BLAIR'S PURPLE POWDER BOMBER Brendan Montague Thursday May 20, 2004 The Argus TWO militant fathers who flourbombed Tony Blair in the Commons are being treated "like terrorists", supporters claimed today. Ron Davis and Guy Harrison, both from Sussex, have now been held in custody for 24 hours with no contact with legal representatives. Matt O'Connor, coordinator of Fathers 4 Justice (F4J), said today there was no justification for their detention. Speaking outside London's high-security Paddington Green police station, he claimed they were being held for political reasons. He said: "The guys have been here since 12.20pm yesterday and they have not seen a legal representative. "The Government, the authorities and the police, given the profile of the demonstration, are taking this very seriously and are treating the protesters as terrorists for throwing condoms filled with purplecoloured selfraising flour. "There is no reason why these guys should be treated in such a way. They should be released. If they (the authorities) want to make an issue of this, we are happy to oblige." Mr O'Connor suggested that if the two men were not released, F4J could organise a protest outside the police station. He said: "We will take whatever action we deem necessary. My main priority is getting these guys out." Mr O'Connor said the group, which campaigns for improved access for divorced men to their children, was gearing up for a huge demonstration in London to coincide with Father's Day on June 18 and warned there would be more events in the coming week. In an earlier interview with The Argus, Mr Davis said Mr Blair had reneged on a personal promise to investigate his bitter custody battle. Mr Davis, 44, from Worthing, struck Mr Blair on the back as he and a friend ­ said to be fellow activist Guy Harrison, from Ashurst, near Steyning ­ aimed three condoms stuffed with powder at the dispatch box halfway through Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons yesterday. The House erupted in chaos as purple dust filled the air and the chamber was evacuated. The two men were taken to the cells beneath the House. Mr Blair, who had been flanked by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Chancellor Gordon Brown, was ushered to his private office behind the chamber and his dyesplattered jacket was taken away for examination. Police put on nuclear, chemical and biological protection suits as the powder was checked. It was found to be a harmless combination of confetti and cornflour. But MPs feared it could have been anthrax and the attack exposed serious flaws in security at Westminster. Home Secretary David Blunkett warned there would have to be further tightening of checks. More than £600,000 was spent in the Easter recess on a plastic screen which separates all but the front three rows of the public gallery from the chamber beneath. However, Mr Davis and his friend had bought VIP tickets for the front row at a charity auction. Baroness Golding, who donated the tickets, apologised to the House. Mr Davis's raid was intended to strike a blow for Fathers 4 Justice, the campaign group for which he is Sussex coordinator. Earlier this year, he told The Argus that after the bitter breakup of his marriage he had been forced to leave his fourbedroom home and two children and had seen little of them since. He said: "As a father you have no legal right to see your children - I have been to court probably 15 times to gain contact, not to mention the £30,000 in legal costs. "My friends have seen me destroyed." East Worthing and Shoreham Tory MP Tim Loughton, the shadow minister for children, said: "This is an absolutely disgraceful act. "It has done irreparable damage to their cause which will come as a great blow to many fathers suffering injustices in contact with their children, with whom I have a great deal of sympathy." Hove Labour MP Ivor Caplin said: "I would expect the authorities to report back quickly on how they actually managed to get these bombs inside the chamber." Senior members of F4J were unaware of plans for a direct action protest in advance. The colour purple, used internationally to signify equality, has been adopted by the organisation. Fellow campaigner David Chick, 37, of Burgess Hill, who was last week cleared of causing a public nuisance for his SpiderMan protest on a crane in central London, said: "Ron is a good man and is fighting for the same cause." Jason Hatch, 31, operations manager for the group, said: "During a radio phone-in Ron spoke to Tony Blair, who said he would look at his case but has reneged on his promise so Ron was not very happy. "We do not condone this action but appreciate this is the action of a desperate father who has come to the end of his tether because he is up against an unfair system. "He will be fully supported by F4J but if you throw something at the Prime Minister in Parliament you are leaving yourself open to arrest. "Blair, being a father himself, should be sympathetic to our cause."   'No regrets' after PM flour bomb Brendan Montague Friday May 21, 2004 The Argus RECLUSIVE millionaire Guy Harrison defiantly declared he had no regrets after pelting the Prime Minister with flour bombs in the Commons. The 36-year-old farmer and entrepreneur was released yesterday after 24 hours in a police cell following the protest in which Tony Blair was splattered with purple cornflour. The stunt intensified fears Government ministers and MPs could become victims of a terrorist attack involving the release of anthrax or other deadly toxins. Mr Harrison, of Sopers Farm, Ashurst, near Steyning, and Ron Davis, 48, from Worthing, said they hoped it had drawn attention to the plight of fathers who have difficulties seeing their children. The pair were released from custody at 3pm yesterday and staged an impromptu press conference at a London pub. Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice initially claimed Mr Davis launched the flourfilled condoms at Mr Blair but yesterday Mr Harrison admitted he was behind the attack during Prime Ministerıs Question Time on Wednesday. The men said they had highlighted a serious security weakness. Speaking at the Peppermill Cafe Bar in Shoreditch, Mr Harrison told how the audacious attack was launched. He said they hid the flour bombs down their pants as they entered the House. Mr Harrison said: "Ron stood up with his Fathers 4 Justice banner and I threw the flour with the purple colouring. "The Government is not doing anything to help fathers who have a right to see their children. "I think this highlighted the fact that it is relatively easy - easy is not quite the right word - to do this. "We have increased the security for the Government. If there was any terrorist who did mean to do any harm out there I think they will not be able to do so in future. "It was not easy to gain access but anyone who was halfminded and determined to get in would be able to." Mr Davis said: "I would like to make it absolutely clear to everyone it was never our intention to frighten anybody in the public or in the House. "It was to draw attention to the evil family court system and the damage done to the many children, parents and grandparents. "The security services were very thorough and they would have had to make us strip to have discovered us. They did all that they possibly could under normal circumstances." Matt OıConnor, founder of Fathers 4 Justice, backed the protest and said there would be further disruption in the runup to Fatherıs Day. Mr Davis and Mr Harrison have been ordered to return to Bow Street Magistrates in London next Wednesday after being charged under Section Five of the Public Order Act. They face a maximum £1,000 fine if convicted. brendan. montague co. uk Fathers say their attack highlighted security weaknesses.   PM flour bomber vows to continue fight Brendan Montague Thursday May 27, 2004 The Argus A MILLIONAIRE who pelted the Prime Minister with flour bombs has walked free from court with a £600 fine. Guy Harrison, 36, said the conviction could prevent him from pursuing business interests in the United States. But he said he had no regrets about the attack on Tony Blair which has led to a full review of security in the Commons. Harrison, of Sopers Farm, Peppers Lane, Ashurst, near Steyning, admitted flinging three condoms filled with cornflour during Prime Ministerıs Questions last week. Harrison made millions as a farmer and property tycoon and includes a children's nursery among his extensive assets. He was protesting as a member of the radical campaign group Fathers 4 Justice, who are using headline-grabbing techniques in their attempt to win equal rights for both parents of a child in the family courts. He told The Argus: "Getting a criminal record makes a huge difference to my business commitments. "I may have difficulty getting into the United States. I have no idea how much this will cost me. "But my daughter is much more important to me than any business interests I may have around the world. "I have mixed feelings about the sentence. It's not as lenient as it could have been but we did breach Westminster security and put everyone on high security alert. "It shows the society we live in when you can use a condom filled with flour on the Prime Minister more easily than you can get access to your own children." Harrison admitted the stunt had done nothing to help his own case in trying to gain access to his daughter. He said: "There has been no improvement. I've not seen my daughter for three years. "I own one of the largest nursery schools in the South of England but I am treated like a paedophile with my own child." He vowed to take part in further direct action protests with Fathers 4 Justice. He added: "They have given me a criminal record for life so there is not much more they can do to me apart from put me in prison. We started out low with the Houses of Parliament and now we are going for the top." Bow Street magistrates were told Harrison gained access to the VIP section of the public gallery in the Commons on May 19 after winning a raffle at a charity auction. He stuffed the flourfilled condoms down his trousers to avoid detection by security. During Prime Minister's Questions Harrison stood up and lobbed the bombs 40ft over the railings, splattering Mr Blair's back. After his arrest, he immediately admitted throwing the bombs and told police they were filled with dyed flour. Harrison pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour. Hugh Davies, defending, said: "This was a desperate measure by a respectable man unable to come to terms with the circumstances in which he has lost contact with his daughter. "He has made his point and he now wishes to move on. "Although arrested and interviewed under the Terrorism Act, his actions were not intended to be more than the actions of a streaker at a cricket match." The solicitor said Harrison was motivated by "the ordinary, simple human desire to restore contact with his own daughter and to promote the interests of other fathers in his position." District Judge Timothy Workman told Harrison as he passed sentence: "By your action you deliberately disrupted Parliament and, in the present climate, caused considerable alarm and anxiety to many people. "I consider you fortunate not to have been charged with a more serious offence." New security measures at the Commons were announced yesterday. Speaker Michael Martin suspended the right of MPs to bring guests into galleries not protected by a new £600,000 screen until further notice. Only people personally invited by him would be allowed in the area in front of the screen. He said: "I am sure the House will appreciate that it is in the interests of all those who work in this building that the lessons of last week's incident are learned and acted upon." Ron Davis, 48, of Vale Avenue, Worthing, has pleaded not guilty to using threatening words or behaviour. A trial date will be set next month.