F4J ....DISBANDED

Started by Rob Layton, Jan 18, 2006, 02:17 PM

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Rob Layton

According to chanel 5 news 21:00 Fathers for Justice have disbanded...

Rob Layton

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1518715

Jan 18, 2006 -- By Peter Griffiths

LONDON (Reuters) - British police have foiled a plot to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's five-year-old son Leo, the Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Citing an unnamed security source, the daily tabloid said people on the fringe of a group which campaigns for the rights of divorced fathers had planned to snatch the child and hold him for a short period as a publicity stunt.
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The Fathers 4 Justice campaign group said it had decided to disband due to the report, although it insisted none of its current members had been involved in any kidnap plot.

"Three years after starting the organization, we're going to cease all operations and bring the campaign to a close," group leader Matt O'Connor told Channel Four television.

Fathers 4 Justice has staged several high-profile protests in the past few years. A campaigner dressed as Batman climbed Queen Elizabeth's London residence in 2004 and another threw purple flour bombs at Blair while he addressed parliament.

GROUP PROTESTS ABOUT CHILD ACCESS

The group says British courts unfairly restrict fathers' access to children in custody disputes.

The Sun said Special Branch officers uncovered the plot in its early stages just before Christmas and foiled it.

Both police and Blair's office declined to comment.

However, there were no reports of any arrests, prompting media speculation that if police believed there was such a plot they did not think it had reached an advanced stage.

The Sun gave no details of how the group planned to evade the tight security which surrounds Blair and his family to carry out the kidnapping.

The BBC said police sources had confirmed that they were aware of a possible plot but were not convinced those involved had the ability to carry it out.

Earlier, O'Connor told Reuters his group had expelled about 30 members last year for talking about staging extreme stunts.

"We were aware that there were more extremist elements and we acted within our organization to clean the undesirable element out," said O'Connor, 38.

hurkle

...that hit me like a kick in the gut...

stunned
: How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

Quentin0352

So the bitch at the Sun has gotten her revenge. I guess even daring to chastise her was more than she could handle so she sets up F4J to get even.

Of course their decision over there to give up based on this crap instead of fighting back shows they didn't really have what it takes to do the job! Here in the USA we are just getting started and are STILL going since we are not controlled in any way by them. Heck, their decision to do this made things easier for us!

dr e

Quote
The Fathers 4 Justice campaign group said it had decided to disband due to the report, although it insisted none of its current members had been involved in any kidnap plot.


This doesn't make much sense to me.  Why disband due to something that is untrue?  I know that Matt O'Connor had been thinking about disbanding F4J for some time but this seems very odd.

Maybe this makes more sense:

"The Ladies Auxiliary decided to disband today after hearing that their organization had been falsely accused of abusing newborns at a London Hospital...."

Duh.
Contact dr e  Lifeboats for the ladies and children, icy waters for the men.  Women have rights and men have responsibilties.

Rob Layton

Some People think this is an attempted cover up by the blair government over the Kelly affair..
and was intended as a smoke screan to cover up the scandal of known peodophiles in the school system by the feminist education secretary Ruth Kelly.
Ms Kelly is known to be needed by Mr Blair to get his new reforms on education through parliament.
This story of attempted kidnaping never took place and was a non event.it was leaked to the press probably by a police officer.
O'Connor was advised to ask for an enquiry into this 'alleged' incident.
It is not known if he did ..instead he chose to condemn absent fathers on chanel 4 news.
Sorry for typos it was a rushed post.

hurkle

Check out the F4J website. Matt has a statement up:

http://www.fathers-4-justice.org/

Quote
OFFICIAL STATEMENT - 18th January 2006
Fathers 4 Justice Suspended by Leader - Campaign to close if Necessary

F4J leader Matt O'Connor announced last night that he was suspending the operations of the group pending enquiries into allegations contained on the cover of this mornings Sun Newspaper that 'extremist sympathisers' associated with the group had planned to kidnap the Prime Minister's Son, Leo Blair.

F4J say they condemn any such action unreservedly and that the group is increasingly having it's name 'hijacked' by a growing number of militant extremists and that it would seriously consider the long term viability of the campaign.

The group say that ex members have reportedly been in contact with the Anti-Terrorist Unit SO13 from Scotland Yard who said that activists would be shot on sight if engaged in any protests in Westminster.

Said O'Connor 'After peacefully campaigning for three years to ensure children get to see their fathers, we condemn any individual who planned this appalling outrage which is anathema to our campaign.'

'I have three young boys myself and couldn't think of anything more traumatic for Mr Blair, his family and his son than what is reported in this morning's Sun newspaper, however we should approach the story with caution as it carries very little information in it.'

'If the Police have enough information they should not only release the names of those involved but prosecute them. This kind of coverage unravels all the good work we have done over the last three years, though I despair that the desperation of fathers only reflects the intransigence of the government to address the crisis in family law.'

'If our position is constantly undermined by extremists, we will shut down the Fathers 4 Justice campaign.'

'I will not let this organisation be hijacked by militants and I ask all fathers to respect our commitment to peaceful non violent direct action no matter how aggrieved they feel about their treatment at the family courts.'


