Lone father paralyzes Sydney in rush hour protest
(AFP) – 2 hours ago
SYDNEY — A lone protester paralyzed rush-hour traffic in Australia’s largest city for hours Friday by scaling the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and forcing the closure of the country’s busiest roadway.
The man, who said he was “ex-military”, evaded extensive security precautions to climb the bridge at dawn and hang two banners in a protest apparently linked to a custody dispute over his children.
The stunt forced the closure of the bridge that links north Sydney with the downtown area for around two hours, causing massive back-ups and leaving thousands of motorists and train and bus commuters stranded. ….
“If I have to stuff four million people around for one morning and that gets my kids and other kids help one day sooner, I have achieved my goal,” he said before rappelling down onto the roadway to be arrested by waiting police.
“Stuffing” four million people around. Goal achieved!
Getting more contact with your kids. Goal not so much achieved as hindered, I’m guessing.
More on the protestor here. He’s apparently a “bikie” – the Australian version of a biker – and “was almost killed during an alleged bikie shootout last year.”
UPDATE: As a result of this, the protester, Michael Fox has, not surprisingly, been ordered to not contact his ex-wife or family members.
And here’s an interesting detail from the coverage:
He left a note in his car, warning police to close the bridge and not to try to bring him down by force. “If anyone attempts to climb the upper arch of the bridge during my protest, the consequences will be fatal. Do what I ask and this will start and end peacefully,” it said. “You’ve taken my kids, I’ve taken your bridge.”
Generally speaking, nonviolent protestors don’t threaten “fatal consequences” for those who try to arrest them.
UPDATE 2: Another odd detail:
He last saw [his kids] almost 70 days ago, soon after a home owned by him was engulfed by fire. His estranged wife and one young daughter were sleeping inside. Both escaped the blaze.
Oh, good lord, he really is the anti-Semitic conspiracy nut his screen name suggests. Can we stop engaging him? Now that he’s obviously lost the argument, he’s just going to start into the “poor me, the evil wimmins have beaten me down again” routine.
There’s this weird lack of self-awareness with this breed of bigot. Like they don’t listen to the words that come out of their own mouths.
“I’m not a misogynist! I’d like women just fine if they weren’t subhuman monsters responsible for all the problems in the world!”
“I’m not an anti-Semite! I just hate the all-powerful secret evil Jewish cabal that runs the planet!”
“I’m not racist! I embrace all varieties of white people!”
What can you even say to this stuff?
Seriously Captain Bathrobe, lets drop the race stuff. Trotsky was a bad man and he was a Jew, I believe the most notorious killer in German prison camps was a Ukrainian, part of my known lineage. I won’t deny it.
Done and done alright. My known lineage is more evil. OK, I’m the bad man with bad lineage. Mine is the worst everyone else is pure.
The funny thing is that I actually agree with equal custody in cases where both parents are decent people who are concerned about the kids.
I (and a lot of feminists) actually agree with NWO in this matter, he’s just so stuffed full of bizarre bigotry that he can’t even see that.
Done and done alright. My known lineage is more evil. OK, I’m the bad man with bad lineage. Mine is the worst everyone else is pure.
No one else has said that or anything that even sounds remotely like that.
“Hey! Stop saying my mom’s an elephant! You assholes!
Okay, fine, my mom is an elephant. Have it your way. My mom is the elephantest ever. Are you happy now?”
That’s seriously what you sound like.
Since i can’t do the fancy quotes yet:
“Done and done alright. My known lineage is more evil. OK, I’m the bad man with bad lineage. Mine is the worst everyone else is pure.”
This has nothing to do with what anyone has said. God damn READ already. No one is saying your race is bad! Quite the opposite. Arg. “Races don’t do evil things. People and political movements do.”
I’m really not sure why I try, but whatever.
Again, NWO, what the fuck are you talking about? When did I even mention race? I only stated that Stalin was probably responsible for far more atrocities than Trotsky. Just because you wish to make it about race doesn’t mean that I do.
Who are you talking to? Because it isn’t me.
Well Holly, since we both agree on equal child custody. Why am I a “Bizarre Bigot” for wanting exactly what you want?
Why am I a default misogynist for wanting what you claim is the exact same thing?
In other news, I am going to go to lunch in seven minutes…any recommendations?
@NWO because you claim unequal custody is the result of some bizarre feminist conspiracy, upheld by all of us. As opposed to the misogynist idea that women are ‘supposed’ to raise the kids. Do try to keep up.
