On April 2, after long sufferings perfectly played out across the media, Karol Wojtyla, also known as the Pope, passed away. The media made an enormous spectacle of his death, allowing thousands to mourn and helping the Catholic Church enter a second spring – even if this may be only for a short period of time.
Dear Comrades,
I’m writing this letter to inform you about the ongoing paranoia in Poland which is related to the death of John Paul II. It is absolutely incredible and probably most of you will find it difficult to believe.
As the war broke out also in Poland we've witnessed a quite spontaneous demonstration in front of the American Embassy. The preparation for the demo was organized quite badly: you couldn't see any posters on the streets, no gatherings at schools or in the factories were organized to explain the nature of the present war with Iraq. Nevertheless what has to be stressed is that the people in Poland are deeply shocked by the conduct of Bush & Co., and also the servile attitude of the Polish government to their plans. Recently published polls show that 62 per cent of Poles oppose war and as much as 75 per cent do not accept sending Polish troops to fight in Iraq. In spite of all this the Polish government behaves as if it were a puppet of the Bush administration. It is one of the four nations which have sent soldiers to the battlefield. They have spent millions of zlotys for the so-called "war on terror" while at the same time we are told that there is no money for education and health services. It should be said that the war with Iraq has become a heated topic: people discuss this on the streets, at schools, in the workplaces… This once again proves that the long apathy of Polish society which followed on after the brutal clash with capitalist reality has definitely come to an end.