British Liberty in Danger: An Introduction to the Study of Civil Rights

A very important book about civil liberties in Britain, written by Ronald Kidd, founder of the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL).

First published in 1940, this book calls attention to the importance of upholding democracy and full civil rights, during war and peace time, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of association.

It is an easily readable guide to English law and justice. It looks at subject matters such as emergency powers, repressive legislation, censorship, the use of agent provocateurs, and racial and class bias in policing and the courts.

In particular, this book contrasts police treatment of the Fascist movement and the Labour movement in the 1930s. It puts forward through case studies and the author’s first hand experiences that policing is political and partial and that police can both fail to act and exceed their powers.

The author contends that perpetual vigilance is needed to uphold civil rights, and provides practical advice as to what can be achieved through protest and publicity, and what to do if you are arrested or if you witness an arrest.

This special edition is published by Lewisham Press, 2021. British Liberty in Danger is an important work especially likely to be of interest to historians and legal scholars.

Ronald Kidd (1889 – 1942) was a British civil rights campaigner and founder of the National Council for Civil Liberties (now known as Liberty).

£6.99