“When one man says ‘No’, all Rome begins to tremble.”–Spartacus, gladiator and leader of the largest slave rebellion in ancient history
Los Angeles, CA–Jolly Stanesby, a divorced father of one, has carried out numerous daring, creative protests.
He handcuffed himself to the English anti-father “Children’s” Minister Margaret Hodge at a family law conference in Salford in November, 2004.
He spent seven days on Tamar Bridge in Plymouth, England in January, 2004, refusing to come down from his freezing perch despite being told “you could die up there,” and then enraging British police by cleverly eluding capture.
Stanesby is a registered child care provider and is thus allowed to care for any child in England except his own, who he is barred from calling and is allowed to see only four days a month. Stanesby became a registered child minder in the hope he could spend more time with his five year-old daughter.
In 2006 he helped take over the live National Lottery TV show, and in 2007 made headlines by climbing Stonehenge dressed as Fred Flintstone with a banner demanding that family law be taken “out of the Stone Age.”
Last week Stanesby was jailed for his role in a rooftop protest at the home of Deputy Prime Minister Harriett Harman. (He is pictured above right while on the roof). According to one press report:
Fathers 4 Justice activist Jolly Stanesby was today jailed for two months…fellow protestor Mark Harris, of Elford Crescent in Plympton, was given a conditional discharge.
Members of the group, which had disbanded in September of this year, said they would be staging further protests on the Minister’s roof and at the Prime Minister’s home in Kirkaldy & Cowdenbeath within the week to protest at what they described as a ‘politically conceived show trial.’
Spokesman Mark Harris said: “I am shocked that Mr. Stanesby has been imprisoned and know that fellow campaigners will be taking his place on Miss Harman’s roof within days if not hours. The court has made a serious error in committing him to prison and in doing so incited angry dads to take further direct action.”
The pair climbed on to the roof of a house in Herne Hill on June 9 this year and unfurled a banner reading ‘A father is for life, not just conception”
I’ve previously expressed my tactical disagreement with protesting at the houses of judges or court officials, but regardless I salute Stanesby for his courage and dedication. There are many articles about him in Google News–click here to see them.
English fatherhood activists are organizing a campaign to “FREE JOLLY.” Leave a message of support for Jolly by clicking here.
Jolly’s email address is:
freejollystanesby@yahoo.co.uk.
Jolly Stanesby is now in the 19th century HMP Wormwood Scrubs prison (pictured). His Prison number is WR8198. Messages can be sent to Jolly on a postcard to the address below:
WR8198
HMP Wormwood Scrubs
P.O. Box 757
Du Cane Road
London, England
W12 OAE
Please address all mail using the above number. The prison’s hpone # is Tel: 020 8588 3200