Batman & Robin are staging protest at the Council Offices on College Green in Bristol - NOV 30 2004Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Batman & Robin are staging protest at the Council Offices on College Green
Batman & Robin are staging protest at the Council Offices on College Green in Bristol - NOV 30 2004
Dads' plan for festive chaos
Bristol: The group was set to campaign on College Green this afternoon and deliver Christmas cards to city solicitors.
Jeff Skinner, Bristol coordinator, said: "We'll be telling solicitors that it's time to put the father back into Christmas." Yesterday a woman and three men appeared before magistrates following the five-hour protest in which four people dressed as Santa Claus scaled a gantry over the Second Severn Crossing.
The M4 was closed in both directions
All four elected crown court trial and were granted bail.
Jeff Skinner, Bristol coordinator, said: "We'll be telling solicitors that it's time to put the father back into Christmas." Yesterday a woman and three men appeared before magistrates following the five-hour protest in which four people dressed as Santa Claus scaled a gantry over the Second Severn Crossing.
The M4 was closed in both directions
All four elected crown court trial and were granted bail.
F4J dads consider motorway disruption
Protesters from Fathers 4 Justice could disrupt traffic on the M4 and M5 as part of a nationwide civil disruption campaign this Christmas. The plan is one of those under consideration when F4J co-ordinators from across the UK meet in Shropshire this weekend to finalise plans for their campaign
Negotiations with Scotland Yard over an official Christmas demonstration have broken down.
The national F4J leadership says action could involve hundreds of members dressed as Father Christmas in "Santa sit-in" protests on the M25, M1, M6 and on the Dartford Crossing on December 18, the Saturday before Christmas.
Members of the Bristol branch of the group could also take part in a demonstration on the M4 and M5 if the day of action were to go ahead.
F4J said the protests would be the largest act of civil disobedience ever undertaken at Christmas to highlight the plight of dads denied access to their kids.
Jeff Skinner, Bristol F4J co-ordinator, said: "A representative from the Bristol group will be going to the meeting this weekend to discuss plans. We did talk about the possibility of demonstrating on the M4 and M5. But at the moment we're not sure if this will take place.
"We feel Tony Blair needs to listen not only to us but to the thousands of ordinary people who have agreed that a change in family law is needed." F4J founder Matt O'Connor said: "The meeting this weekend will involve planning of our next high-profile demonstration. They will, if successful, overshadow anything we have done before.
"It will have mums and dads across the country discussing one thing over their turkey and sprouts - Fathers 4 Justice and the children denied access to their dads this Christmas.
"Regrettably we have been unable to reach an agreement with the Met Police with regard to our main demonstration on December 18, so have pressed ahead with our own plans regardless of the consequences."
Negotiations with Scotland Yard over an official Christmas demonstration have broken down.
The national F4J leadership says action could involve hundreds of members dressed as Father Christmas in "Santa sit-in" protests on the M25, M1, M6 and on the Dartford Crossing on December 18, the Saturday before Christmas.
Members of the Bristol branch of the group could also take part in a demonstration on the M4 and M5 if the day of action were to go ahead.
F4J said the protests would be the largest act of civil disobedience ever undertaken at Christmas to highlight the plight of dads denied access to their kids.
Jeff Skinner, Bristol F4J co-ordinator, said: "A representative from the Bristol group will be going to the meeting this weekend to discuss plans. We did talk about the possibility of demonstrating on the M4 and M5. But at the moment we're not sure if this will take place.
"We feel Tony Blair needs to listen not only to us but to the thousands of ordinary people who have agreed that a change in family law is needed." F4J founder Matt O'Connor said: "The meeting this weekend will involve planning of our next high-profile demonstration. They will, if successful, overshadow anything we have done before.
"It will have mums and dads across the country discussing one thing over their turkey and sprouts - Fathers 4 Justice and the children denied access to their dads this Christmas.
"Regrettably we have been unable to reach an agreement with the Met Police with regard to our main demonstration on December 18, so have pressed ahead with our own plans regardless of the consequences."
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Bristol members of the campaigning group Fathers 4 Justice dressed up in Father Christmas costumes and joined a march in London today. About 70 local members travelled from Bristol on a double- decker bus this morning to take part in a demonstration to highlight the plight of fathers who are denied access to their children. They joined hundreds of other F4J members from around the UK who also travelled to London to march and sing carols.
