http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/125469/mothers-fresh-setback-battle-win-her-sons
By Naomi Firsht, November 13, 2014
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A British mother fighting for custody of her five-year-old twin sons in Austria has been hit with a gagging order forcing her to remove all photos of the boys from her website and social media pages.
University lecturer Beth Alexander has spent the last four years fighting a battle with the Austrian courts to win custody of sons Sammy and Benji from her ex-husband.
An injunction issued last week by an Austrian court ordered Ms Alexander to remove all photos of the boys from her campaign website, as well as any pictures posted on her social media accounts. She is also forbidden from publicising details of the case. "The campaign will continue. I am very determined. They cannot get away with this injustice. It is not going to break us," said Ms Alexander.
Manchester-born Ms Alexander went through a bitter divorce with Vienna-based Michael Schlesinger, after which he won custody of their children.
She then launched an online campaign calling for support in her efforts to regain custody of the boys. The case has been widely covered by British media, and has been raised in the House of Commons.
She added: "I know the gagging order will not work. They cannot just silence me and make me disappear." Under current legal arrangements Ms Alexander is allowed to see her sons every Tuesday and for an overnight visit once every two weeks. She is appealing against the injunction.
This was also reported in the Jewish Telegraph (a local newspaper based in the north of England):
A VIENNA court has imposed an injunction on a Manchester divorcee preventing her from posting on the web pictures of her five-year-old twins, or updates on them.
Beth Alexander, 30, who has endured a bitter four-year legal battle with her ex-husband, Michael Schlesinger who has custody of the boys, revealed this week: “It is with great regret and sadness that I am forced to remove all my happy pictures and videos of Sammy and Benji from Facebook, YouTube and my blog site. “I’m also forbidden from posting any updates on the children's welfare.”
Beth, who until recently was allowed to see her children for just a few hours a week with no overnight stays, opined: “Sharing the wonderful memories of our very precious time together is small compensation for the lonely and painful time apart. “But at least it keeps my children alive for me in the difficult times between my visits.”
Earlier this year, Beth was given increased access by the courts which included overnight stays, including some weekends. Her ex-husband, though, has often cancelled visits at short notice. Mr Schlesinger, she said, had sought the injunction, accusing her of psychologically harming her sons. “More damaging apparently than bringing four armed policemen to remove the then two-year-old children from their mother at supper time, dumping them off with strangers all day and continually denying them the love and care of their devoted mother,” said Beth.
She told me last night: “Mr Schlesinger tried every way of breaking me financially, emotionally and psychologically and when all else has failed he has now tried to gag me. It won’t work.” She said that the publicity and social media had been her greatest weapons and was “glad I’ve been able to make a stand for women everywhere and by exposing the behaviour of certain rabbis to show that they can no longer get away with supporting an abusive man who wants to punish his ex-wife”.
The pictures of the twins during their visits to Beth showed her “close, happy bond which clearly doesn’t fit in with Mr Schlesinger’s agenda which is to break us apart”, Beth claimed. She added: “Sammy and Benji love looking at our online pictures and videos when they come here [to her apartment]. “It is also a way for family and friends far away to stay connected “The father has now even denied us that simple pleasure. “What he fails to grasp is that stopping the world from seeing our strong bond and love will still not destroy it. “You can suppress the evidence, you can try to silence me but I will always remain loyal, steadfast and strong for my boys. Nothing and nobody can break a mother’s love.”
Beth’s Facebook page regularly updated followers with pictures of Beth and the twins enjoying outings and other activities. Her often critical views of her ex-husband and appeals to him to be reasonable were also posted on an Israeli website.
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