Tower Bridge Protest
On October 31, 2003, David Chick, dressed as Spider-Man, climbed a crane near Tower Bridge in London to add his voice to the Fathers 4 Justice campaign for fathers' rights. He ended up staying at the top of the 100 feet crane for six days. The stunt resulted in unprecedented press coverage for the group and its campaign.
The police cleared the area and the disruption to the city's traffic was enormous, resulting in the suspension of the London congestion charge for a while. Chick finally climbed down from the crane of his own accord.
Chick is not formally a member of F4J, but his protests were closely identified with it in the media. F4J denied planning the action, although it did later approve it. A representative arrived at the scene, where a crowd built up, and the ensuing press and media coverage was considerable.
Traffic was prevented from crossing the bridge from the morning of the 31 October until November 4. Chick remained on the crane until the following evening. Upon descending, he was immediately arrested for causing a public nuisance.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone condemned Chick's action as being irresponsible, for the disruption it caused in the capital. Livingstone said that Chick was "amply demonstrating why some men should not have access to their own children."
When Chick went before the Southwark Crown Court in May 2004, he was cleared of all charges. It emerged that Chick had repeatedly stressed during the stunt that the road closures effected by police, which cost £5m per day in lost business and caused ten-mile tailbacks, were unnecessary as he was of sound mind and there was no danger of him falling from the 100-feet tall crane. A senior police officer at the scene noted in a log "Climber does not like road closures so should be used as bargaining tool" and kept the road closed to shorten the protest.
Read more about this topic: Fathers 4 Justice Protests
Famous quotes containing the words tower bridge, tower, bridge and/or protest:
“Culture is a sham if it is only a sort of Gothic front put on an iron building—like Tower Bridge—or a classical front put on a steel frame—like the Daily Telegraph building in Fleet Street. Culture, if it is to be a real thing and a holy thing, must be the product of what we actually do for a living—not something added, like sugar on a pill.”
—Eric Gill (1882–1940)
“Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.”
—Bible: Hebrew Song of Solomon, 7:4.
“A circle swoop, and a quick parabola under the bridge arches
Where light pushes through;
A sudden turning upon itself of a thing in the air.
A dip to the water.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“As a Tax-Paying Citizen of the United States I am entitled to a voice in Governmental affairs.... Having paid this unlawful Tax under written Protest for forty years, I am entitled to receive from the Treasury of “Uncle Sam” the full amount of both Principal and Interest.”
—Susan Pecker Fowler (1823–1911)