Fathers’ group clashes with police in London demo

PRESSURE group Fathers 4 Justice clashed angrily with police yesterday as one of its notorious activists was arrested before its demonstration even began.

Ron Davis, 48, one of two men involved in last month's flour bomb protests, was arrested for breaching his bail conditions.

The father-of-two faces trial for threatening and abusive behaviour and has been banned from entering the City of Westminster after disrupting Prime Minister's Questions.

But he arrived at yesterday's Fathers' Day march in a bus which passed into the Westminster area.

Glen Poole, a spokesman for the group, said the police had deliberately rerouted the bus away from the Camden side of Lincoln's Inn Field in central London to the Westminster half.

Mr Poole said the police took Mr Davis to a sign in the square and pointed to the Westminster post code.

He said: "They have arrested him for breach of bail conditions a situation they appear to have manipulated."

As Mr Davis was bundled into a police van, other protesters jostled with police and sat down in the street, blocking the road.

Police physically lifted the protesters off the road before being able to drive off.

As Mr Davis sat in the van, he smiled and waved at photographers, looking on at the chaos caused by his arrest.

Most of the protesters were dressed in purple the international colour of equality while others donned superhero suits including Batman and Spiderman.

Matt O'Connor, founder of Fathers 4 Justice, spoke to the demonstrators, urging calm. He said: "I am very sad to tell you that the very brave Ron Davis has been arrested by the police this morning.

"There will be a time and there will be a place where justice will be done and justice will be seen to be done," he said.

But he asked the crowd of several hundred to co-operate with police "for the moment" in order that the main march to Downing Street could get under way.

They then marched to Downing Street where the group's Blueprint for Family Law was to be presented to the Government.

As the procession passed the Family Division of the High Courts of Justice, protesters stopped and jeered, blowing their whistles and chanting.

Kate Baker, a 41-year-old computer consultant from Worthing, said she was on the march to support her partner Wolf, who has not seen his two daughters for two years and never met his own son.

Wolf, a blues singer from Cornwall, said he feared today's protest would not change things.