I think that I should say a few final words about this business, because I have now been in touch with the Friends of Domenic Johansson group. I asked what the inaccuracies were in what I had previously written and it seems to amount to this. I wrote in the first piece which I posted:
'They were harassed by the authorities and tried to leave the country so that they could home educate their son in peace somewhere else.'
Apparently this is not true and the Johanssons did not intend to home educate their son at all. In fact, all along they wanted him to attend school; they just wanted him to start at eight rather than seven. This is very puzzling, because of course those connected with the family thought that they were hoping to home educate the boy in India. Mats Tunehaga, for example, is President of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance. He knows the Johanssons and says,
'Annie is from a Christian family in India, and they had planned for some time to move there to live, work and to homeschool Dominic.'
This is quoted on the HSLDA site. On the Dominic Johansson Blog, there is this,
'Swedish officials removed this boy from an international flight solely to prevent his parents from moving to another nation and from educating him in a manner that is lawful in India, in Sweden, and in a majority of nations.'
And yet now I am told that this is all untrue. I know that most people who have signed petitions and contacted the Swedish authorities to protest about this were under the impression that the Johanssons were home educators and I am sure that many will be surprised to discover that their intention has always been to send their son to school. This after all was an integral aprt of the whole story, that the Johanssons were leaving Sweden so that they could follow the educational methods of their choice. It makes it very puzzling too that the founder of the HSLDA, Michael Farris, is named as the Johanssons' representative on the documents for the European Court of Human Rights. Why is he involved if the Johanssons are not home educators?
Another possibility is that the Friends of Dominic Johansson are mistaken about this. In the same message they told me that home education is illegal in India, which is absolutely untrue. I would be curious to hear other people's views about this. Was I the only one who believed that the Johanssons are home educators who were leaving Sweden so that they could home educate their child in India? If this is untrue, why is it on so many sites connected with the case? Why have so many people signed petitions based upon this belief? Very odd. It is clear to me that the more questions I ask about this case, the stranger it becomes!
It is unlikely that we will ever know fully the facts of this case. What has become very obvious though is that it is being used as a stalking horse by certain American groups who have an agenda of their own, concerned with matters such as America's possible ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. From the moment I began looking into this case, it was pretty plain that there was a strong American connection. Two of the people named as the Johanssons' representatives on the application to the European Court of Human Rights are Michael Farris and Roger Kiska. Michael Farris is an American Baptist Minister who founded the Home School Legal Defense Association. Roger Kiska works for the right wing American Christian organisation, the Alliance Defense Fund. Even the Friends of Dominic Johansson group is in the USA.
Now of course if left wing, Humanist home educators in this country wish to climb into bed metaphorically with right wing American Christians, that is really none of my business. For that reason, I shall not be making any more posts about this. I originally did so because various people in Sweden had been named and their motives criticised and condemned. School teachers, government officials, social workers and so on have all been written about and denounced by people who evidently take everything they read at face value. If a home educator says something; it must be true. If a teacher or social worker says something; that must be a lie. I just wanted to put the case that there may be a little more to all this than meets the eye. Since making my initial post on the subject, this has been strongly confirmed. Those who wish to delve deeper into the matter could do worse than follow some of the leads which I have mentioned here. I have an idea, for instance, that many home educating parents in this country would be horrified to read about some of the activities of people like the Alliance Defense Fund. Anyway, I have published a correction to what I first wrote, even though the correction itself raises more questions than it answers! I shall be watching with interest how this affair develops over the coming months.
What do you think Simon will happened when you spread false information about us and our case? You did a very stupid mistake now and said even more things that is not true. I have no other choice then to take this further!
ReplyDeleteYour readers should know that we have made all efforts possible to give you the right information, but you did not care about that at all, so why should anyone read anything of what you write from now one, when the facts are clear that you are trying to misguide everyone.
You have not been in contact with us directly, and you have not read the document's, others have done so and they know a different story then the one you are trying to put forward.
Thanx but no thanx!
The Friends of Domenic Johansson contacted me and told me that I had made some errors in what I had posted. I asked what these errors were and was told that you were always intending to send your child to school when he was eight. I was also told that home education is illegal in India. As a result, I agreed to post a correction. I am genuinely puzzled about this and if anybody can explain what is going on, i would be pleased to know.