Because you go completely off the rails into insane territory NWOslave. If we agree on something, that is boring to you so you have to make it about something else.
It is okay, I am sure they have treatment for it somewhere.
@PosterformerlyknownasElizabeth Uhhh, Indian. Indian food is delicious. I’m sure NWO will make that out to be racist.
Also, how do you prefer to be addressed? Just your full handle, or is it okay to shorten it somehow?
Beth is an appropriate diminutive of my name.
I am a wimp-Indian food is too spicy for me.
Look Captain Bathrobe and the rest, I refuse to discuss race as I literally have none.
Was Stalin responible for more atrocities? Yes? He was Russian. Was Trotsky responsible for atrocities? Yes. He was Jewish. I will not exempt either of them because of their race. Was the evilest prison guard of all time Ukrainian? Yes. Was my Spanish lineage in charge of multiply atrocities? Yes. I will not exempt any “person” from a past atrocity because of their race.
Now give it a rest.
Okay, Beth it is then. And aww, that’s sad (though, to talk to a few people I know they say it usually isn’t spicy enough compared to ‘real’ indian food >.<) In that case, italian. Usually a good choice
Uh, NWOS, you’d have more credibility saying “I refuse to discuss race” if you didn’t say it in a comment that contains NOTHING other than A DISCUSSION OF RACE.
Are you aware that words mean things? Or are they just random collections of sound to you? Are you a bot?
Equal custody is the best outcome for a divorce all else being equal and consistent with the best interests of the child. Most people who divorce end up with some kind of shared custody, usually without intervention from the courts. Quite often fathers yield custody to mothers without any protest, which is a shame. And, yes, sometimes the family courts make stupid decisions.
I’ve had a fair amount of experience with families who are going through divorce, and the biggest problem, in my experience, is not courts being biased. It’s that the adults involved AREN’T WILLING TO PUT ASIDE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE KIDS–i.e., co-parenting in an amicable manner.
Sometimes, where there is domestic violence, that’s not possible. Other times, it’s because both adults are too damn wrapped up in their own grievances to see the kids and anything more than pawns in the efforts to hurt their ex-spouse. I’ve seen both men and women do this.
So, yeah, it’s not about the rights of the fathers. It’s not about women screwing men out of what’s rightfully theirs. It’s about both parents recognizing what’s best for the children. Until the MRM is willing to acknowledge this, they have nothing to add to the conversation.
@NWO No one on these boards has ever said that being of a race exempts people from atrocities. No one, never. Where does this stuff come from?
Look Captain Bathrobe and the rest, I refuse to discuss race as I literally have none.
Was Stalin responible for more atrocities? Yes? He was Russian. Was Trotsky responsible for atrocities? Yes. He was Jewish. I will not exempt either of them because of their race. Was the evilest prison guard of all time Ukrainian? Yes. Was my Spanish lineage in charge of multiply atrocities? Yes. I will not exempt any “person” from a past atrocity because of their race.
Now give it a rest.
He’s just having a conversation with himself, isn’t he?
Elizabeth, is there any good Sushi where you are at?
Well, folks, as much as I hate to abandon this apparent non-conversation, I have work to do. Maybe I’ll check in this evening to see if NWO has stopped talking to himself.
@Plymouth…My post was in response to…Amused | May 13, 2011 at 10:49 am, Who was playing the victim card. Read her post and find out. As if she, herself suffered these horrible atrosities.
You see I responded to a post, I didn’t initiate it.
Talk to me again about Equal custody when this little problem is solved.
http://childrens-justice.org/myths.htm
Elizabeth, I recommend burritos.
NWO, I recommend a nice walk outside in the sunshine.
NWOSlave – it counts as “discussing” whether you initiated or not. Like I said, words mean things.
@NWO Um, how does what you site have anything to do with what we’re saying? Again, pretty much everyone here is in favor of better equal custody treatments.
Also, a site with absolutely no citations to it’s side of the case isn’t exactly convincing of anything, especially with gems like this “Statistically speaking, fathers don’t abandon their children – they are forced out following divorce by the mothers of those children”. With, you know, no stats to back it up. Especially since you’re saying ‘talk to me about equal custody after we solve the equal custody problem’. Or at least that’s what it looks like.
And what is ‘this little problem’? I suppose if you mean lack of citations that is a problem to be solved, but not by us.