Moving on

Poland's Lech Walesa is quitting the Solidarity Trade Union he made famous.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Lech Walesa said Tuesday he has quit the Solidarity trade union that he founded and which helped bring down communism in Eastern Europe. "I have given up my membership last year because Solidarity and I have gone separate ways," he told The Associated Press.

Walesa also said he plans to stay away from events marking the 26th anniversary of Solidarity's founding on Aug. 31 in part because he disapproves of the union's support for Poland's new conservative leaders.

The 62-year-old Nobel Peace laureate said he left after Solidarity members ignored his criticism of their supPOLport for the Law and Justice Party and its leaders, twin brothers Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, during last fall's election campaign.

Lech Kaczynski won the presidency and Jaroslaw is now prime minister.

"When my arguments were not reaching them, I gave instructions to terminate my membership," Walesa said. "It is not over the Kaczynskis, but that was the last straw."

"I am not paying my fees any more," he added.

Walesa founded Solidarity in 1980 at the shipyards in Gdansk. It was a broad social movement made up of workers and intellectuals that opposed communism.

Despite being forced underground in the harsh martial law crackdown begun in 1981, it persevered and eventually succeeded in helping to bring down the communist regime in 1989.

I've been to Poland but know little of the country's internal politics. Lech Walesa was a pivotal figure in the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. Millions of Europeans owe their freedom to Walesa and The US shouldn't forget him either. For the Cold War may still be ongoing without him.

Good luck Lech Walesa and God bless.

Note- The AP article makes no mention that Walesa himself was Poland's President from 1990 to 1995. I wonder why this wasn't mentioned. The article's author, Monika Scislowska, is Polish.

Hat tip- Don Surber who notes how Poland has saved Europe throughout history.
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