Pacification of Wujek

{{Infobox military attack

| title = Pacification of Wujek

| partof = Martial law in Poland

| image = 300px

| alt =

| caption = The Wujek massacre memorial

| location = Wujek Coal Mine

| objective = Crackdown on the strike

| coordinates = {{coord|50.244775|18.987936|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:event}}

| date = {{Start date|1981|12|16|df=y}}

| type = Shooting

|executed_by = ZOMO
Polish People's Army

| fatalities = 9 miners}}

The Pacification of Wujek was a strike-breaking action by the Polish police and army at the Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice, Poland, culminating in the massacre of nine striking miners on December 16, 1981.

It was part of a large-scale action aimed to break the Solidarity free trade union after the introduction of martial law in Poland in 1981. Although the strike was suppressed, in a longer term, it turned out to be a milestone towards the collapse of the authoritarian system in Poland and, ultimately, to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. It was a site of numerous protests, including by Solidarity activist Anna Walentynowicz who commemorated a plaque to the murdered miners shortly after she left prison at Gołdap.

Strike

Following the declaration of martial law in Poland on the night of 12–13 December, the chairman of Solidarity's factory commision, {{Ill|Jan Ludwiczak|pl}}, was arrested alongside hundreds of other activists.{{Cite web |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni „Wujek” |url=https://muzhp.pl/kalendarium/pacyfikacja-kopalni-wujek |access-date=11 June 2025 |publisher=Museum of Polish History |language=pl}} Milicja Obywatelska officers broke down the door of his apartment and assaulted the miners that attempted to rescue him.{{Cite news |last=Konopka |first=Krzysztof |date=14 December 2023 |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni Wujek. Od kul zomowców zginęło dziewięciu protestujących górników |url=https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/pacyfikacja-kopalni-wujek-od-kul-zomowcow-zginelo-dziewieciu-protestujacych-gornikow |access-date=12 June 2025 |work=Polish Press Agency |language=pl}}

On the morning of 14 December, the miners refused to work until three stipulations were met: the release of Ludwiczak, the release of all other Solidarity activists, and the lifting of martial law.{{Cite news |date=16 December 2024 |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni "Wujek". Zbrodnia stanu wojennego |url=https://polskieradio24.pl/artykul/2636545,pacyfikacja-kopalni-wujek-zbrodnia-stanu-wojennego |access-date=11 June 2025 |work=Polskie Radio 24 |language=pl}}{{Cite web |date=21 December 2021 |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni "Wujek". Kulisy decyzji o użyciu broni |url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/8/6479/artykul/2871637,pacyfikacja-kopalni-wujek-kulisy-decyzji-o-uzyciu-broni |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Polskie Radio |language=pl}} They barricaded themselves inside the mine and were given food and support by townspeople, friends, and family.{{Cite news |date=16 December 2014 |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni "Wujek". "Ludzie rzucali w czołgi czymkolwiek się dało" |url=https://historia.wprost.pl/485317/pacyfikacja-kopalni-wujek-ludzie-rzucali-w-czolgi-czymkolwiek-sie-dalo.html |access-date=12 June 2025 |work=Wprost |language=pl}}

Massacre

On 15 December, a ZOMO special platoon opened fire on striking miners at the Manifest Lipcowy Coal Mine in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, injuring four and ending the strike. ZOMO had previously attempted to enter the mine twice, but were repelled by the miners.{{Cite news |date=15 December 2023 |title=42 lata temu ZOMO spacyfikowało strajk w kopalni Manifest Lipcowy |url=https://radio.opole.pl/548,10367,42-lata-temu-zomo-spacyfikowalo-strajk-w-kopalni#google_vignette |access-date=12 June 2025 |work=Radio Opole |language=pl}}

On December 16, three days after the introduction of the martial law in Poland, pro-Solidarity miners striking against the declaration of the martial law by General Wojciech Jaruzelski were dispersed by the troops of the Polish army and police. The forces used in the main thrust against the miners consisted of eight companies of riot police (ZOMO, supported by ORMO (police reservists) and NOMO) with seven water cannons, three companies of military infantry fighting vehicles (each of 10 vehicles) and one company of tanks. The miners repeatedly fought them off with their tools. During the brawl a number of strikers and 41 troops were injured, including 11 severely.

