tory again, first another turns up free, laugh, and tell tales of how under the noses of the militia they escaped the net. But with so few, done?
It is clear that these men women have not regrouped only to be picked up again. After a long debate they decide to leave before ten o'clock, the hour of the curiew decreed by the autorites. good job too as the militia invaded the shipyard at 8 minutes past two during the night. The 'forces of order' break the roneos and the typewriters that iney come across moving in columns between the workshops, arrest seven militants, handcuff them, and then leave again.
The guiding theme of the communiques of the Military Council for Socialist Challenge 14 January 1982 THE what can be bulletin nounced and in the shipyard Gdansk the bulletin ZOMO
SOLIDARNOSC
number anthat Antoni ed.
Growarczyk aged 23 died Gdansk on December close to the monument 1970 dead. The described the scene as follows:
from the morning the motorised militia) had closed off all access to the monument. In the afternoon more and more people k. tried to reach it but at the same time ZOMO reinforcements were despatchThe crowd shouted:
'Gestapo and sang the national anthem. The ZOMO used their guns, and tear gas grenades which the crowd threw back at them.
'In the afternoon, whole crowd of people were arrested struggle became increasingly bitter: one side with stones, the orner witn We now know the name of one of those killed: Antoni Growarczyk, aged 23.
The activities of Solidarity, and also those of the Journalists Association, the Independent Association, are suspended. The property and monies of Solidarity are impounded. Constitutional are suspended and the inviolability of restaences is lied All citizens between 16 and 65 can be placed in forced labour for renewable periods of days. suspended. Reservists are liable to immediate call-up.
The terms of reference of the military tribunals have been enlarged and the judicial proceedings speeded up. Post, transport, petrol stations, retineries. ports, firefighters. are all 'militarised'. Their employees no longer have any employment conStudents obey orders from now freedoms holidays till down. reduced to voice: the voice of the army.
leave strange though they don't the tract, nor do they any longer have the chance to resign, and any refusal to on is considered an act of insubordination.
Schoolkids and students are given January. Regional radio and television stations are shut sevell The national networks al c one voice, the official Sunday evening at 7.30pm is the first televised day of the state of war. Men in uniform read out the news in a cold and expressionless face. It leaves impression: all these measures amount to a coup d'etat, want lo use the word which is reminiscent of South American generals. However in the streets life would appear to be normal be Workers fraternise with the soliders when the were it not for the secret whispering There is an all-embracing shadow which has cut up Poland into towns and villages between which one canand which has broken up the whole of society, which is now merely a collec. tion of individuals who ly vulnerable. It is ext remely effective Whilst everyone realises that a refusal to go along with this would reduce it 1o nothing, everyone is also asking if their brother, their cousin, or their workshop manager is going to refuse or not. Fear takes a grip, grows and paralyses. And then, too much, it's too much. Through dulling people's senses with the same communiques, propaganda gives itself away: there is nothing other than the same constantly repeated threats.
Lenin shipyards, Monday eleven o'clock in the room where the na tional strike committee met. 'We are, says an old worker, 'citizens with full rights Peoples and we will not give up our rights.' One cannot take his hopes for realities. We know that if the mines are on strike in Silesia, it's not all of them, it's only 27, or some say only The other shipyards, delegates are there, are militarised from this point on and whilst their workers are only pretending to work nevertheless they are still at their post No, they don't delude themselves but they say: 'We must hold out for 36 hours, then something will happen.' A young worker begins a long discussion Gandhi and methods of non-violence. 'If the army comes, he says, 'we will given them flowers and perhaps they withdraw their arms.' He has little success, and everyone insists that we careful of provocations, nothing damaging should be done that we shouldn't leave the shipyard that we should stay here even if they produce all the paralysing gases, tear gas etc.
They discuss for ages to decide whether to give passes to those who want to leave the shipyards. don't really take a decision but the general sentiment is that it would be best to have 5000 convinced people than 15,000 undecided. This hesitaone feels it in the room, one reads it in people's expressions; it's anguish brother workers shipyard,' says an old peasant 1980 the spark which inflamed the whole of Poland began here because you took the decision. Today again you have decided: not to leave your workplace. agricultural workers, we will bring you everything to make sure that you do not starve We will manage somehow. We will kill our animals to feed you. We will help you, l ask of you just one thing, do not give in! Don't let yourselves be terrorised!
Who is this general who directs hisguns at own people declares war on his own nation? The Planks must appear radio bombards us with propaganda, but our unity can achieve everything. Dear workers, fear nothing, for God is with us, the Blessed Virgin will not desert us. Save our honour!' Anna gentle woman with caloused hands -over whom the whole thing started, when the workers began their strike to prevent her being sacked in August 1980 — entered the room. She weeps on recognising her friends. She is a tiny woman, and looks very tired, but she would not give in for anything in of whose the centre traffic is existent; the under surveillance.
At this time no one can say what is to become of Poland. Eleven years Three days later on in ende 1970, they were drowned in blood and his this blood soon led to the fall of the first secretary of that time, Gomulka. The radio quotes extensively the long will sermon of the primate: this certainly isn't a call for a general strike.. that They 'in and appeared.
their officers the degenerated.
Walentynowicz, this small fists bludgeons, more casualties.
Zbigniew, Thursday youth, were almost nonlarge crossroads are The Gdansk.
to the police, Tanks drive past the Gdansk movement to the 1970 dead Socialist Challenge The continuing story of the events at the Lenin shipyards was taken up by the Polish correspondent of Le Matin. TUESDAY morning, , the first tanks At first the people were able to fraternise with the soldiers but very quickly forced them to stop. 'The soldiers explained to us that they would never fire at us,' said Jan, a young student.
'We managed to put flowers in their tank barrels. These tanks were replaced by others who kept on the move around the shipyards all day. i he tension increased later in the dav with the workers exasperated by the violence of the militia The real pacification' of the yards took place on Wednesday. The tanks smashed down the yard gates at six in the morning. They were followed up by the militia and the ZOMO. workers were completely exasperated and ready for trouble, said Julian. 'They had their helmets on, their lead pipes, stones, tools and their fists. more radical ones down and bloody confrontations were avoided 'That did not stop the milita from beating people senseless and from using their grenades, Julian went on The shipyard fell quickly, but in afternoon things really The military government of Gdansk refused to allow an open air mass to be held at the monument for the victims of 1970. The site was blocked off by the militia and, at about three o'clock, the crowd, mad with rage, attacked them.
Shahala lasted sortes hours, paving stones then water cannons and plastic bullets. Officially, there were than hundred street saw a stupid thing,' said young student, 'the police were in the process of beating up a young kid of 15 or so on the The crowd covered in blood, and took a pistol out of hi pocket, and fired at the police. He hit one of them in the head before getting been any deaths on Wednesday.
it started up again.
Police cordons against groups of this time molotov cocktails. Near to the station a police vehicle was burned out. The police overwhelmed. Commander Kulikowski ordered one of his units to open fire. A man of about 21 was hit in the head and died in hospital.
authorities admitted his death, But, according to the doctors in Gdansk, there were at least two other deaths: a woman shot in the stomach, a soldier thrown off a high bridge by the demonstrators. And six more seriously wounded. "The people cried, "Gestapo, Gestapo, traitors"
'said Julian, 'It's a térrible thing for Poles to kill other Poles.
14 January 1982
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