In a desperate act of protest, a father in France’s western city of Nantes has mounted a 40-metre crane two years after first losing custody of his son, reports France 24.
Braving the winter weather, a man identified as 43-year-old Serge Charnay has been camped out on the structure for more than 24 hours, and was joined on Saturday by a friend locked in a similar legal battle.
Charnay climbed the giant yellow crane in the Port of Nantes during the early hours of Friday, using the morning fog for cover. After reaching a lower platform, Charnay unfurled a banner on which he had scrawled a message in big block letters: “Benoît, two years without a dad”.
A member of the French advocacy group SVP Papa, which provides resources and support for fathers, Charnay has struggled in vain over the past two years to win back the right to see his son. He lost custody and all visiting rights when he was accused of kidnapping the boy after taking him on a month-long vacation.
Authorities have tried, unsuccessfully, to entice Charnay off the crane. On Friday, a team of crisis negotiators intervened, attempting to demonstrate a bit of good will on behalf of the justice system.
Read more of this report from France 24.