Statement by founder of
F4J
Dear
All,
THE
PAST
For the last 6
months F4J Head Office has not been running a
campaign.
Instead we have been engaged in a senseless running
battle with errant co-ordinators and members who have increasingly
displayed flagrant disregard for the rules, regulations and
agreements they signed up to and the authority of the
organisation.
Theft and deception at branch level has become
endemic, violence has been visited by member on member, anarchy and
mob rule has replaced order, self destruction has replaced
construction, disrespect has replaced respect for our aims,
objectives, methods and strategy.
We have been consumed by a
culture of poison and malice where gossip and half truths are
peddled as fact and where infiltrators and agitators operate with
impunity and without challenge.
Worse there are those who
promote the patronising deceit that they only seek to relieve our
burden and help F4J whilst at the same time ripping up the
agreements they signed and were bound by and then conspiring to work
against us by failing to attend meetings they agreed to attend,
issuing demands, failing to supply information when asked and
betraying confidences and loyalties.
The inevitable
conclusion of this unedifying, embarrassing and increasingly
dysfunctional spectacle must thrill and delight the enemies we
sought to defeat. The disaffected instead of maintaining some kind
of dignity in retreat email hundreds of members causing loss of
faith and confidence and leave open festering wounds in the entire
fathers movement where the tabloids and authorities, who also seek
to bring us down, can feed.
One can only conclude that the
motivation of such individuals is not to bring down family law, but
the only vehicle that could have made the difference. Hell bent on
revenge, a minority have demonstrated ably why the fathers
movement has not changed in 30 years and why it will be plunged
headlong into another 30 years in the wilderness if they are allowed
to succeed.
This is not what we started, what we want, or
what we want to be part of. It is a travesty and perversion of our
original vision. It is a tragic day for our children when those
entrusted with fighting injustice have made fighting each other a
twisted obsession that would threaten the entire father’s movement
if allowed to go unchallenged.
For many fathers they have
already become casualties, the tragic truth being that they were
defeated not by the government or law they sought to change but by
the very people they sought to help.
THE
PRESENT
As from today (Monday 6th) Fathers 4 Justice Ltd will
suspend all existing UK operations and plans. The infrastructure is
to be dismantled and restructured and all co-ordinator agreements
(which are still valid and haven't expired) will be
revoked.
All memberships and membership services will remain
and Fathers 4 Justice Ltd will continue as a members group and a not
for profit limited company which owns all UK trademarks.
The
demonstration on 17th June has been cancelled on the advice of
Police for Public Order reasons. We cannot afford, nor are we
prepared to risk, damaging our reputation through the behaviour of a
minority of individuals and will always put the protection of F4J
and it's members first.
THE FUTURE
Fathers 4
Justice will re launch in a new format later in the year when the
climate and attitudes are compatible with our original strategy and
when a new, invigorated, dynamic and radical agenda can be pursued
in the mould we intended, not one that others sought to
impose.
A new team will be hand picked and assembled during
the summer months. Induction courses will be introduced and a team
of activists recruited for a radical, innovative new campaign. The
new team will be sent on a 2 day training course in the South West
later this summer.
Those that would like to be considered for
a position on this team should
email office@fathers-4-justice.org with their full CV and be available to attend F4J HO during
the summer for a 1 day induction course and the 2 day training
course. Travel expenses will be covered. All applications must be
received by Friday 17th June 2005.
F4J will also launch a
flurry of new initiatives alongside the campaign launch this autumn.
Our work with Sir Bob Geldof will continue and negotiations with
Cafcass will conclude within the next few weeks either way subject
to their public statement of intent. If the outcome is positive we
will present to the board mid July and leaflets will be displayed by
every Cafcass office in the country.
Our aim is to not only
raise our game, but to march forward with a renewed sense of
determination and ambition, clear in our objectives and strategy and
the guts necessary to see this thing through to its conclusion.
To the friends and colleagues that have sacrificed so much
in the last two and a half years, we salute them for their courage
and indefatigability and we hope that they will continue to join us
on our battle to fight family law
injustice.
Matt
O'Connor
Founder, Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice split
by infighting
By Sam Coates
FATHERS 4 JUSTICE has imploded
amid bitter infighting and an attempt to oust the leader, two of the
organisations best-known figures have said. Jason Hatch and David
Pyke, who scaled the gates of Buckingham Palace last September
dressed as Batman and Robin, said that the father’s rights campaign
had "fallen apart at the seams" four months ago.
Several
members are now considering setting up a breakaway
organisation.
Both activists were expelled from the group
last week over accusations that they duped a pensioner out of
£500. Both deny the allegation, claiming that they were kicked out
for questioning the state of the organisations finances. The pair
said that 40 members of the group had attended an emergency meeting
last weekend in Bromsgrove, West Midlands, to discuss its future,
and that they had carried a motion of no confidence in Matt OConnor,
the head of Fathers 4 Justice. Gary Birch, speaking on Mr O’Connor
behalf, dismissed suggestions that there were any internal problems
with the organisation. "Matt O’Connor is still very much the head
of this organisation", he said.
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