Meeting at the commemorative plaque at Gdańsk Station, anniversary ceremonies on the Warsaw University campus, and a screening of the film “March ‘68” at the POLIN Museum are among the events being organized throughout Warsaw on Friday to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the March ‘68 events.
On March 8, 1968, a protest rally was held in the courtyard of the University of Warsaw in connection with the removal by the communist authorities of the performances of the play “Dziady” (eng. Forefathers' Eve), written by Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz, staged at the National Theatre.
The way the play was staged became controversial because of its uncompromising portrayal of Polish-Russian relations, which was unwelcome to the Soviet Embassy and the ruling communists. This led to a brutal pacification of the demonstration by militia units.
However, the regime did not limit itself to police actions against the demonstrators. In a speech on March 19, the communist leader Władysław Gomułka blamed Jews and anti-communist elements for the protests. Meetings in workplaces were organized to condemn the protesters too, with a definite anti-Semitic tinge.
Many academics lost their jobs and many students were expelled following the protests, and a wave of migration from Poland to Israel followed as the communists openly put pressure on people to leave.
These events are remembered to this day as a source of shame. The communists openly used anti-Semitism in their internal conflicts and provoked a wave of anti-Semitism in society.
The way the play was staged became controversial because of its uncompromising portrayal of Polish-Russian relations, which was unwelcome to the Soviet Embassy and the ruling communists. This led to a brutal pacification of the demonstration by militia units.
However, the regime did not limit itself to police actions against the demonstrators. In a speech on March 19, the communist leader Władysław Gomułka blamed Jews and anti-communist elements for the protests. Meetings in workplaces were organized to condemn the protesters too, with a definite anti-Semitic tinge.
Many academics lost their jobs and many students were expelled following the protests, and a wave of migration from Poland to Israel followed as the communists openly put pressure on people to leave.
These events are remembered to this day as a source of shame. The communists openly used anti-Semitism in their internal conflicts and provoked a wave of anti-Semitism in society.
Source: TVP World, PAP
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