President of the IPN Karol Nawrocki placed a wreath in front of the Cross-Pomnik on Monday morning at the Katowice mine Uncle, where 43 years ago – 16 December 1981 – during the bloody pacification of the plant, the zombies shot 9 protestor miners. It was the top tragedy of martial law.
Nawrocki placed a wreath in the company of the manager of the Katowice branch of the IPN Andrzej Sznajder, who was the youngest interned in the martial law – erstwhile he was detained he was 17 and 10 days old, he spent almost a period in internment centres.
In his speech Nawrocki said that the death of mine miners from the mine Uncle is proof that the communist strategy was cruel and barbaric from beginning to end, besides in the 1980s. "Uncle Mine and the death of miners is besides a symbol of difficulties in the process of systemic transformation in Poland" – he said and recalled that the settlement of direct perpetrators of this crime took many years, and their powers – generals Wojciech Jaruzelski and Czesław Kiszczak – were never convicted of the death of victims of martial law.
"I think that those who looked at Wojciech Jaruzelski and Czesław Kiszczak in Poland with admiration and respect, present may feel embarrassed again, due to the fact that Wojciech Jaruzelski and Czesław Kiszczak (...) were heroes and partners for many, unfortunately, political groups after 1989 in the freedom of Poland," said the president of the IPN.
As he stated, he came to Katowice primarily to pay tribute to the victims and condemn the perpetrators, but besides to observe Poles "before looking at communist dictators specified as Wojciech Jaruzelski and Czesław Kiszczak destroyed our civic awareness in the 1990s, in the 2000s and it is advanced time for this to end".
During his visit, Nawrocka exchanged a fewer words with an older man who came to the monument with the Polish flag and, as he said, was oppressed in the Polish People's Republic as an enemy of the socialist system. He wished Nawrock to win the presidential election.
During the briefing, the question of "coalition on 13 December" was raised. “To my knowledge, the government was sworn in on 13 December and so it is simply a coalition on 13 December,” Nawrocki replied. erstwhile asked “if it obliges”, he replied, “I hope it does not oblige, although sometimes erstwhile I look at the restoration of pension privileges to safety Service officers or subsequent revolutions in the basis of the programming ministry of education and science, I feel that this 13 December in any parts of social life is valid and that scares me very much – this date on 13 December and in general on 13 December is 1 of the most tragic dates in Polish historical awareness.”
“If he is to oblige anyone on 13 December, it is only to respect the victims of communists, not to reconstruct retirement privileges to safety Service officers. Carrying specified a date on its back, on 13 December, for modern politicians should, however, affect a clear cut off from the post-communist component (...)," Nawrocki added.
The main anniversary celebrations of the pacification of the mine Uncle, in which the families of the victims, participants of the historical strike, unionists and representatives of the authorities will begin on Monday early afternoon conventional mass in the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Later, the participants of the ceremony will go to the Cross-Pomnik close the mine, where a memorial appeal will be read and speeches will be given. The celebration will end with the laying of wreaths.
Nine Miners will pay tribute to the dead before noon. Nearly a 1000 young people will participate. Participants in the run, like all year, will wear t-shirts with images of victims of pacification. As in erstwhile years, this year's celebration is accompanied by the action “Stop the City”. At 11 o'clock in Katowice, alarm sirens will be ringing.
The strike in the mine Uncle broke out on December 14, 1981. Protesters demanded, among others, the release of the detainee president of the NSZZ “Solidarity” committee of Jan Ludwiczak and another internees, the cancellation of martial law and compliance with agreements concluded by the government in August and September 1980.
On December 16, the government decided to forcely strangle the rebellion. After the crowd-complexed excavation, the militia and the ZOMO proceeded to pacify the mine. teardrop gases and smoke candles were fired towards the plant, and strikers were poured with cannon water. The mine barrier was breached by tanks, officers, including ZOMO peculiar platoon, armed with device guns, entered the site. Shots fired at strikers.
Six miners died at the site, 3 others died later in hospitals. For Józef Czekielski, Krzysztof Giza, Ryszard Gzik, Bogusław Kopczak, Zenon Zając, Zbigniew Wilk, Andrzej Pełka, Jan Stawisiński and Joachim Gnida, this was the last figure in life. The youngest of them was 19, the oldest – 48. 23 another protesters besides suffered gunshot wounds.(PAP).
Source: PAP/PCh24.pl
