Young political activists demonstrated yesterday outside the home of Poland’s last communist-era leader, whom some condemned and others praised on the anniversary of his imposing martial law in 1981.
Banners outside Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski’s home in Warsaw read: “Here lives a communist criminal” and “Jaruzelski, we remember your crimes.”
On December 13, 1981, Poles awoke to find Jaruzelski’s government had imposed martial law and outlawed Solidarity, the trade union movement that was pushing for economic reforms and democracy.
Thousands were imprisoned before martial law was lifted on July 22, 1983.
“We remember the victims of those days, those who were arrested and their families,” said Jaroslaw Krajewski, of the conservative Law and Justice party, according to PAP news agency.
Jaruzelski, now 81, and his supporters have defended the move as necessary to save Poland from a possible Soviet-led invasion.
“Martial law was the lesser of two evils,” said Grzegorz Walkiewicz, of the left-leaning Social Democrats. “We came here to show that we understand the general.”
Jaruzelski did not come outside, but received a few supportive demonstrators at his home.
Poles marked the anniversary across the nation with special Masses, marches and ceremonies.
In June 1989, Solidarity defeated the Communist Party in partially-free elections and formed the first post-war government in eastern Europe not dominated by communists.
“We have crossed a great distance from the time of martial law in 1981 to what we have been able to achieve in democratic Poland today,” said President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a reformed communist who is Poland’s most popular politician.
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