Poland: Information on the status of the Federation of Fighting Youth (FMW) and the treatment of its members since 1989 (Update to POL16280.E)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | POL16582.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Poland: Information on the status of the Federation of Fighting Youth (FMW) and the treatment of its members since 1989 (Update to POL16280.E), 1 February 1994, POL16582.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2860.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
There is no information currently available to the DIRB specific to the treatment of FMW members since 1989.
Several reports, however, refer to the group's political activities since 1989, most of which correspond to its anti-communist and nationalist platform (Russian Press Digest 10 June 1990; Gazeta International 12 July 1990; BBC Summary 25 July 1990; ibid. 25 Jan. 1991; Encyklopedia Popularna PWN 1992). For example, in January 1990 the FMW, along with members of the Confederation of Independent Poland (KPN), took part in the occupation of the regional communist party headquarters in Krakow (Reuters 22 Jan. 1990). In May 1991 FMW members reportedly threw a smoke bomb into a crowd during a May Day rally organized by Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (SDRP) and trade unions under the umbrella of the OPZZ (BBC Summary 3 May 1991).
The SDRP, the reconstituted Polish communist party, has continued to be the subject of FMW political statements. In May 1992, it was among the organizations that mounted a demonstration calling for the "delegalization" of the SDRP (PAP News Wire 3 May 1992). The latter is the largest member party of the Democratic Left Alliance, the grouping that won the most seats in the September 1993 parliamentary elections (RFE/RL 8 Oct. 1993, 21). In early November the FMW responded with an announcement that it would "support all forms of civil disobedience counteracting the recommunization of Poland" and called for an anti-communist alliance of "Christian democrats, nationalists and conservatives" (PAP News Wire 2 Nov. 1993).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 3 May 1993. "May Day Demonstrations Throughout Country." (NEXIS)
. 25 January 1991. "Federation of Fighting Youth Statement on Elections." (NEXIS)
. 25 July 1990. "Independence Groups Meet." (NEXIS)
Encyklopedia Popularna PWN. 1992. Warsaw: Wydawnictho Naukowe PWN.
Gazeta International. 12 July 1990. "The German Presence; The Borderland." (NEXIS)
PAP News Wire. 3 May 1992. "Demonstrations Call for Desovietization of State Structures." (NEXIS)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 8 October 1993. RFE/RL Research Report. Vol. 2, No. 40. Louisa Vinton. "Poland Goes Left."
Reuters. 22 January 1990. "Youths Seize Communist Offices as Party Denounces Solidarity." (NEXIS)
Russian Press Digest. 10 June 1990. "Bitter Honey From the Golden Hive." (NEXIS)