Subscribe to our daily newsletter! Sign Up. Why I declare an interest. I have an interest to declare. And it is this. I lost. The system crushed me as it does so many others. By Andy Richardson Feature Writer andyrichardson1 Feature writer and food critic Andy Richardson interviews celebrities, writes columns and hangs out with chefs for stories that appear across all group titles. Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article. Cleobury Mortimer Just now.
North Shropshire Just now. Shrewsbury 16 hours ago. Shrewsbury 17 hours ago. North Shropshire 17 hours ago. Bridgnorth 19 hours ago. Shrewsbury 21 hours ago. More from the Shropshire Star. Peter Rhodes Nov 11, Peter Rhodes Nov 10, It included stunts such as the scaling of Buckingham Palace, the hijacking of a National Lottery draw and throwing purple powder into the House of Commons. But the group believes it has kept the issue of paternity rights in the public eye and that, on balance, this has been more effective than negotiations with the political and legal establishment.
Experts, however, argue that access rights for separated fathers have improved hugely in the last decade, with one major change being the introduction of new shared parenting laws introduced last November. Under the legislation, which came into force this year, judges will determine the appropriate time and arrangements, if this cannot be agreed during mediation sessions between estranged parents.
Peter Jones, a leading divorce and family lawyer, fears that this is going to have a huge effect on the drive for direct action protest.
This was followed by a protest on the roof of the Royal Courts of Justice. In October, after meetings between Fathers4Justice, Bob Geldof and government minister Lord Filkin failed to make any progress, the group responded by staging a protest on a crane over Tower Bridge involving a dad dressed as Spiderman.
It was later revealed during the trial of protestor Dave Chick, that the road closures were a deliberate tactic by Police to try and force the protestor down. The groups iconic protests garnered worldwide publicity for a cause shrouded in secrecy by the courts and ignored by the political and religious elite. Protests began in with a superhero demonstration on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol and co-ordinated protests on major arterial roads around London. In July, protestors dressed as priests stormed York Minster during a service in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the General Synod.
In September, Batman protestor Jason Hatch staged one of the groups biggest protests on the royal balcony at Buckingham Palace. By now, the campaign for truth, justice and equality in family law had captured the public imagination, catapulting the issues surrounding family law to the top of the political agenda, and inspiring thousands of disenfranchised parents and grandparents alike to campaign for equal parenting rights.
Given the attention the campaign received and the groups defiance of the judiciary and government, it was unsurprising that Fathers4Justice quickly became embroiled in controversy. Matt became the subject of press and police intrusion following the protests. He was put under police surveillance as infiltrators subverted the group, causing conflict and disagreement between supporters. Matt later credited Nadine with saving his life. That same year, his efforts as a campaigner were recognised in the media.
Later that year, he sold the motion picture rights to his life story to the Disney-owned Miramax Pictures. It transpired the story was a fabricated smear, requiring the involvement of Scotland Yard, the Blairs, and notorious editor of The Sun, Rebecca Brooks. In an increasingly murky world where the authorities were subverting the organisation, Matt temporarily disbanded the campaign, and in doing so, secured even more front-page coverage for F4J.
The media, assuming the campaign had finished, lamented the loss of Fathers4Justice. But the suspension of the campaign was a tactical retreat, giving F4J breathing space away from the glare of publicity.
The production of the book was not without incident. The story, which Matt said was in the public interest and had been kept secret from the public since , illustrated how the Leo Blair kidnap story had been manufactured.
Despite his protests, Matt was forced to remove the section from the book after bowing to pressure from the publishers. Join our global campaign to give fathers equal rights to see their children after separation.
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