I remember all very well. I was a teenager then. July 1980 I went together with my mother and grandparents on holiday to the mountains southern Poland. Then we were all listening to Radio Free Europe or Voice of America. It was the first time we have heard about strikes. At the very beginning it was done by workers in Lublin (150 kilometers south from Warsaw) they welded a train to rails. The situation was spreading up north. And it came to Gdansk and the shipyard.
My family was always anticommunists. We never had a moment of doubt this was the worst system. The official propaganda was not admitting that there are any strikes till the mid August when half of the country was not working. So they started talking about unreasonable breaks in work". Censorship didnt allow the word strike to be used. It made all of us furious. All we wanted then is to hear truth about workers, shipyard and our country.
It was still holiday. At home I was going with my mum to see workers. We were bringing them food, water and flowers. All gates of all factories were covered with flowers. And standing in front of the factories where were huge signs saying strike we were praying. Nobody could take this away. But every single day we didnt know what they will do. We were scared that again they will come, bit us and arrest. Any time we saw a militiaman we were shouting we want our freedom. In the mid August the word Solidarity came. It was just a word but changed something. Or rather changed everything.
There is no freedom without Solidarity we were shouting this every couple minutes
They were slowly getting lost. Couldnt fight all of us, couldnt arrest million of Poles. Already almost nobody was working. Printing houses started to print illegal newspaper distributed hand to hand among the whole nation.
Then they decided to talk. At that time Walesa was already a leader for all of us. Also people I have heard about before Michnik, Kuron were together with him. They started the negotiations.
31st August came. Official TV was broadcasting the negotiations for the first time we could see truth on TV. Negotiations were really tough. No one could foresee the final results.
21 postulates were prepared by Solidarity members. Now they seem so simple then they were so courageous.
We have won!!!!!
They had no choice, have to sign and agree. Suddenly we were living in a different country, in a different place. Only for a year and a half but about it I will write next year when we will have 25th anniversary of the martial law.
Today in Gdansk Jean Michel Jarre is giving a concert for free. For all of us those who remember and those who were born after.
For Poles who started to ruin communism all over the world. With a success.
For our and yours freedom.
Mania
My family was always anticommunists. We never had a moment of doubt this was the worst system. The official propaganda was not admitting that there are any strikes till the mid August when half of the country was not working. So they started talking about unreasonable breaks in work". Censorship didnt allow the word strike to be used. It made all of us furious. All we wanted then is to hear truth about workers, shipyard and our country.
It was still holiday. At home I was going with my mum to see workers. We were bringing them food, water and flowers. All gates of all factories were covered with flowers. And standing in front of the factories where were huge signs saying strike we were praying. Nobody could take this away. But every single day we didnt know what they will do. We were scared that again they will come, bit us and arrest. Any time we saw a militiaman we were shouting we want our freedom. In the mid August the word Solidarity came. It was just a word but changed something. Or rather changed everything.
There is no freedom without Solidarity we were shouting this every couple minutes
They were slowly getting lost. Couldnt fight all of us, couldnt arrest million of Poles. Already almost nobody was working. Printing houses started to print illegal newspaper distributed hand to hand among the whole nation.
Then they decided to talk. At that time Walesa was already a leader for all of us. Also people I have heard about before Michnik, Kuron were together with him. They started the negotiations.
31st August came. Official TV was broadcasting the negotiations for the first time we could see truth on TV. Negotiations were really tough. No one could foresee the final results.
21 postulates were prepared by Solidarity members. Now they seem so simple then they were so courageous.
We have won!!!!!
They had no choice, have to sign and agree. Suddenly we were living in a different country, in a different place. Only for a year and a half but about it I will write next year when we will have 25th anniversary of the martial law.
Today in Gdansk Jean Michel Jarre is giving a concert for free. For all of us those who remember and those who were born after.
For Poles who started to ruin communism all over the world. With a success.
For our and yours freedom.
Mania
