Sparks, But No Flames

By Patricia Blake

A raid on striking firemen sends tempers rising

Like a large, lumbering bird, the Polish army helicopter hovered for a moment over the startled crowd that had assembled outside Warsaw's Fire Fighters Academy. A few seconds later, the chopper disgorged on the academy roof a unit of riot police that swiftly vanished into the building. As the helicopter flew off to pick up reinforcements, hundreds of helmeted militiamen entered the academy's side gate. The 300 men holed up inside quickly surrendered and were marched out of the building by a back exit.

That show of strength by the authorities last week was directed against cadet firemen who had staged a peaceable eight-day sit-in at the academy. The cadets had been demanding the same academic reforms being sought by the estimated 100,000 students who had gone on strike at 80 institutions of higher education in Poland.

The raid was the government's biggest show of force against strikers since Poland's free trade-union movement Solidarity was formed 15 months ago. It was also a sign that the Polish Politburo, while as cautious as ever in handling the student rebellion and the wave of wildcat strikes that has swept the country in the past two months, could be pushed only so far. The cadets received such firm treatment because firemen in Poland are subject to military discipline and, like police forces, are under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Still, the police were under orders not to hurt the beleaguered cadets, and there were no reports of serious injury. In fact, no one was charged with a crime. Driven in buses through Warsaw following their surrender, the unharmed fire fighters made the V-for-victory sign to passersby. Shouted one old woman: "Don't get discouraged! Don't give up, whatever you do!" Police then took the senior cadets to a student dormitory and the younger ones to two Warsaw railway stations, where they were ordered to return to their home towns. Many refused, joining other student strikers at the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute. At the same time, ten activists from Solidarity who had joined the cadets in their sit-in were detained and questioned for close to seven hours before being released.

The government action against the young fire fighters provoked a heated response from Solidarity locals throughout the country. The movement's leader, Lech Walesa, immediately told his 9.5 million members to get ready for a strike alert. At an emergency meeting of Solidarity's twelve-member presidium in the industrial town of Radom, union leaders accused the authorities of having wrecked all chances of national reconciliation. "By opting for violence," they declared, "the government has jettisoned the possibility of a dialogue with society."

Solidarity leaders often react vociferously to government shows of firmness, yet there was little evidence last week that the union's basic eagerness to avoid confrontation had changed. Still, the assault provoked genuine anger among Solidarity supporters. It also made it more difficult for Solidarity to support the proposal for a "front of national agreement" that had been put forward a month ago by the Premier and party chief, General Wojciech Jaruzelski. The plan, which had been endorsed in part by Walesa and the Roman Catholic Primate, Archbishop Jozef Glemp, would have established a permanent legal forum for negotiations between Poland's contending forces.

At Radom, Walesa voiced his union's suspicion that the proposed front was a facade erected by the government to control the labor movement. Solidarity was fierce in its denunciation of a bill the government plans to submit to the Polish parliament giving itself sweeping "essential powers." Those include the authority to halt public gatherings except for religious purposes, limit the right of travel inside and outside Poland and ban strikes at times of national emergency.

Last week it appeared that Jaruzelski would face a hard struggle to push his bill through parliament. Some more moderate Deputies were arguing that any ban on strikes would be unenforceable because of the mass strength of Solidarity and the determination of its members.

Walesa was categorical: "If parliament approves the legislation, a general strike will be announced, because we don't see any other way out." Yet, significantly, no date was set for consideration of the strikebreaking bill. As in the past, both sides seemed interested in avoiding a showdown. There was still time for the fire to cool. --By Patricia Blake. Reported by Roland Flamini and Richard Hornik/Warsaw

With reporting by Roland Flamini, Richard Hornik/Warsaw

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