Lech Walesa to receive Liverpool honour - press release from Liverpool John Moores University:

Lech Walesa, former leader of the Solidarity movement and President of Poland, will visit Liverpool on Monday 15 May 2006 to collect an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

Lech Walesa was a close friend and ally of Pope John Paul II and has always made it clear that his Catholic faith inspired him to take a stand against the Soviet-backed Communist authorities who dominated Polish life. He has accepted the invitation extended to him by Lord Alton of Liverpool, who is Professor of Citizenship at Liverpool John Moores. 

On receiving his fellowship, and as part of his vote of thanks, Lech Walesa will deliver a public lecture entitled ‘Solidarity’ in Liverpool’s historic St George’s Hall starting at 5pm.

Professor Michael Brown, LJMU’s Vice Chancellor, said: “Lech Walesa shows just how much ordinary working people can achieve by getting involved with civic organisations, such as trade unions. He rose from the shipyard shop floor, where he was an electrician, to become president of his nation. It is highly appropriate given LJMU’s ethos of Dream, Plan, Achieve, that we honour such an outstanding citizen.”

Lech Walesa’s public lecture will be delivered as part of LJMU’s Roscoe Lecture series, which explores different aspects of citizenship.

David Alton, who chairs LJMU’s Foundation for Citizenship, said: “Lech Walesa’s place in history is guaranteed. Through peaceful protest he played a significant role in changing the political landscape of Eastern Europe towards the end of the twentieth century. Given the undoubted parallels between Gdansk, the birthplace of Solidarity and Liverpool, which experienced its own dockers strike in 1995, it is fitting that the city hosts a lecture examining the role of organisations, such as trade unions, in today’s society.”

Lech Walesa is probably best known as the leader of the Solidarity movement which led Poland out of Communism following more than a decade of peaceful protest.

The protests began in earnest in August 1980, when Walesa led 17,000 workers from the Lenin Shipyards in a strike against rising food prices. Triggering protests around Poland, the Gdansk shipyard strike forced the authorities into giving the workers the right to strike and organise their own union plus greater religious and political freedoms.

By early 1981, Solidarity had a membership of about 10 million people and represented most of Poland’s work force.

However, this period of relative freedom was short-lived and in December 1981, Poland’s then leader, General Jaruzelski imposed martial law. Solidarity was declared illegal, its leaders arrested and Walesa interned.

Pushed underground, the struggle continued and in October 1983, Walesa was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. As economic conditions worsened the Jaruzelski regime was finally forced to negotiate, and in 1989, Solidarity became the first opposition movement to participate in free elections in a Soviet-bloc nation since the 1940s.

Ten years after the struggle began, Walesa, a former electrician, was elected President of the Republic of Poland, signifying the end of Communist rule in his country. He would go on to serve as President until 1995.

Walesa has received honorary degrees from many universities, including Harvard University and the University of Paris. Other honours include the Medal of Freedom (Philadelphia, USA), the Award of Free World (Norway) and the European Award of Human Rights.

Liverpool John Moores University confers Honorary Fellowships on individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public life, locally, nationally and internationally.

The University Roscoe Lectures have been delivered by many outstanding luminaries, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lord George Robertson, former Secretary General of NATO and Mary McAleese, President of Ireland. On March 15th the Catholic writer and educationalist, Gervaise Phinn will give the next Roscoe Lecture.

Tickets for Lech Walesa and other Roscoe Lectures are free and are available from Mrs. Barbara Lewis on 0151 231 3852.