Student Protests in Poland in 1968
How censorship sparked a movement
College students in Warsaw, Poland protested the censorship of the Polish play, Dziady, written by poet and playwright Adam Mickiewicz in 1832. The director, Kazimierz Dejmek, staged a modern interpretation of the play in Warsaw’s National Theater. This interpretation of the play was banned because the Central Committee of Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) believed it to be anti-Russian. The last day the play was performed was on January 30th which was the first day of the student protests in Warsaw. This modern interpretation of the play was staged to honor Poland’s struggle for liberation during the Cold War.
During the first two days of the many protests that were to come, Warsaw college students were arrested and expelled for protesting. This caused more students to protest the expulsion of other students. Eventually by March 8th, the Workers Militia came in and used violent forces such as clubs and tear gas to disperse the students. This treatment was continued throughout all of March. After seeing the how students in Warsaw were being treated, students all over Poland began protesting around March 11th and 12th, through sit-ins and hunger strikes, the militia’s involvement on student campuses and the harsh force that was used against these students in Warsaw. Students also protested the state-run media and called for freedom of the press at this time, demanding less government involvement. The militia tried to intervene on multiple university campuses, which were meeting to create an inter-university representative group. Roads were blocked off to stop the students from meeting together and teaming up for protests. This did not stop the students and they continued to protest the state run media well in
Works Cited
“Dziady’s Public.” Time, vol. 91, no. 11, 15 Mar. 1968, p. 38. EBSCOhost.
“Polish Students Reject Censorship and Repression, 1968.” Global Nonviolent Action Database.
Randal, Jonathan. “Warsaw Students Battle Policemen 2d Day in a Row; POLISH STUDENTS IN 2D DAY OF RIOTS.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Mar. 1968
“Smoldering Fire.” Time, vol. 91, no. 13, 29 Mar. 1968, p. 30. EB
