Protesters bring fathers' fight to Scotland

Campaigners with Fathers 4 Justice, which is demanding better access to children for divorced fathers, said 12 protesters had scaled bridges and gantries across the UK, bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol was closed to traffic after members of the pressure group climbed the structure to draw attention to the issue of child custody.

Four men dressed as Spiderman, Superman, Batman and Robin unveiled banners and were joined by more than 20 fathers from 5:30am yesterday.

Matt O’Connor, a spokesman for the group, said his members were prepared to go to jail because the current laws were destroying the sacred bond between parent and child.

Speaking at a press conference in London, he said: "Fatherhood is under attack in a way inconceivable 30 years ago. These injustices have to end and end now."

Other protesters climbed bridges and gantries on the A13, A2, M4 and A40 in London, and the police were dealing with a number of demonstrations across the capital.

Fathers 4 Justice named Jolly Stanesby, 35, a registered childminder from Ivybridge, Devon, as the man on the gantry over the Blackwall Tunnel in London.

His action came only days after he was involved in a similar stunt over the Tamar Bridge near Plymouth. In Newcastle, traffic on the Tyne Bridge was affected by a further protest as part of the campaign of civil disobedience.

A spokesman for the group said it was only a matter of time before Scotland was targeted in the same way.

He said: "Our group is focused on England and Wales, although we are looking to develop our groups in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

"We have hundreds of members in Scotland. This will evolve in time. We would hope our campaign would spread to Scotland and mirror the activities elsewhere in the UK. We will follow the same course, which is non-violent action."

The protesters are among a growing number of fathers who feel the odds are stacked against them in custody battles. They complain that courtrooms up and down the country hear from judges and sheriffs that a child is best placed with its mother.

Last year, on Father's Day, thousands of men all over the world marched through the streets in protest at what they see as sexism and inequality in the courts.

The public protests are the manifestation of a growing anger among divorced or separated fathers who feel excluded from their children's lives. Some have not seen their offspring for many years, while others claim rare visits mean that the special bond is broken and their child becomes a stranger.

Frustrated by the legal system, some have threatened to take more militant action to get their message across, following the lead of vigilante groups which have sprung up across the United States.

An insider at Fathers 4 Justice said he expected a similar escalation of violence in Britain, and fathers may resort to physical attacks on the judiciary.

"This is a ticking time-bomb. I'm surprised that nothing violent has happened already.

"If you were walking down the street and someone forcibly removed your child, you would use any means, including violence, to stop them. I would be very surprised if violence isn't used."

The group claims it will have as many as 10,000 members by next May, and more than 50 fathers are ready to volunteer to climb a crane, scale buildings, invade courtrooms or block major roads.

In the UK, protesters have demonstrated outside the Lord Chancellor's office and the Royal Courts of Justice, daubing its doors with purple paint, which is said to symbolise equality. In December, five fathers dressed in Santa outfits brought Liverpool city centre to a standstill as they protested at being denied access to their children, forcing police to close a six-lane road as they climbed on top of a covered walkway.

The campaign gained publicity in November when David Chick - dressed as Spiderman - brought London traffic to a halt and closed roads by occupying a crane 100ft above Tower Bridge for six days. The man was protesting about access to his daughter.