August - a month of memory and identity. President Karol Nawrocki in Szczecin

– August, as a month of national memory, reminds us who we are and where we come from – President Nawrocki said, recalling both the sacrifice of soldiers in 1920 and the workers’ protests that echoed through the yards and factories of the 1970s and 1980s.

Honoring the fallen of the coast

Speaking at the Monument to the Fallen of December 1970, the President stressed: – There would have been no great victory of Solidarność without the sacrifice of the sixteen shipyard workers who gave their lives demanding bread and dignity.

Nawrocki emphasized that Szczecin, alongside Gdańsk, stands as a birthplace of Solidarność.

– It was here, in the shipyards, that Poles made it clear they would not accept communist enslavement. They demanded sovereignty, citizens’ rights, and they protested against a ruling elite detached from everyday life – he noted, recalling the banner once raised at Szczecin Shipyard: “Stop the mouldy elites in power.”

A message to the young

Addressing students present at the ceremony, the President stressed the cost of freedom: – To achieve success, one must give a lot of oneself. Sometimes it requires sacrifice and suffering – as the workers did in August 1980 when they stood for dignity and rights.

Solidarność – still a living commitment

Quoting the poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid, President Nawrocki reminded that Poland still needs to be “purified by conscience.”

– Solidarność is not confined to museums. It remains a living voice in social and labor issues, and it is my duty as President to uphold its ideals and social sensitivity – he declared.

He also pointed out a striking injustice: many of those who risked their lives and freedom in the struggle still live today in worse conditions than former officials of the communist regime.

Scholarships and commemoration

During the ceremony, Longin Komołowski Scholarships were awarded to ten outstanding students excelling in academics, sports, and volunteer work. The honors were presented by Zofia Komołowska, widow of the late Solidarność activist.

The President concluded the day by laying wreaths at the monuments of late President Lech Kaczyński and the Fallen of December 1970, alongside veterans of the August 1980 events.