Fathers 4 Justice Logo

Fathers 4 Justice is a fathers' rights pressure group based in the United Kingdom, which from 2003-2006 staged many protests which recieved national news coverage because of their circumstances. Fathers 4 Justice logo File links The following pages link to this file: Fathers 4 Justice ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Tower Bridge protest

On October 31st 2003, David Chick, dressed as Spider-Man, climbed a crane near Tower Bridge in London to add his voice to the Fathers 4 Justice campaign for fathers' rights. He ended up staying at the top of the 100 feet crane for six days. The stunt resulted in unprecedented press coverage for the group and its campaign. October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Tower Bridge as viewed from the South Bank at dusk. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

The police cleared the area and the disruption to the city's traffic was enormous, resulting in the suspension of the London Congestion Charge for a while. Chick finally climbed down from the crane of his own accord. The white-on-red C marks all entrances to the Congestion Charge zone. ...

Chick is not formally a member of F4J but his protests were closely identified with it in the media. F4J consequently denied planning the action although it did later approve it, but one of its spokesmen went to the scene, where a crowd built up, and the ensuing press and media coverage was considerable.

Traffic was prevented from crossing the bridge from the morning of the 31st October until November 4th which is far more disruption than was caused by David Blaine. Chick remained on the crane until the following evening. Upon descending, he was immediately arrested for causing a public nuisance. David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973), is an American illusionist and stunt performer born in Brooklyn, New York City. ...

London Mayor Ken Livingstone condemned Chick's action as being irresponsible, for the disruption it caused in the capital. Livingstone said that Chick was "amply demonstrating why some men should not have access to their own children." The Mayor of London is an elected politician in London, United Kingdom, who heads the Greater London Authority and is responsible for budgeting and strategic planning of some governmental functions across the whole of the region of London. ... Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British local government leader. ...

However when his trial before the Southwark Crown Court in May 2004, Chick was cleared of all charges. It emerged that Chick had repeatedly stressed during the stunt that the road closures effected by police, which cost £5m per day in lost business and caused ten mile tailbacks, were unnecessary as he was of sound mind and there was no danger of him falling from the 100 feet tall crane. A senior police officer at the scene noted in a log "Climber does not like road closures so should be used as bargaining tool" and decided to keep the road closed as a way of shortening the protest.

House of Commons protest

Tony Blair being hit by one of the missiles [1]

The Fathers 4 Justice House of Commons protest, also dubbed The Fun Powder Plot, is an incident that took place on May 19, 2004. Two members of Fathers 4 Justice, Guy Harrison and Ron Davis, threw two condoms filled with purple-dyed flour into the chamber of the House of Commons, one of which hit Prime Minister Tony Blair. Tony Blair being hit by a flour bomb thrown by a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner in the British House of Commons. ... Tony Blair being hit by a flour bomb thrown by a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner in the British House of Commons. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A condom sealed in typical packaging A condom is a device, usually made of latex or more recently polyurethane, that is used during sexual intercourse to reduce the risk of pregnancy and/or some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. Condoms are also often used to... Look up flour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... British House of Commons Canadian House of Commons In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. ...

The incident took place at 12:18 BST during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session and was shown live on television across the world. Blair was surrounded by leading members of his Cabinet, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, both of whom were also showered with flour dust from the "bombs". British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. ... Prime Ministers Questions is a Parliamentary practice in the United Kingdom where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting, the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from MPs. ... The Rt. ... This article is about the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. ... The office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. ... John Prescott The Right Honourable John Leslie Prescott (born May 31, 1938) is a British Labour Party politician who is presently Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and First Secretary of State. ...

The last of the two or three bombs thrown hit Blair on the right shoulder blade, a remarkably accurate throw from 60 feet away. Whilst throwing the bombs (reported to be made from either self-raising or corn flour), one of the organisation members shouted, "Fathers for justice!" Fathers 4 Justice spokesman Matt O'Connor later explained the choice of colour, stating that "purple is the international colour of equality". In the initial aftermath of the incident Blair seemed unperturbed by the incident and looked prepared to continue with the session. Speaker Michael Martin, however, immediately suspended proceedings and the chamber was rapidly emptied, as fears of a chemical or biological attack mounted. In anatomy, the scapula, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). ... Cornflour may refer to: cornmeal cornstarch, in British English. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Michael Martin Michael John Martin MP (born July 3, 1945, Glasgow, Scotland) is the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. ...

Many commentators remarked that although the exodus was orderly and without panic, it was in fact the wrong thing to do. If the powder had been a biological or chemical agent, such as sarin or anthrax, then all potentially affected people should have been contained within the affected area in order to prevent any possible further spreading of the toxin. Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... Chemical warfare is warfare (and associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy. ... Sarin or GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance. ... The venom of the black widow spider is a potent latrotoxin. ...

The incident occurred as Blair was responding to aggressive questioning from Leader of the Opposition Michael Howard. It was reported that in the immediate aftermath of the incident Blair leant across to Howard and said, "I promise you Michael, I didn't organise that!" Howard was reported to respond, "And for once, I believe you!" The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ... The Rt. ...

