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Fathers 4 Justice (or F4J) is an international fathers' rights pressure group founded and focused primarily in the United Kingdom that campaigned for equal parenting, family law reform and equal contact for divorced parents with children. It has been hugely successful in drawing attention to issue of discrimination against fathers, both in the UK and throught much of the world. * The United Kingdom branch was disbanded in January 2006, following negative publicity surrounding an alleged plot to kidnap the son of Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, the group soon made a comeback on the 20 May 2006 when some of their protestors interrupted the live lottery draw on BBC1,.• F4J's most notable activities included launching protests while dressed as comic book superheroes usually scaling public buildings, bridges and monuments. However, some members of F4J have a documented history of intimidating attacks on CAFCASS and court staff. Miramax is currently making a film of their campaign, written by Danny Brocklehurst. It will go into pre-production next year. Founder Matt O Connor is closely involved in the project.
Origins Fathers 4 Justice was founded by Matt O'Connor, a marketing consultant and father of three. O'Connor had become incensed with family law after a court temporarily barred him from seeing his two 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 Royal Courts of Justice 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. On 21 October 2003, campaigners Eddie Goreckwi and Jolly Stanesby scaled the Royal Courts of Justice, dressed respectively as Batman and Robin. The following day, the group’s members rallied through London around a military tank in solidarity with Goreckwi and Stanesby. A significant escalation in the protesting style occurred nine days later when group member David Chick scaled a 120 foot 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.• Chick was subsequently cleared and published a ghost-written autobiography in February 2006. Fathers 4 Justice founded branches in Holland and Canada in 2004, and in the USA and Italy during 2005. Activities The protest form that has most characterised Fathers 4 Justice has been its members dressing as comic book superheroes and other easily recognizable 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. F4J's campaigning policy has always been that its organised publicity stunts and protests should be humorous, non-violent, and ultimately harmless. The group advocated non-violent protests aiming to cause disruption rather than damage. The choice of the superhero costumes was based on the claim that "fathers have the role of superhero in the lives of children". Protests have not been restricted simply to fathers as female supporters have adopted similar disguises and joined in the protests. Protests of a similar nature occurred outside the United Kingdom, 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. On May 20, 2006, a group of Fathers 4 Justice campaigners interrupted the broadcast of the UK National Lottery programme on BBC One, delaying it for a few minutes before the live draw was resumed. Flour bombing 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. This protest, along with a purple powder attack on the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2004 Hartlepool by-election, Jody Dunn, appeared to signal a departure from the group's declared profession of nonviolence. 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." Internal strife Shortly after the May 2005 election, Matt O’Connor called a truce with CAFCASS, the government body responsible for providing reports on the suitability of non-resident parent contact. In June 2005 a breakaway group was formed, the ‘Real Fathers For Justice’. Disillusioned with F4J founder Matt O'Connor, the rebels called for democratic control of the pressure group and financial accountability. Since its formation the group has continued a campaign of direct action. On 6 February 2006 actvist Mike Downes pelted education secretary Ruth Kelly with an egg outside Salford Magistrates Court. In April 2006 two of their members climbed onto Westminster Abbey, with a dummy attached to a cross. In May 2006 activist Andrew Tindale hancuffed himself to Minister Beverly Hughes at the G-Mex Centre in Manchester. In July two activists ran onto the centre court at Wimbledon during the quarter final match between Roger Federer and Mario Ancic. The pair wore t-shirts with the Wimbledon logo and the slogan "Family Law: It's a Racket". Carrying Rackets and tennis balls, one of them managed to serve a ball at the Royal Box before being led away by security. The stunt prompted an announcement by Wimbledon that they may have to increase security. In November 2005, the group suffered further negative publicity when the prime-time ITV programme Tonight With Trevor McDonald exposed some of its members as violent and obnoxious in their behaviour. 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. F4J temporarily disbands 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 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'.• 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. Within days, Fathers 4 Justice had been disbanded.• However, an F4J splinter group, the 'Real F4J', continued operating. On April 13th 2006, Maundy Thursday, two members climbed 40 feet up Westminster Abbey with a dummy on a cross, claiming that fathers are being "crucified" in the courts over access to their children.• Reformation On May 20th 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•. 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". Impact Fathers 4 Justice's main impact was upon media coverage and legal treatment of fathers' rights issues in the UK. The use of high-profile and disruptive stunts garnered significant UK media coverage. Matt O'Connor has sold the rights to his story to Harbour Pictures, the firm behind the film "Calendar Girls". A significant, unintended result of the F4J campaign was 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 was particularly concerned with the threat of terror attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. Meanwhile, in Montreal, two members climbed the superstructure of the Jacques Cartier Bridge which snarlled traffic during rush hour. In this case, one of them was dressed as Robin, Batman's sidekick. Another protester dressed as Spider-Man climbed the top of the cross of Mount Royal. Donations to the group went to a non-profit limited company owned by O’Connor. F4J does not have charitable status, but in June 2005 the group launched a related charitable foundation, Fathers 4 Justice Foundation, to work with young offenders from fatherless families. Criticism Critics of the organisation claim that the inequalities which F4J claim to fight against are exaggerated or non-existent. For example, one of the primary goals of F4J is to establish equal parenting rights after divorce, claiming that in 40% of family court cases the father is denied or is restricted in contact with their children. The group claims that there is an institutionalised sexism in family courts which discriminates against fathers. Critics counter that judges are required to operate under a "presumption of contact" principle in family courts which forces them to provide, whenever possible, contact between fathers and their children. This principle can only be overruled in exceptional circumstances and it has come under attack for being biased in favour of men as it has led to children being forced to see fathers who have abused them in the past. The Guardian (May 8, 2006) claimed that some Father 4 Justice campaigners had "been denied access for good reasons".• Members of the group are also alleged to have conducted a variety of intimidating attacks in order to terrorise 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. However, during protests outside CAFCASS offices individual case workers were identified by name in a similar style to animal rights protesters. Furthermore, one office was invaded by F4J members who tied up an employee suffering from a heart condition.• See also In the news | ||||||||
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