Indiana University - Arbutus Yearbook (Bloomington, IN)

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Solidarity — crushed O, ' n the cold, clear morning of Sun- day, December 13, the ugly right arm of martial law seized its left and crushed — like a vise — the free- doms that the Polish workers ' move- ment. Solidarity, had struggled to obtain for two years. Tanks rolled down desolate streets. Mail was cen- sored. All communication was res- tricted. Poland ' s leader. General Wojciech Jaruzelski, appeared on Polish tele- vi sion to explain the crackdown, which was spurred by the Soviets. By halting Solidarity ' s increasing de- mands for freedom, the 21 -member Polish junta was hoping to keep the Soviets from directly intervening in Poland ' s domestic problems, which included worker unrest and a mis- managed economy on the verge of collapse. Jaruzelski ' s government issued more than 20 separate orders sus- pending rights, mcluding freedom of speedi, press, and assembly. The orders imposed restrictions on travel and communications. Immediately, Polish troops arrested and detained hundreds of Solidarity activists. Among the first to be placed under house arrest was the cnarismatic, uncompromising Lech Walesa, leader of the 10 million Solidarity members. Storms of vio- lent strikes broke out throughout the troubled nation, especially at coal mines in the south, and at Gdansk, the northern city where Solidarity was born. An unofficial estimate reported 200 killed in the clashes between troops and workers. The govern- ment reported only 17 deaths. In Bloomington, some five thousand miles away, a small hand- ful of worried faculty and students watched the first reports unfold with much more of an emotional interest than most Americans. The impact of the crackdown was felt immediately by Professor Jerzy Bobryk, an ex- change researdi assistant from War- saw University. Bobryk, 32, was scheduled to return to his wife and daughter in Poland on December 13. The night before, however, news of the crackdown came during a farewell party thrown by some of nis colleagues. ' On Sunday, it was clear to me that I couldn ' t go home, he said. All flights were cancelled and Bobryk was allowed to stay another semester at lU. Bobryk said he intended to return to Poland at the end of the spring semester or sooner — if his depart- ment decided to call him back. In the meantime, he received a long- awaited letter from his family. Wojciech Wierzewski, 40, a pro- fessor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, was at Bobryk ' s farewell party. He is also an exchange professor from Warsaw University. Unlike Bobryk, Wierz- weski has his family with him and they intend to remain in the U.S. — at least for now. We would like to return to Poland, but not to this reg- ime, he said. Wierzewski said that many of his colleagues at Warsaw University had been arrested and a military commander was now in charge. Classes were cancelled to prevent students from assembling and orga- nizing protests. Joanna Karwowska, 32, a compu- ter science graduate student, and Ayesha Hajjar, 22, a senior majoring in religious studies, have family and friends in Poland. Each received let- ters from family saying that they were all right. The envelopes, they said, had been opened, stapled, and stamped by Polish authorities. Jan Jaworowski, 53, a math profes- sor and former Polish citizen, said he was worried about old friends and relahves still in Poland. One piece of mail he received from an old friend was just the envelope — the letter had been seized. Wierzewski said the letters he re- ceived were neutral in comment be- cause of the censorship. One letter from a journalist friend, however, was written in metaphorical lan- guage. He described being detained by authorities, released, and then watched as going to the doctor, being released, but remaining under doctor ' s care. Though Poland is an Eastern Bloc nation, it had been an exception to the Soviet system. The people had more freedoms with Solidarity ' s broad social and political force than in other Bloc countries, Wierzewski said. But the crackdown demon- strated that Poland was an exception not to be tolerated. Bobryk said that although the situation remained unclear, ne felt martial law was a governmental mis- take — it did not change the prob- lems or the people ' s attitudes to- ward Solidarity. Almost a third of Poland ' s 36 million people were members. To show support for the Polish people. President Ronald Reagan denounced martial law and imposed sanctions on the Polish and Soviet governments. The sanctions, however, were symbolic more than anything, and met with mixed reac- tions. The NATO allies, on the other hand, offered no concrete support at all. Through all the complicated eco- nomic, social, and political turmoil, Jaworowski said that Solidarity ' s message to the West was simple and poignant: give any possible support you can, and don ' t forget us. As the months progressed, some rights were returned; but it was ob- vious that martial law was not going to let up as soon as many had hoped. Speaking at lU on February 15, a for- mer U.S. ambassador to Poland, Richard T. Davies, said that U.S. policy had not been strong enough. Davies said, however, the respon- sibility to solve the crisis would re- main with the Polish government. Martial law will not solve Poland ' s problems, he said. Sooner or la- ter, the Polish leaders will have to find the way out of the blind alley that they have herded the Polish people into. Richard Biever

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Lounging in the union