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The Gdansk demonstrations quickly became a drama doubly motivated. While some protesters were setting fire to party headquarters, others were looting stores in gestures of need or greed. Men dashed to safety with looted overcoats hastily donned over their own. and women lugged bulging packages. Fleet-footed teen-agers took everything from fur coats to oranges and champagne. Some entrepreneurs stopped long enough to sell surplus loot at curbside. One boy's inventory of shirts, for only 40 zlotys (or $1) apiece, was a steal in itself.
Warsaw's reaction to the Gdansk rioting was swift and ferocious. The government literally sealed off the city. Western ships were ordered to leave the harbor. Trains were halted and flights into the Gdansk airport suspended because of "bad weather." Telephone operators refused to put through calls, explaining that there was "switchboard trouble." Roadblocks turned back inquisitive motorists.
Meanwhile, army tanks rumbled into the city and police bombed demonstrators with tear gas from helicopters hovering overhead. Blaming "hooligans" and "rowdies" for the disorders, Radio Gdansk interrupted regular programming to announce a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the Presidium of the Provincial Council; public gatherings were also banned. In addition, the Presidium appealed to "civic consciousness to guarantee peace in our town." It warned that it would utilize "all means" to restore order and told militiamen to shoot to kill. Despite the tough measures—and Warsaw's initial effort to keep silent about the protests—word of the riot spread quickly throughout Poland; Gdansk itself remained in turmoil for three days.
The rage of riot, arson and disorder eventually reached a point at which the central government was forced to acknowledge it openly. Warsaw television showed a 2½-minute film segment of overturned autos and charred buildings in Gdansk—but no protesting workers. Premier Józef Cyrankiewicz appeared on TV prime time to deplore the riots and to admit "a number of dead in the teens." The toll was undoubtedly higher; the first nongovernment estimate was at least 20 killed and 700 injured. Among the dead were "officials," meaning police. Indirectly, the Premier indicated that some of the demonstrators were armed; troops, he admitted, had fired on the crowds in self-defense.
"These are the tragic consequences of a lack of prudence," Cyrankiewicz told the nation. "Hostile forces are trying to create new centers of anarchy, disturb the rhythm of normal work in factories and disorganize the life of the country." They included anarchists, hooligans and criminal elements, he said. He threatened that "organs of militia, the security service and cooperating organs are under obligation to take up all legal means of enforcement—including the use of weapons against all persons committing acts of violence."