ReplyDeleteChrister, you say,
ReplyDelete"You did a very stupid mistake now and said even more things that is not true."
Could you let us know what I have said here that is untrue?
Simon wrote,
ReplyDelete"I am sure that many will be surprised to discover that their intention has always been to send their son to school."
It wasn't a surprise to me, I'd read somewhere that the the main reason they were home educating was because he would only be at school in Sweden for a few months before changing schools when they moved to India. But whatever the situation or their plans it changes nothing and is irrelevant from my point of view. I was not interested in the family just because they home educated, I would have had the same response if he had been a school child. Obviously it's the reason people like HSLDA are involved but home education does appear to be significantly involved in the reasons behind the child being taken in the first place so this is not inappropriate, even if they intended to put Dominic into school the minute they landed in India.
"Now of course if left wing, Humanist home educators in this country wish to climb into bed metaphorically with right wing American Christians, that is really none of my business."
It's possible to agree on a single issue but have widely different views in other areas. In fact, it would be very strange if this were not the case given the variety in the human race.
Home schooling is legal all over the world according to the human rights as they are Universal and stand as a base for our civilization. Few countries has chosen to take away that right though, and I would not call that a free country. India is a free Country in the sense that I have the right to educate my own son.
ReplyDeleteArguments such as this finally lead to small errors, that later on turns out to be tool for people like you to judge others, in any way you like.
I know the system of law might be tricky, but the rights are not, and you do not have the right to do what you are doing!
Remove all the articles about our case as you do not want to correct the errors you have written!
Scrutinize media instead, you will find so much more errors there!
"Remove all the articles about our case as you do not want to correct the errors you have written!"
ReplyDeleteI have been in touch with the Friends of Domenic Johansson and offered to remove anything which was inaccurate or else to post a correction. If you can tell me what I have said that is wrong, I will willingly correct it. What are the errors?
They were harassed by the authorities and tried to leave the country so that they could home educate their son in peace somewhere else.'
ReplyDeleteThis is accurate to begin with!
'Swedish officials removed this boy from an international flight solely to prevent his parents from moving to another nation and from educating him in a manner that is lawful in India, in Sweden, and in a majority of nations.'
ReplyDeleteThat is also accurate, but it is not the only reason. We have many reasons why we want to move, and you have nothing to do with that, cause it's our personal life and choices!
"They were harassed by the authorities and tried to leave the country so that they could home educate their son in peace somewhere else.'
ReplyDeleteThis is accurate to begin with! "
Yes, that's what I thought. However the Friends of Domenic Johansson, who commented here and told me that I was wrong about a lot of things, got in touch and told me;
"To give you just a little idea of your article's erroneous premise, you state the Johanssons were trying to leave Sweden so that they might home school their son in peace elsewhere. Simon, nothing could be further from the truth! Homeschooling is not legal in India. Domenic was destined to attend school in India just a few short weeks after he was taken into Swedish custody. The family had their reasons to home school Domenic their last year in Sweden and never had any intention to home school him beyond that first school year."
You can see why I have become a little confused. Are these people actually speaking on your behalf or can I assume that I should ignore what they say? The message goes on to say that homeschooling is illegal in India. This is not true as I am sure you know. having cleared that up, what other errors have I made?
Webb is aginst home education Christer unless you do it the right way and agree to many home visits from council staff Webb also belives in a child being seen on its own and questioned with out a parent being they.
ReplyDeleteWebb also does not trust parents in any way unless you have first been checked by a box ticker from the council.
Webb believes that many more children should be in care and he would put more home educated children in care!
did you wait in anther room why your daughter was question by LA staff Webb?
did you agree Webb that untill you where checked you may have been guilty of abuse of your daughter?
was that questioned put to your daughter by LA staff? did they ask if you had been touching her? did they ask her this question to? how did you react?
He is also against contacting me trough mail as I have asked him too, so there is no interest in getting it right using mail conversation.
ReplyDeleteI have sent a mail to you Simon, but you did not reply.
What you are trying to do Simon is to get attention. And I'm pretty sure there are better way's then to jump on a traumatized family where the child is suffering tremendous damage for many years to come. Proves that you have no empathy what so ever!
Shame on you, you should know better!
btw, you remind me of the socials services Simon, always looking for something that is not there, convinced that there must be something.
ReplyDeleteI have already engaged in one private email exchange about this with the Friends of Domenic Johansson group. The result is that I was fed false information which, when I posted it today, caused more ill feeling. For this reason, I would rather keep things open and in public. I really can't understand why nobody is willing to point out all my supposed errors. This is surely the ideal forum to do so.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I don't take kindly to being threatened, even in an indirect way. The Friends of Domenic Johansson say;
" In my telephone conversation with Christer today, he told me you must either take the stories down or correct the grave errors. As they stand, you are leaving yourself very vulnerable"
Vulnerable to what? I have already offered to correct these 'grave errors' as soon as they are pointed out. In an email from Christer Johansson, I am told:
" As for now, I will take this further and stop you form
harassing us and spreading false information about us and the case"
There is such a huge amount about this case all over the Internet that I am puzzled why my comments are being singled out and an attempt made to suppress them. I have been told several times that I have made factual errors. If this is so, I am surprised that nobody is willing to point them out. The one error which was pointed out to me, about the Johanssons' intention to home educate in India, now turns out not to be an error at all! I ask again, what have I said here which is untrue?
Christer said...
ReplyDeletebtw, you remind me of the socials services Simon, always looking for something that is not there, convinced that there must be something.
Simon wife works for social services Christer!
Webb does not trust parents he is convinced that unless you are checked in your home every few weeks/months your child is in danger of abuse. Webb belives children who are home educated must be checked for abuse
Simon wrote
ReplyDelete"I have been following this case closely since last year and I must say that there seems to be more to it than meets the eye."
What Simon? I believe hundred people have read the court opinion, if there is nothing there, there is nothing there, plain and simple!
We have not made any headway with Simon. I've wanted to work with Simon on a professional level. I include person-to-person conversation in the form of a telephone interview as part of professionalism in writing, especially when writing about people who are living and accessible. Simon has flatly refused, even though I have offered to call him and pay the international telephone bill myself. I've also given him my telephone number if he were more comfortable making the call and keeping his number private. Due to his unwillingness to cooperate on a professional level, I have decided to just let him rant on this blog and address the issues on the Friends blog. From most of the comments I've read on Simon's blog, most people do not agree with him anyway.
ReplyDeleteSimon is absolutely correct on one point. I made an error when I stated in an email to him that home schooling is illegal in India. I had received that information during an interview with a high school teacher in India. I mistakenly assumed the teacher knew the law in India. Not a very professional move on my part. After writing that point to Simon, I realized I should have verified that fact and after doing so, I found it to be false. There are no laws regarding home schooling in India making it legal or illegal. Therefore, people are enjoying the freedom to home school in India. False information is so easily spread when we do not check the facts. This is a prime example.
Simon is a self-described "middle aged man." From what I can see, his child or children are grown and gone, while I am an extremely busy mother of six who also home schools. I could be wrong, but Simon may just have a few more extra personal minutes per day than I possess. Therefore, I would expect him to make the effort to sort out fact from fiction before writing about an issue causing great pain to a family. If I can take the time to telephone Christer and Annie over the last 2.5 months, I am sure Simon could have done the same before tapping away at his keyboard.
This is my last comment on Simon's blog. I am currently working on a story all about Annie and her family in India. All my information is taken as first-hand accounts from Annie, Christer, and Annie's family members in India. Look for it's publication on Friends of Domenic Johansson in about a week (good writing takes time!). In addition, I will be addressing the rumors, half-truths and lies in another article on the blog. Be sure to subscribe to Friends of Domenic Johansson if you do not want to miss reading researched and first-hand verified information about this tragic case.
You can visit Friends of Domenic Johansson at this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://friendsofdomenic.blogspot.com
or
http://www.domenicjohansson.com
"Simon has flatly refused,"
ReplyDeleteThis is completely untrue. I enclose below every email which I have sent to this woman.
