The Liberal Party ( LP ) was established in 1953 , with Brown playing an important role . He was the founder of the party in Natal , and became LP Natal Provincial Secretary in 1954 . The Liberal Party was politically significant , being at that time only the second South African political party to be launched by people of all races ( the SACP predating this ) . In 1956 he became deputy to the LP National Chairperson , Alan Paton . In his role as National Chairman in 1958 , Brown stood for Parliament . Following Paton ’s writing of ‘ The Long View ’ in the liberal journal Contact ( reflecting LP and some non-racial thinking ) , in 1958 Brown took over writing the column . He continued to write for the publication until his banning in 1964 . In the early hours of 29 March 1960 , 10 days after the Sharpeville massacre , police raided the homes of leading LP members and arrested 20 people , including Brown . He was detained for 98 days but released without charge . In 1961 he became organising secretary of the Natal Convention , a multiracial conference held in Pietermaritzburg
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Peter Brown (South African politician)