POLAND IS WAKING UP

ARTUR STELMASIAK

A several hundret thousand people took part in a march called ‘Poland, wake up!’. On 29 September this year, in Warsaw streets, they were protesting against the bad policy of the government, increasing the age of retirement of Poles, and, first of all, they were demanding the respect of the freedom of speech and granting the digital concession to the Television Trwam

The march started with the common prayer during the military Holy Mass on the Warsaw square of Three Crosses. There were white and red flags over the crowd of the faithful, as well as banners of ‘Solidarity’. – In the homily prelate priest Walenty Królak said that this great prayer referred to the Holy Masses for homeland with its tradition, celebrated for years by Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko. – Today times are different but the problems are not smaller at all. Therefore we need call God again so that we could be reborn spiritually and morally, as we see that democracy without God has something demonic in itself – stated the parish priest of the church of St. Augustine in Warsaw. – As long as we have been waiting for explaining the truth about Smoleńsk, various scandals remain unexplained whose victims are so many people – asked Fr. Królak. We can find an answer in the Gospel. – For, we can do everything with Christ, His grace and His power.

No place for the majority

Before the end of the Eucharist, also the director of Radio Maryja Father Tadeusz Rydzyk CSsR expressed his opinion. – The Episcopate has claimed for the Television Trwam three times. Also many hierarchs of the Church and Catholic organisations appealed about it. Despite the atmosphere of terrorizing, over 2 million people signed a protest against the discrimination of our Television – he emphasized. This whole engagement has not brought any positive results so far.

Father Rydzyk pointed out to a paradoxical situation in our country. Although in Poland 96% of the society admit to belonging to the Catholic church, this overwhelming majority cannot get even one place on the digital multiplex. For everything is given to liberal-leftist stations – It is good that more and more people are calling: ‘Poland, wake up!’ The director of Radio Maryja also referred to those who do not want this awakening and say that calmness is the most important. – Not calmness but peace. Calmness is the most important in a graveyard and maybe they mean it! (…) We want peace and peace is built on the truth. The truth and peace must be still gained, as being idle causes the evil – pointed out Father Rydzyk.

Whole Poland in Warsaw

Among the participants of the Holy Mass there were many members of the Family Radio Maryja, the Association ‘In solidarity 2010’, clubs of the ‘Polish Newspaper’, there were also several dozen thousand unionists of NSZZ ‘Solidarity’ and the representatives of many other independent associations and organisations. One could notice on the banners that people from whole Poland had arrived in Warsaw – from Suwałki, Jelenia Góra, Szczecin, Rzeszów. In the white – red crowd there were also politicians from the law and Justice party, Solidary Poland and Rightist party of the Polish Republic.

Together along Trakt Królewski

After the Eucharist the participants of the march set off along Trakt Królewski towards the Royal square, where the second part of the protest took place. On the scene placed near the Royal Castle a concert of patriotic songs took place and also politicians and unionists were making their speech. –The refusal of the right to transmitting by the Television Trwam on the multiplex is a refusal of building pluralism in Poland, because it is a refusal of the right to the truth – the basic right of democracy – said Jarosław Kaczyński, the chairman of the law and Justice party. – We may be cheated every day without this right, or manipulated every day.

In the opinion of the chairman Kaczyński, democracy in Poland is more and more alleged and is slowly getting a fiction. – Whereas we do not want fiction, we want democracy and therefore we want the right to the truth, therefore we want the Television Trwam – emphasized the chairman of the Law and Justice party. – These crowds show that Poland is waking up. For the evil exceeded its bounds.

A MARCH IN WARSAW

Piotr Duda, the chairman of NSZZ ‘Solidarity’
Everybody knows what is happening in Poland. Therefore there was ’Solidarity’ in this march. If we still meet with the arrogance of the authority, people will come out into streets with a less peaceful attitude, as it is happening in Spain. The free and equal access to media was written in point 3 of August provisions. It turns out that many provisions. It turns out many provisions is still current.

Professor Mirosław Piotrowski, MP of the European Parliament
No respect of the freedom of speech in our country is also a matter which is going to be discussed by the European Parliament. After the public hearing which we had organised a few months ago, the parliamentarians from the biggest European fraction got interested in the Television Trwam. There was also a letter from Nigel Farage to the chiefs of the parliamentarian groups in the European Parliament. It seems to me that in this matter it is impossible to sweep everything under a carpet. I expect that there is going to be a debate in Strasburg during which we will be aiming at deciding on the European resolution about the Television Trwam.

Dariusz Pogorzelski, an journalist of the Television Trwam
Once the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council said that he had surveys saying that 6 thousand people watch the Television Trwam. After this march he will not dare to repeat it. However, we hope that we will receive the place on the first multiplex which will be given up by the public television. The ground-based, digital broadcasting is the basic condition for further development of the Television Trwam. This process can be compared to the electrification. Only those who have electricity will develop. They wanted to leave us with an oil lamp.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 41/2012

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl