Man stops city

An Australian man, Michael Fox, forced the closure of Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday, after abseiling down the bridge and unfurling banners. He was protesting about being denied access to his three children.

He has successfully brought the issue of father's rights to public attention. He told a Sydney radio station:

I've asked for help so many times - no one wants to help the blokes. The chicks get in first and start throwing stones, the blokes don't stand a chance.

Michael Fox believes that his children are at risk of harm living with their mother, though there are no details about what he believes the threat to be. It's also not clear yet why the courts have prevented him having access to his children. He was involved in a bikie shootout some years ago and a house he owns burnt down around the time he was denied access. He himself has hinted that the issue is one of parental alienation syndrome, meaning that his children have been turned against him by their mother. It's difficult right now to have a definite opinion on the rights and wrongs of his particular custody battle.

But his daring act has won attention not only to his own case, but to the issue of court bias in general. We'll see have to see how this develops.