On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Solidarność in Poland, Jerzy BUZEK, EP President, Hans-Dietrich GENSCHER, former German Foreign Minister (1974 - 1992) and John R. DAVIS, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland (1983 - 1990) speeches in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

speech

ceremony

BUZEK, Jerzy (EPP, PL)

EU - Poland (T)

Solidarność

GENSCHER, Hans-Dietrich (DE)

DAVIS, John (UK)

30th anniversary of Solidarność: extracts from the speeches

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Jerzy Karol BUZEK, EP President, In 1980 when after different events in my homeland where we undertook this great fight for freedom but everyone on their own. It was first it was workers then in was university students then it was the intelligence, but then we managed to start the fight together. That's what the solidarity comes from. During the strike against the communist system because this was really the reason behind the strikes at that time. It often happened that for examples miners went on strike in the name of teachers. Because it was very well known that teachers can not change anything by going on strike, because their strike did not mean much for the communism regime.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Jerzy Karol BUZEK, EP President, I first met president Walesa in the times of Solidarity movement back in 1981 but the most difficult moments were the times of the first meeting of the first congress of the Solidarity where we elected Lech Walesa the president of the Trade union. There were 4 candidates and there was a very severe fight there was the first democratic organisation in Eastern Europe. We did not know how to organize a secret vote because in communism time everything was arranged in advance. There was never a secret vote. So it was all new to us and people feared it is going to be manipulated.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Jerzy Karol BUZEK, EP President, Lech then said something that became a symbol later on. He said Solidarity can not be divided or destroyed. Look at how simple the sentence was, what was the biggest thread to us was the division, if you can not be divided, you can not be destroyed. This is a sentence that I think should be remembered in the Europe of today. We can no allow nobody to divide us because if we are divided, we will be destroyed not literally as in communist times but will be destroyed by competition from outside.

SOUNDBITE (German), Hans-Dietrich GENSCHER, former German Foreign Minister in years (1974 - 1992), It was a democratic revolution for freedom and in that time our thoughts and wishes accompanied the men and women of Solidarity. In 9th February 1982 Haig and the others, there was a communism party conference in Madrid. And there recall for getting rid of Marshall law in Poland and freeing the prisoners and resumption of dialog with the church and with Solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (English), John DAVIS, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland in years (1983 - 1990), The west and the USA, the Europe and the USA agreed that Solidarity must be protected and encouraged in every way we could. In USA we tented to leave this charge A because the Regan distraction which was in its first years - it was very anticommunist and in its own look and B because of the huge Polonia America, more than 10 millions Polish-Americans maybe 20 million on the way how you count, who have a real political influence in the United states.