Thousands march in Poland in support of Wałęsa

The march, which kicked off in the early afternoon in Warsaw, was staged under the slogan “We, the People”, referring to Wałęsa’s famous address to the US Congress in 1989 after the collapse of communism in Poland.

As a gesture of solidarity with the former President, many demonstrators wore Wałęsa face masks. Files reportedly containing evidence of him having been an informant of the communist secret police in the 1970s were made available on Monday by Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).

Wałęsa denied claims that he had been an informant, but admitted making a mistake. During the march, the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), organising the event, also started to collect signatures to back their draft bill on the Constitutional Tribunal.

Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

According to the Committee, a new law is needed to overcome the political crisis caused by the ruling Law and Justice party’s initiatives around the Tribunal which violate democratic norms and the constitutional separation of powers.

The KOD demonstration was attended by the leaders of opposition parties.

According to a survey by Millward Brown, 51 percent of Poles deem KOD demonstrations pointless against 44 percent to the contrary. (mo/rg)