Civil Liberty (UK)

Civil Liberty (UK)

Civil Liberty is a civil rights organisation claiming to be autonomous of any political party in the United Kingdom. It has been incorrectly alleged to be a front organisation for the British Nationalist Party, set up to raise money for the party from far-right sympathisers in the United States.[1] It should not be confused with the pressure group Liberty (previously the National Council for Civil Liberties).

Claims of connections to the British National Party

The magazine Searchlight (magazine) whose campaigning against the British National Party is endorsed by the Daily Mirror and Britain's major trade unions[2] claims that Civil Liberty, headed by "senior BNP member" Kevin Scott, is a front group for the BNP.[3]

According to The Guardian, Civil Liberty is a fund-raising group run by key BNP activists which was set up to raise money from far right sympathisers in the United States, apparently seeking to profit from anti-Islamic sentiment in the US by presenting the BNP as being at the forefront of a campaign to save the UK from being "overwhelmed" by Muslims.[4]

The only member of Civil Liberty named on the Civil Liberty website is its founder and director, Kevin Scott.[5] Scott is a former BNP regional organizer for the North East.[6] The examples of the organization's work provided over three pages at the website all refer to action in support of prominent members of the BNP: Arthur Redfearn, BNP councilor, and Tina Wingfield, BNP membership secretary,[7] Mark Collett, head of BNP publicity, and BNP chairman Nick Griffin,[8] and prominent BNP members Adam Walker and Mark Walker.[9] No other activities involving "individuals who have been victimized because of their dissent"[10] are reported. Civil Liberty's contact address is alleged to be the PO Box belonging to the BNP's North-East Region.[11] The Guardian states that all money donated through the Civil Liberty website goes to the BNP's regional headquarters in the north-east.[12]

Since 2001 it has been illegal for any political party in the UK to accept overseas donations of more than £200, and party officials breaking the law face a year's imprisonment or a £5,000 fine. According to the Guardian, both Civil Liberty and the BNP deny they are trying to bypass UK election law, insisting they are entirely separate organisations.[13]

Civil Liberty completely reject the claims of these newspapers and points out on their web site that the organisation is independent of any political party.

References

  1. ^ http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=194
  2. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/hope-not-hate/
  3. ^ http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=194
  4. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/03/partyfunding.thefarright
  5. ^ http://www.civilliberty.org.uk/index.html
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/organisers/kevin_scott.stm
  7. ^ http://www.civilliberty.org.uk/ourwork.htm
  8. ^ http://www.civilliberty.org.uk/ourwork2.htm
  9. ^ http://www.civilliberty.org.uk/ourwork3.htm
  10. ^ http://www.civilliberty.org.uk/ourwork.htm
  11. ^ http://kirkunity.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
  12. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/03/partyfunding.thefarright
  13. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/03/partyfunding.thefarright

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • civil liberty — n: freedom from arbitrary interference in one s pursuits (as in expressing thoughts, practicing a religion, or pursuing a living) by individuals or esp. by the government and esp. as constitutionally guaranteed usu. used in pl. see also civil… …   Law dictionary

  • Civil liberty — Liberty Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • civil liberty —    Civil liberty (or liberties) refers to those areas in which governmental power should rarely intrude on the free choice of individuals. It restrains the interference of government, marking out a sphere of governmental inactivity. Examples… …   Glossary of UK Government and Politics

  • civil liberty — ► NOUN 1) freedom of action and speech subject to laws established for the good of the community. 2) (civil liberties) one s rights to this. DERIVATIVES civil libertarian noun …   English terms dictionary

  • civil liberty — n [U] also civil liberties the right of all citizens to be free to do whatever they want while respecting the rights of other people …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • civil liberty — noun 1. one s freedom to exercise one s rights as guaranteed under the laws of the country • Syn: ↑political liberty • Hypernyms: ↑freedom 2. fundamental individual right protected by law and expressed as immunity from unwarranted governmental… …   Useful english dictionary

  • civil liberty — Usually, civil liberties. 1. the freedom of a citizen to exercise customary rights, as of speech or assembly, without unwarranted or arbitrary interference by the government. 2. such a right as guaranteed by the laws of a country, as in the U.S.… …   Universalium

  • civil liberty — civ′il lib′erty n. 1) gov Often, civil liberties. a fundamental right, as freedom of speech, guaranteed to an individual by the laws of a country (as the Bill of Rights in the U.S.) 2) gov the liberty of an individual to exercise such a right… …   From formal English to slang

  • civil liberty — noun freedom of action and speech subject to laws established for the good of the community. ↘(civil liberties) one s rights to this. Derivatives civil libertarian noun …   English new terms dictionary

  • civil liberty — noun Date: 1644 freedom from arbitrary governmental interference (as with the right of free speech) specifically by denial of governmental power and in the United States especially as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights usually used in plural •… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”