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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ...

May 6, 2005 permalink

The two pretexts for family courts to break up families are child protection and divorce. The latter affects a larger number of children. Fathers-4-Justice in the United Kingdom has engaged in a series of high-profile stunts over the last two years that have placed family law on the political agenda.

Now a similar campaign in under way in Canada. On December 1, 2004 two F4J members dressed as Batman and Wonderwoman climbed the facade of the University Club in Toronto, where the Family Law Bar was gathering for its annual Christmas Meeting. The demonstrators were arrested and charged.

Today the pair appeared in court in Old City Hall in Toronto. To draw attention to the occasion, a demonstrator dressed as Superman climbed scaffolding near the courtroom. Other events by F4J Canada occurred the same day in Montreal and Yellowknife. Following is one of the many news stories on the incident.

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Friday, May6, 2005

Look Up In The Sky...

Many young children consider their fathers to be superheroes and on Friday some dads displayed their alter egos at old City Hall.

Brad Mastin as Superman
Superman

People strolling along Queen Street may have spotted Superman perched in scaffolding outside the courthouses - Batman and Wonder Woman were also close by. The caped crusaders from the organization Fathers 4 Justice staged a protest to fight for the rights of divorced dads and demanded changes to the judicial system so they can have equal access to their children.

Brad Mastin, who has one son, was dressed as the Man of Steel and gave a voice to some of the frustrations fathers across the country are feeling.

"We're good enough to be a father 365 days a year, but as soon as we split up with our ex-spouses we don't get to see our kids anymore," he said. "In the beginning I got to see my child for five years and now it's been three years, over three years that I've seen my son."

Distressed dads in Britain have organized similar protests. In 2004 one father, dressed as Batman, dodged tight security and made his way up to a balcony at Buckingham Palace to make his opinion known.

Mastin climbed the scaffolding and hung a sign that read "Fighting for your right to see your kids." Police eventually talked the man down from the platform.

"It's parental alienation," Mastin explained. "It happens all over the country, all over the world, and we just want to see our sons and daughters and be part of their lives."

Source: pulse24 news website

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