For the sake of demilitarize Central Europe. An open letter from Jacek Kuron to all people for whom the desire for peace is genuine.
Translation from the text of an arti cle published in
Masowsze of June 7 1984. "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee." THE Polish state has violence, deprived our society of all human rights, and economically ruined our country.
The reality of economic collapse and of unpredictable consequences, becomes more vivid everyday. our society has refused to be deprived of its own organisation Soliarnose, which is ready for the struggle to protect its own rights, and to resist the state. Over all this however hangs the threat of Soviet intervention, for us would mean a national disaster and which could lead to a major world catastrophe.
For more than three years (since December 13, 1981), the spectre of war has hung over Polish society. The Polish people have been abandonned to face by themselves the destiny of the nation and of world peace. By
East
Peace
Movements
ONE of the main issues that arose it this Summer's Perugia Europear Nuclear Disarmament Convention was that of "the empty seats", that is absent friends, peace activists denied visas by their respective governments to attend - for exam'ple the Independent Peace Groups of Eastern Europ, and Groups from Turkey and Israel.
This was exacerbated by presence in Perugia, for the first time at an END Convention, representatives of all the East European Peace Movements.
Mile to the delegates were hostile "Officials". naively and hospitably any dialogue was worth having. At the very first session of the Convention, a group of activists seized the stage and wearing gags, held up posters demanding the from jail of East European Independent Peace activists and Solidarnosc leaders. The Officials sent a strongly worded protest the provocation in cold war style and primitive anti-communism" and threatened to withdraw from the Convention.
Solidarnosc appeal
Poland.
showing guaranteeing world peace
By allowing the face their own
Tygodnik own selves.
through mies are contantly on wage war on their own societies.
is imperative,
East
Poland.
But heartfelt concern.
front of NATO bases, and Pershing which
Peace Movements press all their weight behind and sup.
support the peaceful the military dictatorship.
Jacek Kuron
European
As well as the Group for Trust in the
USSR, there dependent Peace groups in Warsaw
Pact countries. In Czecheslovakia.
with for
1983,
17
Peace
cluding
Charter
Misteroline fearles interate te distributing the deployment of of
Czecheslovakia.
Official
State very others felt that
Czecheslovakia.
ent Husak were circulated in th actories protesting about the deploy
"Swords into release mainly
November several peace activists with Western friends
"against from the Dutch IKV and the Greens demonstrating in East Berlin for hemongainst ge deployment of 520e were surrounded by the police before they were all arrested. Two days later extraordinary parence vis-à-vis dictatorship, the Poies are
Polish people to destiny the aione,
Peace movements all over the worid, opposed to war, are betraying their
World peace is meaningless without putting an end to a situation in which Warsaw pac: arthe aiert io
This is why the demilitarisation of Europe most importantiy in and West Germany, and in
Bishop
My call is to all those in the world to whom the question of peace is a
The struggle for
Marx peace cannot only be conducted in where Cruise missiles are being deployed. It is the moral duty of the o:
tha worid to port the anti war movements that came into being after December 13,
1981, just as they are duty bound to that struggle
Polish society is conducting agairst expelled
Former
Peace
of Inare a number
Charter 77 has continued a dialogue the Western Peace Movement some time now. In November peace demonstrators in
77 spokespersons against
She untical Free
Ploughshares
Last church-based hundred GDR
RI
PE
Forck of the Protestant Church delivered petitions to the government against the SS20s. Protests also took place in Leip? Weimar Karl-
Stadt, Potsdam with demonstrators arrested mainly for "hooliganism". In Suhl 90 peace activists held a day's workshop accompanied by 300 uniformed and plain clothes police. Over 100 West German peace activists have been denied accesss to the GDR since last November.
The "Dialogue" group in Hungary were prevented from holding an in. ternational summer camp when 20 of their members were temporarily de tained and 15 Western activists were from the country, The gro"p has since dissolved explaining that its main aim - Dialogue with the authorities — had become impossible and citing both continuous police harassment and also internal disagreement on future tactics.
Dialogue leader Ferene Koszegi has formed a network of
Clubs, while a group under the leadership of Ferenc Rusza also continue to campaign. Rabbi Csenyi who has served a spell in jail for advocating conscientious objection has launched a Jewish Peace Group in Budapest. During official signature campaign against NATO's deployment of Cruise and Pershing II missiles, some high school students began a counter petition protesting about SS20s. Iwo school principals were apparently sacked for failing to stop these petitions.
Poland, most underground
KOS, endom on to or cal
Resistance", issued clude opposition to SS20s in thei demonstrations and to link the ques
EUROPE