Fathers 4 Justice had a stated aim when they started: to challenge alleged bias against fathers in the Family Court. Numerous articles and studies have exposed this allaged bias as a "myth". As many parents, mothers and fathers, will know, the Family Court has it's faults, but very, very rarely, and usually with extremely good reasons, stops contact with a parent.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/28/comment.fathers.justice
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/11/family-justice-review-norgrove-report
F4J got a lot of press attention but failed in their stated aim. Most of the press generated was negative, especially when it F4J members as being very unsavoury characters.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fathers_4_Justice
F4J leader, Matt O'Connor, has been described as hungry for any kind of publicity by journalists.
www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/matt-oconnor-the-man-behind-fathers4justice-406610.html
His most recent publicity stunts related to F4J was to embark on a hunger strike. The hunger strike ended after about a week and was almost completely ignored by the press. O'Connor embarked on a series of publicity stunts before this to promote his new business, The Icecreamists.
www.taylorherring.com/case-studies/breast-milk-ice-cream/
During debates on child contact orders from the Family Court, O?Connor often obfuscates, talking about the riots of Summer 2011 as the result of ?Fatherless Britain? and claiming that 200 children a day lose contact with their father. He does not explain what the Family Court had to do with this, how many of fathers are prevented from seeing their children by the Family Court or what Fathers 4 Justice is doing about it. Instead, he accuses journalists and others of promoting an ?ideology of hate? (without explaining what that ideology is).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsy94vJoHI&feature=player_embedded
Nadine O'Connor is Matt's wife. Their latest ad campaign seems designed to get as much press attention as possible. It has got very little press attention and seems to have no aim beyond getting some. They claim they want to end "gender hatred against men and boys" yet their evidence of this emanating from Mumsnet amounts to some posters on some forums.
Interestingly, about a year ago, Matt O'Connor's Icecreamist business PR didn't seem to think that Mumsnet were in the business of promoting gender hatred when they placed an ad on the website last year:
"We placed a £50 advert on the newsworthy social networking site Mumsnet to reach out to potential suppliers ? within 24 hours, 15 mums had come forward to offer their services."
www.taylorherring.com/case-studies/breast-milk-ice-cream/
This is what O'Connor had to say when challenged about the appalling behaviour of some F4J members:
"We went to such extraordinary lengths to try to vet people. On our membership form it said: 'Please tick if there are any allegations against you.'" Michael [another F4J member] says: "None of the dads started off mad. They became mad though not seeing their children." Matt says he did all he could to contain it. "I'd be up at 3am on the phone to the police, telling them about a member who was planning to firebomb somewhere."
A rather bizarre about face. Mr O'Connor, who has described how he has had to prevent some of his members "planning to firebomb somewhere", now takes umbrage with some contributors to a forum making some offensive remarks.
I think that this sums up just what motivates F4J:
Fathers 4 Justice - The Official Campaign Organisation
11,130 likes · 1,434 talking about this.
Non-profit organisation
Fathers 4 Justice ® - The Official Campaign Organisation
Media Line: 07879 450315 (This is not a helpline)
www.fathers-4-justice.org/
father4justice.wordpress.com/
Note, there is no mention of a helpline number but there most certainly is a Media line.
This whole sorry escapade from the O'Connors and F4J should be viewed for what it is: an attentions seeking act from publicity hungry people.
Justine and Mumsnet should ignore them - M & S certainly will. They is a world of difference between an extremist, attention seeking microgroup like F4J and a large, self-help community like Mumsnet.