LONDON, Sept 13: A campaigner dressed as Batman, from the fathers' rights group that pelted Prime Minister Tony Blair with flour-filled condoms, staged a dramatic protest on a Buckingham Palace balcony on Monday.
Police, faced with their second major security breach in four months, tried in vain to talk down the protester from Queen Elizabeth's London residence. He unveiled a banner saying: "Super Dads of Fathers 4 Justice fighting for your right to see your kids." The group believes Britain's courts are biased against fathers in divorce cases.
"There is a protester on the balcony," a palace spokeswoman said. "It is a matter for the police." There was no immediate police comment. The royal family is currently away on holiday in Scotland.
A spokesman for Fathers 4 Justice named the protester as Jason Hatch. He repeatedly punched the air in triumph, grinning and waving to growing crowds below. It was the latest in a long line of stunts by the group.
The attack on Blair in parliament four months ago caused a huge security alert, closed the chamber and prompted immediate changes to access rules for the House of Commons. It heightened fears that lax security could prompt a chemical or biological attack on the British government.
The Buckingham Palace protest coincided with the trial of a man accused of involvement in the Blair attack. The man who threw the missiles, Guy Harrison, 36, was fined 600 pounds ($1,080) in May after admitting using threatening behaviour. His alleged accomplice, Patrick Davis, 48, appeared at Bow Street magistrates court on Monday to deny the same charge. -Reuters