So yes, the Sunbitch gets revenge, but at least it is only suspended for now, not disbanded.

Still, that's bad enough.

Of course, as AngryHarry says, this is the logical next step... they're paying STRONG attention to the men's/father's rights movement.
: How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

Lee R.

I think this is a setup.

Someone infiltrates F4J, has a few SMS/IM/Email exchanges in jest or speaking hyperbolically, and then go to SY and leak that there is a plot to kidnap the PM's son.  They then use their own exchanges as proof.  Considering Blair's tendency to bend the truth when it comes to Intelligence, I have profound doubts.

This is what happens when you begin to effect REAL CHANGE, and threaten, truly threaten, the status quo.  Smear campaigns, attempts to shut you down, or ally you with terrorists/nutbars/extremists.

F4j has become very effective and were changing things for the better for men in the UK.  Conveniently, the strongest voice for men in the UK is now temporarily suspended.

I gotta tell ya, I just don't trust the government at all anymore...

Tigerman

So now there is a vacuum - the MODERATE voice has been sucessfully stifled - now given the numbers of disenfranchised dads who feel very strongly about their plight and the outrage at the routine injustices they experience - please tell me 'Ms Establishment' where's the ****ing wisdom in that???

dr e

I agree Lee that it is likely a set-up.  That would make sense.  What doesn't make sense is why the organization would then disband.  That doesn't add up.


Quote from: "Lee R."
I think this is a setup.

Someone infiltrates F4J, has a few SMS/IM/Email exchanges in jest or speaking hyperbolically, and then go to SY and leak that there is a plot to kidnap the PM's son.  They then use their own exchanges as proof.  Considering Blair's tendency to bend the truth when it comes to Intelligence, I have profound doubts.

This is what happens when you begin to effect REAL CHANGE, and threaten, truly threaten, the status quo.  Smear campaigns, attempts to shut you down, or ally you with terrorists/nutbars/extremists.

F4j has become very effective and were changing things for the better for men in the UK.  Conveniently, the strongest voice for men in the UK is now temporarily suspended.

I gotta tell ya, I just don't trust the government at all anymore...
Contact dr e  Lifeboats for the ladies and children, icy waters for the men.  Women have rights and men have responsibilties.

TheManOnTheStreet

I personally dont even think that it was a militant fringe of F4J that was allegedly planning.  I think it was a setup completely.  Someone, somewhere planned this and executed it perfectly.

Al
The Man On The Street is on the street for a reason.......
_________________________________
It's not illegal to be male.....yet.

Rob Layton

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1518715



The Fathers 4 Justice campaign group said it had decided to disband due

to the report, although it insisted none of its current members had

been involved in any kidnap plot.

"Three years after starting the organization, we're going to cease all

operations and bring the campaign to a close," group leader Matt

O'Connor told Channel Four television.

Fathers 4 Justice has staged several high-profile protests in the past

few years. A campaigner dressed as Batman climbed Queen Elizabeth's

London residence in 2004 and another threw purple flour bombs at Blair

while he addressed parliament.

Lee R.

Quote from: "Dr Evil"
I agree Lee that it is likely a set-up.  That would make sense.  What doesn't make sense is why the organization would then disband.  That doesn't add up.


Quote from: "Lee R."
I think this is a setup.

Someone infiltrates F4J, has a few SMS/IM/Email exchanges in jest or speaking hyperbolically, and then go to SY and leak that there is a plot to kidnap the PM's son.  They then use their own exchanges as proof.  Considering Blair's tendency to bend the truth when it comes to Intelligence, I have profound doubts.

This is what happens when you begin to effect REAL CHANGE, and threaten, truly threaten, the status quo.  Smear campaigns, attempts to shut you down, or ally you with terrorists/nutbars/extremists.

F4j has become very effective and were changing things for the better for men in the UK.  Conveniently, the strongest voice for men in the UK is now temporarily suspended.

I gotta tell ya, I just don't trust the government at all anymore...

If the government has some info on F4J or threatened its leaders with harassment, missing children, arrest etc, then it makes sense.  This was done under duress, no doubt.

"Disband or we prosecute you under terrorist statutes as the leader of a terrorist cell."

Buddy-Rey

This move is shocking to me also, but at the same time, it may not be a bad idea in the long run.  After all, it demonstrates to an entire society of skeptical people that F4J does not want terrorists or extremists in their ranks.  The worst thing that could POSSIBLY happen to the fatherhood movement right now would be for the real activists to get lumped together with anti-social basket cases whenever the media mentions them.  People already have a list of negative prejudices about MRA's a mile & a half long.

Just out of curiosity, are the fledgeling U.S. and Canadian branches ceasing all operation too, or just the U.K.?

Quentin0352

I know the US one is going strong though when you think about it the timing is very interesting. Just as the US is starting F4J this suddenly comes out from a paper with an editor known to be abusive towards men. I also know that there are some problems internally in the F4J over there but can't get in to the specifics but it is one reason that the US is separate from them with no real ties to them at all.

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