Press release from F4J UK

June 7, 2005

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 fathers
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 June '05) 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 it's 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, Fathers4Justice