The organisation is notorious for its outrageous stunts to grab media attention - including scaling the walls of Buckingham Palace and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Bristol F4J co-ordinator Jeff Skinner said: "Today is all about a peaceful demonstration.
"We are not pulling our normal high-profile stunts."
The organisation is notorious for its outrageous stunts to grab media attention - including scaling the walls of Buckingham Palace and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Bristol F4J co-ordinator Jeff Skinner said: "Today is all about a peaceful demonstration.
"We are not pulling our normal high-profile stunts."
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Family's :500 for battling fathers
The family of a Bristol Fathers 4 Justice (F4J) member has given £500 to the campaign. Andy Stokes's relatives, who live in Canada, decided to donate the money as a show of support to the group.
They said they wanted the money to be put towards the court costs faced by the F4J suspension bridge protest superheroes.
Andy, aged 40, from Bradley Stoke, has not seen his two children for the last four years. They are now living in Spain with their mother and her new husband.
Andy's sister Susan Dunning, 47, spoke to the Evening Post from her home in Victoria, British Columbia, about why the family decided to hand over the money.
She said: "We wanted to do this in support of what Fathers 4 Justice are fighting for but also in memory of our mother who died in September.
"She supported the cause wholeheartedly as she was also unable to see her grandchildren.
"As a family we suffered through lack of contact with Andy's children but our suffering is, of course, nothing in comparison to Andy's.
"Our suffering is also unfortunately matched many thousands of times by the other fathers and family members who have had their children removed from their lives.
"It is only through the actions of F4J that change will come and the abusive family law system of the UK will be consigned into history.
"People may have different views about the F4J campaign, but if they didn't do what they do no one would have taken any notice.
"Recent history has shown that civil disobedience is ultimately what brings about change where injustice exists.
"When we heard about the demonstration on the Clifton Suspension Bridge we decided that we must do something to assist F4J keep up the fight." Mr Stokes, a project manager who works for a timber construction company in Melksham, said: "It's great that my family have chosen to do this but it's also because this issue has had a great effect on them too.
The £500 cheque was presented to the Bristol F4J group at a meeting in Downend.
Jeff Skinner, coordinator of the Bristol group, said: "We were absolutely over the moon to receive this generous donation. It shows that the campaign is being listened to by more and more people and most importantly that it's going international. I hope this means we can begin to work as a global community to fight the injustice felt by millions of people around the world."
They said they wanted the money to be put towards the court costs faced by the F4J suspension bridge protest superheroes.
Andy, aged 40, from Bradley Stoke, has not seen his two children for the last four years. They are now living in Spain with their mother and her new husband.
Andy's sister Susan Dunning, 47, spoke to the Evening Post from her home in Victoria, British Columbia, about why the family decided to hand over the money.
She said: "We wanted to do this in support of what Fathers 4 Justice are fighting for but also in memory of our mother who died in September.
"She supported the cause wholeheartedly as she was also unable to see her grandchildren.
"As a family we suffered through lack of contact with Andy's children but our suffering is, of course, nothing in comparison to Andy's.
"Our suffering is also unfortunately matched many thousands of times by the other fathers and family members who have had their children removed from their lives.
"It is only through the actions of F4J that change will come and the abusive family law system of the UK will be consigned into history.
"People may have different views about the F4J campaign, but if they didn't do what they do no one would have taken any notice.
"Recent history has shown that civil disobedience is ultimately what brings about change where injustice exists.
"When we heard about the demonstration on the Clifton Suspension Bridge we decided that we must do something to assist F4J keep up the fight." Mr Stokes, a project manager who works for a timber construction company in Melksham, said: "It's great that my family have chosen to do this but it's also because this issue has had a great effect on them too.
The £500 cheque was presented to the Bristol F4J group at a meeting in Downend.
Jeff Skinner, coordinator of the Bristol group, said: "We were absolutely over the moon to receive this generous donation. It shows that the campaign is being listened to by more and more people and most importantly that it's going international. I hope this means we can begin to work as a global community to fight the injustice felt by millions of people around the world."
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