A special platoon of ZOMO opened fire at the strikers with machine guns, killing nine of them (Jan Stawisiński, Joachim Gnida, Józef Czekalski, Krzysztof Giza, Ryszard Gzik, Bogusław Kopczak, Andrzej Pełka, Zbigniew Wilk and Zenon Zając) and wounding 23 others.{{Cite web |date=17 December 2017 |title=The 40th anniversary of the pacification of the "Wujek" coal mine — Katowice, 16 December 2021 |url=https://eng.ipn.gov.pl/en/news/9125,The-40th-anniversary-of-the-pacification-of-the-quotWujekquot-coal-mine-Katowice.html |access-date=11 June 2025 |publisher=Institute of National Remembrance}}{{Cite news |date=16 December 2024 |title=43rd anniversary of Wujek Coal Mine pacification. Tribute to fallen miners |url=https://tvn24.pl/tvn24-news-in-english/poland-marks-43rd-anniversary-of-wujek-coal-mine-tragic-pacification-st8225002 |access-date=11 June 2025 |work=TVN24}} One of the deaths took place after 20 or more days in hospital with severe head-wounds.

Aftermath

The repressions after the pacification included sentencing of three miners to jail terms of three to four years in prison.

On June 1, 2007, more than two decades after the incident, 15 former members of the special platoon were sentenced to prison terms for their part in the killings.[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/31/europe/poland.php Polish court sentences 15 policemen in 1981 massacre at coal mine], International Herald Tribune, May 31, 2007[http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/news/artykul53367.html 'Wujek' coal mine massacre perpetrators face justice], Polskie Radio, 01.06.2007 Most of them were sentenced to the terms of 2.5 to three years in prison, except their former platoon commander, Romuald Cieślak, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The court however failed to establish who sent the special platoon to Wujek (and thus acquitted the former vice-chief of communist police in Katowice, Marian Okrutny).[http://wiadomosci.wp.pl/kat,1342,title,Wszyscy-zomowcy-spod-Wujka-winni-i-skazani,wid,8892688,wiadomosc.html Wszyscy zomowcy spod "Wujka" winni i skazani] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016001605/http://wiadomosci.wp.pl/kat,1342,title,Wszyscy-zomowcy-spod-Wujka-winni-i-skazani,wid,8892688,wiadomosc.html |date=2013-10-16 }}, Polska Agencja Prasowa, 2007-05-31

Multiple Communist newspapers, such as Morning Star and l'Unità, condemned the massacre. The Communist Party of Spain claimed that the Polish government was attempting to establish a "military regime". C.H. Hermansson, the former leader of the Left Party, said that Sweden should cut ties with the Polish United Workers' Party in response to their violent strike-breaking actions.{{Cite web |last=Majchrzak |first=Grzegorz |date=10 December 2021 |title=The world is watching. Foreign reactions to the pacification of the “Wujek” mine |url=https://przystanekhistoria.pl/pa2/tematy/english-content/88213,The-world-is-watching-Foreign-reactions-to-the-pacification-of-the-Wujek-mine.html |access-date=11 June 2025 |website=Przystanek Historia |publisher=Institute of National Remembrance}}

As a result of the massacre, US President Ronald Reagan introduced sanctions against the Polish People's Republic.{{Cite news |date=17 December 2023 |title=42 lata temu w katowickiej kopalni „Wujek” strzelano do strajkujących górników – 9 zginęło |url=https://dzieje.pl/wiadomosci/42-lata-temu-w-katowickiej-kopalni-wujek-strzelano-do-strajkujacych-gornikow-9-zginelo |access-date=11 June 2025 |work=Dzieje.pl |publisher=Polish Press Agency |language=pl}}

In 2015, the murdered miners were awarded the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity.{{Cite web |title=Pacyfikacja kopalni „Wujek” |url=https://ipn.gov.pl/pl/historia-z-ipn/archiwum/175173,Pacyfikacja-kopalni-Wujek.html |access-date=11 June 2025 |publisher=Institute of National Remembrance |language=pl}}

Popular culture

The tragedy was portrayed in the 1994 feature film Śmierć jak kromka chleba (Death like daily bread) by Kazimierz Kutz and the 2006 graphic novel 1981: Kopalnia Wujek.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013620/http://www.nszz-stocznia.pl/Galeria/KopalniaWujek1981/index.htm Pictures from the funerals of the killed strikers]

Category:1981 murders in Poland

Category:Police brutality in Europe

Category:Massacres in Poland

Category:Massacres in 1981

Category:Miners' labor disputes

Category:Labor disputes in Poland

Category:Solidarity (Polish trade union)

Category:Strikebreakers

Category:1981 labor disputes and strikes

Category:People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Poland

Category:20th-century mass murder in Poland

Category:Massacres committed by Poland