Poland: Sad Anniversary

The iron grip remains

First came the good news: the state of martial law that was imposed by General Wojciech Jaruzelski exactly one year earlier would be suspended by year's end. But then, as Jaruzelski proceeded with his nationwide television address, came the bitter reality: the government was preparing new laws that would, if anything, further restrict the freedom of Poles.

As if to confirm the message, hundreds of heavy police trucks, vans equipped with water cannons and armored personnel carriers rumbled through the streets of Polish cities following the anniversary. In Gdansk, the birthplace of the now illegal independent union...

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