Bitter Twist To Freedom Celebrations
June 4th should be a glorious day in Gdansk. It was twenty years ago that the Communist regime fell, with the Solidarity Party triumphing in Eastern Europe's first free elections since the war.
However, the Gdansk shipyard where it all began is proving a thorn in the side of Poland's present government. Disgruntled workers have threatened to disrupt the international summit scheduled to take place in Gdansk on June 4th. As a result, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has switched the event to Krakow, so as to avoid embarrassing scenes.
At present, two key shipyards are being shut down and sold after EU officials ruled that they had received improper state aid. The third, at Gdansk, has been sold to Ukraine, but it remains entangled in a legal dispute.
Mr.Walesa himself, who led the fabled shipyard strike in 1980, has also embarrassed politicians by speaking for the Euro sceptic Libertas group, owned by Irish businessman Declan Ganley.