From the Newbury Advertiser 9th October 2004
HOLY DAD’S ARMY!
Hunger striker ‘too weak’ to join campaigners
Group denies exploiting local father
Existing on red wine and soya milk
Women `support pressure group's cause
Continue reading "HOLY DAD’S ARMY! - Hunger striker ‘too weak’ - F4J Fun Day Newbury" »
A few photos from the photo album
On a rather windy day fun and petition signing greeted visitors to Newbury Market Square on Saturday morning, 9th October 2004. Batman and Robin were there waving and greeting children, a stilt walker made balloon animals for them (the children, not Batman and Robin) and a petition for equal parenting was signed by several hundred people. A council official did tell us to remove the F4J banner from a signpost but that was no problem. It was moved somewhere else. The event was organised by the Thames Valley branch of F4J and was a great success and F4J co-ordinator Mike Ellis expects to repeat it again soon.
The full photo album is at Newbury F4J Fun Day
And there’s a video here
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Batman is coming to Newbury on Saturday, 9th October. He is arriving to sign autographs for kids in Newbury's Market Square as part of Fathers4Justice new campaign of public awareness. The Thames Valley branch of F4J are setting up the first of their stalls in order to collect signatures from the public over what they see as a serious social issue, that of fathers prevented from seeing their children and, by a court system which never punishes mothers who consistently break court orders.
The 'Fun Day' as F4J are calling it, is intended to revolve around children and as such, apart from Batman there will be a stilt walker and someone who makes animals out of balloons.
Said Mike Ellis, the Co-ordinator for the Thames Valley branch, "As children are the most important thing in our lives and yet we are either prevented from seeing them or, see them on a very limited basis, we felt that it was important that we theme this stall around children. Many of society's problems today are caused by children not having their father's influence on a regular basis. These stalls are going to be a regular feature in the Thames Valley for the forseeable future."
Newbury Chronicle 22nd Sept. 2004
BBC Online have deigned to report John Brown's hunger strike. Since they report it as "over money" it doesn't count in any way. It doesn't matter if he's destitute. It doesn't matter if a gross injustice has been perpetrated. It doesn't matter how devastated he is. It doesn't matter if he might die. For the BBC it's just a father trying not to pay Child Support...
Newbury Chronicle 15th Sept. 2004
On behalf of the Newbury Fathers-4-Justice member John Brown, who is now in his 8th week of hunger strike and is now at a critical period, local MP David Rendel has taken up the challenge that was put to him by the area's co-ordinator, Mike Ellis, and is to chair a critical meeting this Friday at his offices in Newbury.
Continue reading "Local MP takes up Fathers-4-Justice challenge" »
Mike Ellis, Thames Valley co-ordinator, was interviewed recently by Vicki Nolan of Kick FM. He explains how Fathers 4 Justice is not just for fathers but also other relatives, such as aunts and grandparents, and how the issue goes beyond child custody to include delinquency and drug-taking.
Here's the interview Windows Audio 5min or Real Audio 5min or Right click and download mp3 577Kb
You are welcome to add comments for John, the hunger striker in Newbury, England, who is 6 weeks into a hunger strike. John is aware of the debate about the usefulness of hunger strikes in the father's movement but feels it is his only option so any encouragement and messages of support would be most welcome.
John, now 6 weeks into a hunger strike, continues as the media continues to ignore his story. Looking around Britain's national newspapers you can read about how a porn star exposed her breasts at a dinner, how women university staff are paid less than men and about how Kobe Bryant, a basketball player in the USA, is being sued for damages in spite of no evidence being presented in a rape trial, but not one column inch for John. The one exception is from the local newspaper, the Newbury & Thatcham Chronicle
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