Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a keynote speech at the conference “Poland, June 1976: The Road to Freedom in Europe”, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the June 1976 protests in Poland. MEP Małgorzata Gosiewska opened the event.
In 1976, tens of thousands of Polish workers took to the streets to protest sharp increases in food prices. The largest demonstrations took place in Radom, Ursus, and Płock. While brutally suppressed, the protests became a milestone on the road to the creation of the Solidarity movement and democratic change in Poland.
In her speech, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Polish resistance veterans and noted that their struggle for freedom had become an example for Belarusians. She spoke about how the Polish anti-communist movement inspired Belarusian activists in the 1980s, while contacts between Belarus and Poland helped deliver independent publications, information, and equipment.
She also drew parallels with the events of 2020 in Belarus, sharing that Belarusians had also formed strike committees, supported those affected by repression and political prisoners, and that the very word “solidarity” had become one of the main symbols of the Belarusian movement.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya highlighted Andrzej Poczobut, who has been awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, as a symbol of Belarusian–Polish solidarity and courage.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Like the Poles before us, we Belarusians will also make our own journey to freedom. Like Poland, we will rebuild a free and independent country and return it to the European family of nations. And when that day comes, we will never forget those who stood with us during the most difficult years. Niech Żyje Wolna Polska, Long Live Europe, Long Live Belarus!”
