Solidarnosc; Solidarity is allowed some hoopla

Solidarity reared its head openly here Tuesday.

In the first demonstration in a two-week protest drive, underground Solidarity activists strung banners over a central Warsaw street and showered leaflets from rooftops. These two weeks lead up to the Aug. 31 anniversary of Solidarity's legalization, and are seen here as a test for the degree of active support the opposition can muster. Last year, the union's members numbered nearly 10 million.

In another gesture, the cross of flowers that has become a Solidarity symbol was rebuilt in Warsaw's Victory Square. Police did not prevent the rebuilding of the cross, which was taken down earlier after warnings from the regime that it would tolerate no disturbances as the nation opened the protest drive. That earlier show of force brought riot police with tear gas and water cannon to break up a peaceful gathering of several hundred people in Warsaw. And police patrols in the Baltic port of Gdansk held the city in a tight grip.

Tuesday, the military leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, ended a visit to the Soviet Union during which he told President Brezhnev that counterrevolutionary forces were hindering efforts to recover from Poland's crisis. His words clearly referred to the Solidarity call for the two-week protest campaign.

Diplomats in Moscow noted that there was no ringing expression of confidence by the Soviet side that the Warsaw leadership would finally master the internal situation. Summarizing talks in the Crimea, the official news agency, Tass, quoted General Jaruzelski as blaming external forces, primarily the United States, for inspiring and supporting counterrevolution.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Solidarnosc; Solidarity is allowed some hoopla
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0818/081818.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe