Poland: Information on the city of Lublin in Poland, especially demonstrations by students in 1986-88
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | POL3147 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Poland: Information on the city of Lublin in Poland, especially demonstrations by students in 1986-88, 1 December 1989, POL3147, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abf860.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. |
The Catholic University of Lublin, the only independent university in Eastern Europe, has reportedly acted as a "barometer of church-state relations" in Poland. Almost all of Poland's major church leaders, including Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Wyszynski, have been graduates. [ John Tagliabue, "Poland's Font of Catholic Scholarship," The New York Times, 28 December 1987.]
On 6 June 1988, Catholic activists at the Catholic University announced a petition signed by 16,000, which asked for greater religious freedoms. [ Radio Free Europe, "Weekly Record of Events in Eastern Europe," Radio Free Europe Research, 10 June 1988, p. 7.] Later in the month, the Polish Supreme Court supported a previous decision which prevented Solidarity from creating a local chapter at the Catholic University. [ Radio Free Europe, "Weekly Record of Events in Eastern Europe," Radio Free Europe Research, 24 June 1988, p. 9.]
There have been political activities by non-student groups also reported in Lublin. On 25 June 1989, a demonstration of 500 in Lublin was broken up by the police. Members of the Confederation for Independent Poland (KPN) were beaten and more than a dozen were reportedly detained. KPN leader Moczulski, was detained for 2 1/2 hours. [ "Protests focus on Polish leader," The Globe and Mail, 26 June 1986.] In August 1986, on the sixth anniversary of Solidarity's establishment, there were commemorations throughout the country. In some places, including Lublin, preventative arrests took place. [ Anna Swidlicka, "Solidarity's Sixth Anniversary," Radio Free Europe Research, 17 September 1986.]
Finally, reports exist of student demonstrations from 1986 to 1988 in other parts of the country. In early May 1988, the Independent Students' Union (NZS) staged a one-day occupation strike in Warsaw University, demanding legalization and greater academic freedoms. [ Radio Free Europe, "Weekly Record of Events in Eastern Europe," Radio Free Europe Research, 13 May 1988, p. 9.] In late May 1989, there were a number of strikes and demonstrations organized by students in protest against a Warsaw court decision refusing to legalize NZS earlier in the month. [ All the information in this paragraph is from Radio Free Europe, "Weekly Record of Events in Eastern Europe," Radio Free Europe Research, Volume 14, Number 22, 2 June 1989, pp. 13-7.] The strikes took place in a number of cities including Lublin. On 26 May, the leadership of NZS called for "occupation strikes" in campuses across the country. Sixteen such strikes were already in progress. By 29 May 1989, a spokesman for NZS said that occupation strikes were being held or had been held in 40 Polish campuses. NZS decided to suspend all strikes on 30 May 1989 so as not to distract voters from the upcoming Polish elections.
On 25 September 1989, the Polish Supreme court decided to legalize NZS. [ BBC Monitoring Service, "Poland: Independent Union of Students registered," Summary of World Broadcasts, 25 September 1989.]