Dear Kelley,
Yes, I am sure that the fault is mine when I tried to send an email: I am not too good at electronic media. I am a little puzzled about this business. Certainly, Christer Johansson himself seems to think that the refusal to allow him to home educate had something to do with this online magazine. I am guessing that this was a Christian thing, but I was certainly intrigued about the 'politically incorrect' bit! I have also read elsewhere that some people sympathetic to your campaign are saying that the decision to take Dominic into care was not solely related to home education. Can you shed any light on this? Finally, do you know of any other children who have been taken into care in Sweden due to home education? i have to say, although I am sure that home education plays a part here, from all that I have read, it does not look like the main reason.
Simon.
Kelly, I am perfectly happy to change anything in the posts which is untrue. I have been re-reading them and cannot see what I have said which is not true. It either comes fom sites supporting the Johanssons or is specualtions about the case which I have made. Please go back to the posts, then let me have a list of factual errors. I will then either remove the bits that are wrong or add a few words stating that there is some doubt about this.
Simon.
Dear Kelley,
I hope that you are going to be a sking the Dominic Johansson Blogspot to take down what they have to say about this case! You say that homeschooling is not legal in India and that the Johanssons were planning to enrole their son at a school. On the Dominic Johansson blogspot though, we find this:
"At the time of the removal, the sole issue that motivated the actions of the Swedish government was the fact that Domenic was being homeschooled. No other information concerning minor medical issues (which have arisen since the boy was unlawfully removed from his parents) was known to any Swedish authority at the time he was peremptorily removed from his parents.
Swedish officials removed this boy from an international flight solely to prevent his parents from moving to another nation and from educating him in a manner that is lawful in India, in Sweden, and in a majority of nations."
Obviously, they are saying that Dominic was going to be homeschooled in India. Other sites which support the family say the same thing. Have you been on to any of them to ask them to remove this information?
It will be seen at once that to claim that I have "flatly refused" to try and understand what is going on or anything about "Due to his unwillingness to cooperate on a professional level," is a lie. I have not printed the emails sent to me because they contain a lot of personal information about the family and personal life of the woman who started this group. I have made great efforts to find out the facts here and have asked everybody repeatedly just what it is that i have said about this case which is factually wrong. So far, I have not received an answer.
What has become clear to me is that a number of the people connected with this case are happy to tell lies about it. The woman running the Friends if Dominic Johansson group is one of them. If she will lie about me in this way, what other lies might she be telling? Very curious and disturbing.
Curses! Discovered that I had not included this email with the others above;
ReplyDelete" Kelley, I am trying to get a picture of what is happening here, so bear with me. You are in New Alexandria and have never met Christer Johansson, is that right? You have spoken to him on the telephone, chatted on MSN and exchanged emails though. I am assuming that you are not part of the whole HSLDA/parentalrights.org/ Patrick Henry setup. Is that also right? I am also guessing that you have no official standing and have not seen all the original court documents, affidavits and such like. Tell me, do you have any other information about this case, apart from what you have found out from speaking to Christer and Annie Johansson? What I am asking here is this; upon what do you found your knowedge of this business? I hope you don't mind these questions, because I am really having to think a bit about this and make some sense of how you know more about this than, say for example, the social workers in the case. Just to remind you, I am myself a home educator who did not send his daughter to school for a single day. this was mainly for religious reasons. i am telling you this so that you do not think that I am anti-Christian or anti-homeschooling or anything. Simon"
Does anybody think that this email looks like something written by somebody who is refusing to listen to the truth? Or does it sound like a puzzled man trying to make sense of a strange situation? Is it somebody "flatly refusing" to engage professionally? Judge for yourself.
Simon wrote,
ReplyDelete"I am myself a home educator who did not send his daughter to school for a single day. this was mainly for religious reasons. i am telling you this so that you do not think that I am anti-Christian or anti-homeschooling or anything. Simon""
and Simon also wrote,
"I think you might have got the idea that I am a Christian. I am not and cannot really be held answerable for anything of this sort! "
Quoted from comment section of previous post
If you are not Christian, why would your choice to home educate mainly for religious reasons mean that you are not anti-Christian? I would guess that the most vehement anti-Christians are people with religious beliefs that are not Christian.