Although the incident turned out to be harmless, there were immediate calls for security in the House of Commons to be tightened. Home Secretary David Blunkett, speaking at a Police Federation conference in Brighton, said that such calls were likely to be heeded. Only the previous month a glass security screen had been installed so that members of the public in the Strangers' Gallery specifically could not throw anything into the chamber. The members of Fathers 4 Justice who perpetrated the incident were, however, vouched for by The Baroness Golding, a member of the House of Lords, which allowed them into an unscreened area. Lady Golding had offered the chance to witness the House's operations as a prize in a charity auction, which the group's two members had won. The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... David Blunkett The Right Honourable David Blunkett (born June 6, 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. ... Police Federation may refer to: Police Federation of England and Wales Police Federation for Northern Ireland Scottish Police Federation This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Brighton on the southern Sussex coast is one of the largest and most famous seaside resorts in England. ... Llinos Golding, Baroness Golding (born 21 March 1933) is a Labour member of the House of Lords. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

Upon the resumption of the House at 13:30 BST, the Speaker made a statement and immediately rescinded the right of House of Lords members to allow members of the public into the unscreened area. Golding later made a tearful apology in the House of Lords. The following week, all members of the public were banned from sitting in the unscreened area, even those with an invitation from an MP or peer. Security for the Palace of Westminster is run by the Domestic Committees, rather than the Home Office. British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ...

Guy Richard Harrison (48, from Worthing) and Patrick Ronald Davis (36) were arrested and subsequently charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. The relatively lenient charges, which attract a fine of up to £1000 but no prison sentence, led some in the press to speculate that the harsher charges were not pressed because they would have involved a show trial with Blair and other ministers forced to appear as witnesses, causing more publicity for the group that police are seeking to avoid. Map sources for Worthing at grid reference TQ1303 Worthing is the largest town and a local government district in West Sussex, England. ...

Buckingham Palace protest

Jason Hatch protesting on the palace ledge

The Fathers 4 Justice Buckingham Palace protest was an incident that took place in London, England on September 13, 2004. At 14:20 BST, a group of protesters appeared outside the front gates of Buckingham Palace, and as the palace security was distracted, Jason Hatch and David Pyke, members of Fathers 4 Justice, ascended over the perimeter fence of the palace. Hatch, dressed as the internationally known superhero Batman, and Pyke as sidekick Robin, unfurled a ladder and began climbing up to a roof of an attached building. Hatch made it to the top, but Pyke came down under threat from armed police. Hatch moved along the ledge of the Queen's Residence until he was near the palace balcony, when he revealed a banner which said "Super Dads of Fathers 4 Justice". He remained on the ledge for five hours until police were able to convince him to come down in a "cherry-picker" crane. Hatch was arrested for suspicion of causing criminal damage; Pyke was charged with aiding and abetting a criminal act. Jason Hatch on the palace ledge (copyright Associated Press) File links The following pages link to this file: Fathers 4 Justice Buckingham Palace protest Categories: Images with unknown copyright status ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. ... Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. ... Jason Hatch is an activist from the protest group Fathers 4 Justice. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The DC Comics superhero Batman (originally and still sometimes referred to as the Batman or the Bat-Man) is a fictional character who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... A classic image of Batman and Robin reinterpreted by painter Alex Ross. ...

Police initially thought the palace situation very serious, and were rumored to have considered at one point firing at Hatch. However, they supposedly discarded that idea after deducing that Hatch was no threat to the royal family (none of whom were in the palace at the time).

In addition to being the group's latest major publicity stunt, reflecting F4J's view that the UK Government hasn't yet done anything to deal with the issues that the group is concerned about, it also incidentally was the latest event in a series which prominently displayed the dismal state of security around the royal family and government institutions. On June 21, 2003, Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle was gatecrashed by comedian Aaron Barschak, who was wearing a pink dress, and a beard and turban in a fashion similar to Osama bin Laden. Later, a tabloid reporter was able to get a job as a footman in Buckingham Palace, and would have been serving food to Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President George W. Bush at a state dinner had he not been caught. Indeed, if Hatch and Pyke, two "ordinary guys" (Pyke's words), were able to bypass security so easily, the question became: what was preventing an armed criminal or a terrorist from entering a government building, and with Her Majesty and Tony Blair as possible terrorist targets, what was protecting them? The media itself often stages stunts for movies and television shows. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prince William of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor), born 21 June 1982, is a member of the British Royal Family, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and first son of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. ... Windsor Castle. ... Aaron Barschak (born 1966) styles himself as a Comedy Terrorist and fringe UK politician. ... The turban (Arabic: , ‘imāmä; Turkish: tülbent; Persian: دلبنت, dulband) is a headdress, of Asian origin, consisting of a long scarf wound round the head or an inner hat. ... Osama bin Laden in a photo from the 1990s Usāmah bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Lādin (Arabic: ; born March 10, 1957), commonly known as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden (أسامة بن لادن) is an Islamic fundamentalist and the founder of the al-Qaeda organization. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... Terrorism is the unconventional use of violence for political gain. ...

The palace breach was clearly a very troubling issue to law enforcement agencies and to lawmakers. Liberal Democratic chairman Mark Oaten called the incident "at best highly embarrassing, and at worst could have had terrible consequences". David Davis, Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, described the multiple breaches of royal security as "scandalous incompetence". The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... Mark Oaten Mark Oaten (born 8 March 1964, Watford) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for the Winchester constituency. ... David Davis The Right Honourable David Michael Davis (born December 23, 1948) is a British politician, Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden and Shadow Home Secretary. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ...

See also

• Fathers' rights movement in the UK
• Fathers 4 Justice

The fathers rights movement in the UK consists of a number of diverse pressure groups, ranging from charities (whose activities are regulated by the Charity Commission) and self_help groups to civil disobedience activists, who started to obtain wide publicity in 2003. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

Tower Bridge protest

• News report on court case from the Daily Telegraph

House of Commons protest

• BBC - Blair hit during Commons protest
  • In pictures
  • MI5 in Commons security review
  • two men charged on Blair flour attack
  • Video footage from the BBC
• Transcript of Prime Minister's questions on the 19th May 2004 from Hansard
  • subsequent statement by the Speaker

Buckingham Palace protest

• CNN story
• BBC story (includes illustration of how protesters got in)
  • BBC news video (RealPlayer)
• Front page of UK newspaper showing protest
• Fathers 4 Justice official website