News

20th May 2008

DECLARATION

The image of Poland in the contemporary world is shaped by the creative effort of its citizens, via economic and political change of the last two decades, by the success of culture and education. However, it also holds a place for the memory of the past. The Polish moral capital is the role of Solidarity and its historical leader Lech Walesa in his struggle for the free Poland, and the restoration of European unity. It is difficult to comprehend the intention of institutions and people who organize lately a campaign of accusations and slander against Lech Walesa.

An institution that was created to serve national remembrance now aims at taking up activities bound to destroy this very remembrance: the communist Secret Service archives are to become an instrument of defilement of the image and authority of the leader of Solidarity workers' movement, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first President of the newly independent Poland. Against this victim of Security Service persecution, those remembrance policemen use the hateful methods of these days. They violate the truth and damage the fundamental ethical standards. They bring harm to Poland.

We express our highest respect, trust and solidarity to Lech Walesa. We address all citizens to oppose this campaign of hatred and slander of Lech Walesa, a campaign that destroys Polish national memory.
Władysław Bartoszewski,
Zbigniew Bujak,
Jerzy Buzek,
Andrzej Celiński,
Marek Edelman,
Władysław Frasyniuk,
Bronisław Geremek,
Stefan Jurczak,
Krzysztof Kozłowski,
Jan Kułakowski,
Bogdan Lis,
Helena Łuczywo,
Tadeusz Mazowiecki,
Adam Michnik,
Karol Modzelewski,
Janusz Onyszkiewicz,
Józef Pinior,
Jan Rulewski,
Henryk Samsonowicz,
Grażyna Staniszewska,
Wisława Szymborska,
Barbara Skarga,
Andrzej Wajda,
Henryk Wujec,
Krystyna Zachwatowicz.