Polish MEP Adam Gierek, son of the former Polish communist leader, claims that his father played a crucial role in forming the “Solidarity” movement.

Adam Gierek, professor of technical sciences and son of the former First Secretary of Polish communist party, Edward Gierek, is now serving as a socialist member of the European Parliament.

In an interview for onet.pl, marking a Polish year of anniversaries, Adam Gierek recalls the second half of the previous century. “While talking about the EU accession, it is passed over with silence, that, in a factual and physiological sense, Poland’s opening in the seventies [when Edward Gierek was ruling Poland], also had a certain impact on this process,” the younger Gierek claims.

But not only Poland’s integration with the EU is partly owed to the communist leader, Adam Gierek maintains. Also the “Solidarity,” the first non-communist labour union in the communist bloc, would not be formed at that time, if there would be no Edward Gierek, his son says.

“Thanks to [Edward Gierek’s] decision, “Solidarity” was legalized in 1980 during the communist party plenary meeting. He was supposed to announce it to the Parliament next day, but he went to hospital, that is way no one remember that today,” Adam Gierek states. As he adds, the First Secretary approved “Solidarity”, because he hoped there will be a certain platform of cooperation between the trade union and the communist party.

According to Adam Gierek, his father was not surprised by the 1989 landslide electoral victory. The elder Gierek was even happy with the communists failure, because the system started to fall apart. “It is the economy which rules everything, not the doctrines and ideology,” Adam Gierek concludes. (jg/mmj)

Source: onet.pl