AN OPEN LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN SOCIETIES

The war has started, although we wanted to avoid it at all costs. This unjust war has been triggered with cynicism and deliberately.

For many weeks, Polish social organisations have protested against this war and against the participation of Polish Army in the conflict. We express the opinion of a great majority of Polish citizens. Nearly 70 percent of them is against the war and stands for peace. Thousands of people have already revealed their disagreement in numerous demonstrations organised in Poland.

The president Aleksander Kwaśniewski and the prime minister Leszek Miller, who support the interest of USA and send Polish troops to Iraq, do not act on behalf of Polish society. Making decisions without society's permission, they have abused the democratic rules. Moreover, they have committed a crime against both Polish and international law, using military force without citizens' will. Last weeks' events confirmed antidemocratic and antisocial attitude of Polish government. Violence has become their common language, what we could clearly observe on 20th March, when a peaceful antiwar demonstration in Warsaw was brutally dispersed by the police.

We would like to assure all the European countries that a great majority of us do not support Polish government's policy. Our movement demands withdrawing Polish troops from Iraq. We don't allow American Army to be on the territory of Poland as we were against the presence of Soviet Army on our lands. We disagree spending 8 million dollars on military equipment, mainly produced by the Americans. The government should rather face the huge unemployment that has reached nearly 20 percent and the lack of money in national budget for medical and social care.

We join the European societies in the fight for peace. We hope that the general, widespread protest against the war will be continued, according to all free nations of the world will.