Violent protests in Poland

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 9

Violent protests in Poland

NZPA-Reuter Warsaw Details reached Warsaw yesterday of violent street clashes in provincial cities at the week-end marking six months of martial law in Poland. The police, fired tear-gas and water cannons to disperse protesters hurling petrol bombs and stones in the industrial city of Wroclaw, according to the reports. There were also reports of clashes in the Baltic port of Gdansk, birthplace of the suspended Solidarity . trade union, and the steel-making town of Nowa Huta, where thousands of demonstrators were dispersed with tear-gas. Details of the disturbances, the worst reported since early May, reached Warsaw as a Vatican envoy arrived for talks expected to focus on plans for a visit to Poland by Pope John Paul. The envoy, Archbishop Luigi Poggi, told reporters that the Pope would go ahead with the visit, planned for August but thrown into doubt by last December’s military takeover, if conditions in Poland "normalised.”.

The official news agency, Pap, said that 118 people had been detained in Nowa Huta after sporadic street battles in which windows in a police station and a police car were smashed by stones. Protesters built barricades of benches, tram tracks, and ■litter bins. The disturbances were the worst reported since street fighting erupted in most main cities after Solidarity demonstrations early last month. As in May, the incidents occured after a Government statement that it was easing martial-law restrictions. On Saturday it was announced that 257 internees would be freed and provincial governors were told to work on further selective relaxations. No demonstrations were reported in Warsaw. Archbishop Poggi did not elaborate on his statement that the Pope would come if conditions “normalised.” But Church sources said the Vatican wanted concrete signs from the Polish military authorities that they were progressing towards lifting martial law and freeing internees,