot'" (HTML). BBC News. 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Fathers 4 Justice to end campaign" (HTML). BBC News. 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2006-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Lottery show delayed by protest" (HTML). BBC News. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2006-05-20.
  11. ^ Luke Salkeld, Fathers rights rooftop protestor accuses judge of aiming gun, Daily Mail, 28 November 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  12. ^ "video".
  13. ^ Pink News, 22 September; http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9056.html
  14. ^ Decca Aitkenhead (2006-05-08). "The sins of the father" (HTML). The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-06-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ John Elliott and Abul Taher (2004-11-22). "Fathers 'terrorise' lawyers" (HTML). The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2006-06-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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