God Save The Queen
Not only does England have universal healthcare, but they also have the coolest weirdos ever. In the past year they’ve had the Spider-Man protester…
A man who spent six days barricaded atop a construction crane in central London dressed as Spider-Man climbed down Wednesday.David Chick had dressed as his daughter’s favorite comic book character to lobby against what he said was a legal system that kept him from seeing the girl.
. . .
Chick, 36, was protesting to highlight the difficulties some separated or divorced fathers have in gaining access to their children. His friends say he has not seen his daughter for eight months.
…the Batman protester…
Holy intruder! A protester dressed in a Batman costume scaled the front wall of Buckingham Palace on Monday and perched for more than five hours on a ledge near the balcony where the royal family appears on ceremonial occasions.
. . .
Two police officers in a cherry-picker crane removed the protester, Jason Hatch, from the ledge at about 7:15 p.m., 5 hours after he climbed up. His Batman mask removed and a white helmet placed on his head, he waved and clapped as the crane lowered him to the ground.Hatch, 33, from Gloucester, is a member of the Fathers 4 Justice group, which is campaigning for greater custody rights for divorced or separated fathers and has staged a number of prominent stunts to promote their cause.
…and now the Santa Claus protester.
A British man dressed as Santa Claus scaled the main gate of Buckingham Palace and chained himself to the top of a pillar Tuesday before police pulled him down, the latest such costumed protest by a group campaigning for more rights for divorced or separated fathers.
. . .
The campaign group Fathers 4 Justice identified the man as David Pyke, who has demonstrated before at the palace. In September, dressed as Batman’s sidekick Robin, he accompanied fellow protester Jason Hatch to the royal residence. Hatch, who was dressed as Batman, climbed onto a palace balcony, where he remained for several hours, but Pyke was not as successful and was quickly removed.
So, what’s the deal here? Are the divorce laws in England really that draconian or is there just a surplus of crazy divorced dads over there?
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No, the divorce laws are not draconian. The English are just more sexist than Americans and these men are bitter that their ex-wives won’t capitulate to all their demands. Mostly, they don’t want to pay child support.
Comment by Amanda — November 23, 2004 @ 1:04 pm
It’s been hard to figure out because I’ve been trying to avoid baised websites, but what it sounds like is this: In 1989 Parliament pass The Children’s Act, which is actually pretty straightforward and seems to be trying, in part, to undo a law that stated that the father was the automatically the natural legal guardian of the child. In fact, the law seems focused on having the state serve the best interests of the child. In 2000, however, Lord Justice Thorpe made what might be interpreted as a sexist ruling interpreting the law to give preference to mothers in the care and upbringing of children. The thing is I don’t know whether it’s possible to actually calculate how much if any effect that ruling actually has had on fathers’ legal standing in British Courts.
Interestingly the law grants “parental responsibility” to both parents if the child is born in wedlock. Out of wedlock, though, parental responsibility defaults to the mother. I should mention though that it appears British law grants a wide definition to marriage, accepting commonlaw marriages.
Comment by E-Rock — November 23, 2004 @ 2:48 pm
I should add that this “movement” seems like so many others in that initially the injured parties are few and vocal, then there are many who have reason to suspect they’ve been aggrieved because of those few’s protests, and finally there are the plenty who just want to take advantage of the movement.
Comment by E-Rock — November 23, 2004 @ 3:58 pm
Check out Trish Wilson’s blog for lots about Fathers for Justice and the whole ‘fathers rights’ fandango. I don’t think it’s objectively more of an issue over here where I am than in the states, but that it just so happens that this group is a bit more active and its hardcore are effective in getting publicity.
Comment by Alex Fradera — November 24, 2004 @ 8:50 am
I was wanting to find sites that addressed the issue and not the movement, if that makes sense. (similar to addressing environmentalism and not the creeps who were blowing up SUVs a couple years back). Her site is a good jumping off point, though.
Comment by E-Rock — November 24, 2004 @ 11:21 am