Movement for Colonial Freedom
Encyclopedia
The Movement for Colonial Freedom was a UK based political civil rights
advocacy group
founded in the United Kingdom
in 1954. It had the support of many MPs including Harold Wilson
, Barbara Castle
with Tony Benn
as treasurer. It had support also amongst celebrities such as Benjamin Britten
and in the universities. In 1970 the Movement was renamed Liberation.
The Labour Party
Government did not support independence and their general election manifesto which gave no commitment to introduce bills to provide for self-government, except for India
; the foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin
justified this saying that the loss of the colonies would mean falling living standards for British people. Continued colonial rule was in contradiction to the Atlantic Charter
which was published statement agreed between the United Kingdom and the United States of America with the intention of providing a blueprint for the world after World War II and which stated that 'All peoples had a right to self-determination'.
In Malaya
communist insurgents were put down by British security forces, who even used head hunters to bring in rebels’ heads. News of this was concealed from the British public but anti-colonial activists received the photographic evidence. Fenner Brockway played an active role in convening a conference of anti-colonialists and representatives of nationalist and independence movements, and black organizations such as the League of Coloured Peoples
in 1947. Offices were set up in Paris
and London
and in 1948 the Congress of Peoples Against Imperialism was established.
With the outbreak of wars against French
rule in North Africa the Paris office of the League of Coloured Peoples was closed. By now India, Ceylon
and Burma had their independence. In Africa however independence organizations, such as the Mau Mau led by Kenyatta
were established and solidarity was called for.
and Barbara Castle
, supported the Movement for Colonial Freedom. It had support also amongst celebrities such as Benjamin Britten
and in the universities. Fenner Brockway was the chairman, Douglas Rogers the secretary and Tony Benn the treasurer.
The movement had a lot of support amongst the rank and file of the Labour Party and trades union movement and waged a high profile campaign and drafted over 1500 parliamentary questions.
Press cuttings from Kenya
proved that prisoners in the independence movement had been beaten to death at Hola Camp and Barbara Castle succeeded in getting this confirmed in the House of Commons. In 1963 Kenya
was declared an independent republic with Jomo Kenyatta
(Kenyatta) as its first prime minister and then president.
The organisation established a Suez Emergency Committee in 1956 in response to the Suez crisis
which was then taken over by the Labour party who organised a demonstration against the British invasion of Egypt in the November.
The Movement campaigned for freedom for the Portuguese colonies in Africa, for peace in Vietnam
, supported for Fidel Castro
in the Cuba
n revolution and opposed to the seizure of power by the Ba’ath regime in Iraq
and the associated reign of terror against its opponents. The organisation was divided on the question of Israel
.
In 1962 the MCF organised a demonstration in Trafalgar Square
against the UK Colour Bar Immigration Bill which restricted the right of Commonwealth citizens to remain in Britain. notable attendees included by Mr Qureshi, secretary of the Pakistani Welfare Association, Ratta Singh, president of the Indian Workers Association, and Claudia Jones, editor of the West Indian Gazette.
The organisation opposed Enoch Powell
’s 'rivers of blood speech' in 1968 and also campaigned against neo-colonialism after independence, and opposed military take-overs in Africa, Asia and Latin America, such as the Pinochet coup in 1973.
In 1970 the Movement was renamed Liberation.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
founded in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1954. It had the support of many MPs including Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, Barbara Castle
Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn , PC, GCOT was a British Labour Party politician....
with Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
as treasurer. It had support also amongst celebrities such as Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and in the universities. In 1970 the Movement was renamed Liberation.
Context
In 1945 one fifth of the world was still under British sovereignty and 780 million people throughout the world lived under European colonial world.The Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Government did not support independence and their general election manifesto which gave no commitment to introduce bills to provide for self-government, except for India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; the foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...
justified this saying that the loss of the colonies would mean falling living standards for British people. Continued colonial rule was in contradiction to the Atlantic Charter
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement first issued in August 1941 that early in World War II defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. It was drafted by Britain and the United States, and later agreed to by all the Allies...
which was published statement agreed between the United Kingdom and the United States of America with the intention of providing a blueprint for the world after World War II and which stated that 'All peoples had a right to self-determination'.
In Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
communist insurgents were put down by British security forces, who even used head hunters to bring in rebels’ heads. News of this was concealed from the British public but anti-colonial activists received the photographic evidence. Fenner Brockway played an active role in convening a conference of anti-colonialists and representatives of nationalist and independence movements, and black organizations such as the League of Coloured Peoples
League of Coloured Peoples
The League of Coloured People was a British civil rights organization. The league was founded in 1931 in London with the goal of racial equality around the world. Though the league's primary focus was black rights in Britain, it also was involved in other civil-rights issues, such as the...
in 1947. Offices were set up in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in 1948 the Congress of Peoples Against Imperialism was established.
With the outbreak of wars against French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rule in North Africa the Paris office of the League of Coloured Peoples was closed. By now India, Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Burma had their independence. In Africa however independence organizations, such as the Mau Mau led by Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
were established and solidarity was called for.
History
The 'Movement for Colonial Freedom' was founded in 1954. The Labour Party’s official position was not to support independence leaders. This however was not universally accepted and 70 MPs, including Harold WilsonHarold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and Barbara Castle
Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn , PC, GCOT was a British Labour Party politician....
, supported the Movement for Colonial Freedom. It had support also amongst celebrities such as Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and in the universities. Fenner Brockway was the chairman, Douglas Rogers the secretary and Tony Benn the treasurer.
The movement had a lot of support amongst the rank and file of the Labour Party and trades union movement and waged a high profile campaign and drafted over 1500 parliamentary questions.
Press cuttings from Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
proved that prisoners in the independence movement had been beaten to death at Hola Camp and Barbara Castle succeeded in getting this confirmed in the House of Commons. In 1963 Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
was declared an independent republic with Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
(Kenyatta) as its first prime minister and then president.
The organisation established a Suez Emergency Committee in 1956 in response to the Suez crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
which was then taken over by the Labour party who organised a demonstration against the British invasion of Egypt in the November.
The Movement campaigned for freedom for the Portuguese colonies in Africa, for peace in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, supported for Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
in the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n revolution and opposed to the seizure of power by the Ba’ath regime in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the associated reign of terror against its opponents. The organisation was divided on the question of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 1962 the MCF organised a demonstration in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
against the UK Colour Bar Immigration Bill which restricted the right of Commonwealth citizens to remain in Britain. notable attendees included by Mr Qureshi, secretary of the Pakistani Welfare Association, Ratta Singh, president of the Indian Workers Association, and Claudia Jones, editor of the West Indian Gazette.
The organisation opposed Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
’s 'rivers of blood speech' in 1968 and also campaigned against neo-colonialism after independence, and opposed military take-overs in Africa, Asia and Latin America, such as the Pinochet coup in 1973.
In 1970 the Movement was renamed Liberation.