Prawdziwa solidarność zamiast deklaratywnej przyjaźni. Polskie protesty przeciwko inwazji wojsk układu Warszawskiego na Czechosłowację w 1968 r.
Real Solidarity instead of Declarations of friendship. The Polish Protests against the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968

Summary/Abstract: Contrary to stereotypes that persist today, Polish society did not support the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces in 1968 en masse. In fact, it is more accurate to say that at that time the pose of friendship and fraternity propagated officially was replaced by a sincere, unforced solidarity. Many Poles expressed their opposition to this ‘fraternal help’ in various ways – from words to deeds – or showed sympathy towards the Czechs and Slovaks. This was the case not only within Poland, but also among Polish émigrés in the West and in Czechoslovakia itself. The most tragic manifestation of this was the self-immolation of Ryszard Siwec in September 1968 at the 10th-Anniversary Stadium in Warsaw. It may come as a surprise that the scale of the protests – in terms of the number of leaflets and inscriptions – was twice as large as in March 1968. Poles proved themselves to be in strong solidarity with the Czech and Slovaks, despite the pacification of some parts of society several months previously, the vacation period, anti-Czech sentiments, PRL propaganda and threats of repression (detentions, arrests, prison sentences, dismissals from work or academic positions). Today, the attitude of those who had the courage to stand up against the ‘fraternal help’ for Czechoslovakia can be a cause for pride, in contrast to the shame associated with the participation of the Wojsko Polskie in the invasion.

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