About
The International Civil Liberties Alliance was founded in Basel, as a Swiss-based NGO on 1 June
2012. However, the organisation has much deeper origins.
The origins of the International Civil Liberties Alliance can be traced back to comments associated with an
article entitled ‘The Emperor is Naked’ on the website ’Gates of Vienna’ on 26 September 2006. As a reading
of that comments thread demonstrates our organisation began its existence from the imaginations of a
group of bloggers who wanted their voices to be finally heard.
These bloggers established an organisation called the 910 Group. The group was named in reference to the
day before the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001 which highlighted their concerns about the global
jihad. This name intended to represent a desire for people to wake up to the reality of the danger posed by
jihad. In the 910 Group’s statement of ethics it was made clear that it was open to participants of any
religion, race, nationality, gender, or political affiliation.
The 910 Group was renamed the Center for Vigilant Freedom when it was incorporated in the US state of
Virginia. The name derived from a quote from United States President Thomas Jefferson which stated that
‘the price of liberty is eternal vigilance’. From its earliest origins, our organisation has been based on the
values of classical liberalism and the Enlightenment. It has been based on the principles of the rule of law,
equality before the law, democracy, individual freedom, and freedom of expression.
The International Civil Liberties Alliance was created as a project of the Center for Vigilant Freedom. The
Center for Vigilant Freedom was disbanded prior to the incorporation of the International Civil Liberties
Alliance as a Swiss based organisation.
