Dokument #1181168
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
Please find attached a series of excerpts
from articles in Radio Free Europe Research which outline
the policies of Fighting Solidarity. According to Roman
Stefanowski, Section Chief at the Polish Department of Radio Free
Europe, located in Munich, political groups previously functioning
unofficially or even clandestinely are now pursuing their
activities openly, without any interference from the state or the
police. [Letter from Roman Stefanowski, Section Chief RFE Polish
Section to Sharon Rusu, Chief of Research, Immigration and Refugee
Board of Canada Documentation Centre; 13 November 1989.] The IRBDC
contacted Peter Staniszkis, the President of the Ottawa Branch of
the Canadian Polish Congress, who stated that Fighting Solidarity
is not banned but is also not legally recognized. At the present
time, this may impede or make difficult the organization's access
to print shops, and other difficulties in their functioning which
could result in charges of discrimination. The information provided
by Mr. Stefanowski and Mr. Staniszkis cannot be corroborated in
published sources by the IRBDC at the present time. (Note that the
new government of Poland is reviewing the present statutes of the
country and will most likely carry out a reform of the legislation
governing the establishment of political parties. Consequently, the
status of unofficial groups remains uncertain.)
The excerpt taken from Radio Free Europe's
An Annotated Survey of Independent Movements in Eastern
Europe, dated 13 June 1989, mentions that a regional branch of
Fighting Solidarity is located in Szczecin. No further information
is currently available, in the published and publicly-available
sources regularly consulted by the IRBDC, regarding the group's
activities in that city.