Lech Wałęsa was someone who could become a bridge leading from communism to freedom and who was able to create connections where only walls and the iron curtain stood before: “between East and West”, János Lázár the head of the prime minister’s office said at the ceremony offering Wałęsa the Visegrad Bridge award.
The life of the former Polish president stands as an example for any political power which plans to return to the real principle of “government by the people”, Lázár said at the ceremony held in the Parliament in Budapest. Gergely Gulyás, deputy parliamentary speaker, said Wałęsa’s message is still valid today, as today’s Europe needs nothing more than solidarity, which respects differences of various historical traditions within the community.
Lech Wałęsa was born September 29, 1943 in Popowo, Poland. He helped form and led (1980–1990) communist Poland’s first independent trade union, Solidarity. The charismatic leader of millions of Polish workers, he went on to become the president of Poland (1990–1995). He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1983. He ran for president again in 2000 but carried only a tiny fraction of the vote.
via hungarymatters.hu photo: Gergely Botár – MTI