Lech Walesa, the shipyard electrician and Solidarity labor leader who became
Poland's first democratically elected president, held the rapt attention of an
overflow crowd in Cotter Union on December 7. Speaking through interpreter
Magda Iwinska, Walesa said a "century of crime and hatred," which saw tragedies
on the scale of the Holocaust and Stalinism, is giving way to what he hopes
will be "a century of solidarity," featuring pluralism, open borders and the
opportunity for stable peace.Asked about the legacy of communism in Poland he said, "Polish communists were just like radishes. They were red only on the outside."
Walesa's appearance generated the largest audience of any speaker in recent years. When the Page Commons Room was full, students jammed into the Fishbowl, Lovejoy 100 and various other campus locations to watch Walesa's speech on closed circuit television.
Audio Clips of Walesa's Speach
On Gloablism
On Russia
On Solidarity
On Changing Century
