The sign of WRON.

On December 12th the editor's office of weekly "Solidarity" got some information about arriving army forces. There were coming lots of soldiers to Szczytno. At last breaking of connection of telex and phone lines disturbed the management of Solidarity. However its members did not take any steps. Negotiations of National Board (KK) were closed.

The decree about the introduction of the martial law was issued by State Council (Rada Panstwa) They were: general Wojciech Jaruzelski - prime minister of the government, leader of army forces of PRL, first secretary of KC PZPR, general Michal Janiszewski - the leader of Urzad Rady Ministrow, general Florian Siwicki - the leader of the Ministry of National Defence and general Czeslaw Kiszczak.

Most of members of Solidarity management were arrested at about 2 a.m., at about midnight the members of State Council (Rada Panstwa) were taken to the extra sitting. The decree about the introduction of the martial law was signed by its members except Ryszard Reiff - the chairman of PAX association. That decree suspended or limited essential civil rights. According to it, the authority was allowed to prohibit or order staying in given place, control working of the telecommunication, introduce censorship of the parcels and letters, intern citizens. The right for travelling was restricted. People being in public places had to have identification cards with them. Penal regulations from the decree forbade people the activity in suspended organizations, to organize and take part in strikes and demonstrations. Apart from the decree about the martial law, there were also published other decrees which changed regulations of the penal code. Competences of army courts were enlarged. Department of the Interior brought in a police hour from 10p.m. to 6 a.m.

Wojciech Jaruzelski is announcing on TV the martial law.

On December 13th (Sunday) all decrees were read on TV and radio. The speech of Jaruzelski was also repeated. He announced that WRON had been founded, informed that the members of Solidarity and people who had been responsible for the crisis in the seventies would be interned. In that way the society found out about the arrests of thirty two people. Some of them were: Edward Gierek, Piotr Jaroszewicz, Edward Babiuch, Jan Szydlak, Jerzy Lukaszewicz, Tadeusz Wrzaszczyk, Zdzislaw Grudzien.

On January 25th 1982 Seym confirmed four decrees of Rada Panstwa from December 12th 1981, which meant legalization of introduction of the martial law. On October 8th 1982 Solidarity was delegalized - when seym carried a motion dissolving all trade unions and defined conditions, which had to be met to be able to organize new ones.

The article about introduction of the martial law in Dziennik Baltycki newspaper.

Despite this situation, on Monday in the morning lots of workmen started to strike in the answer to the introduction of the martial law. Strikes were liquidated by Militia detachments and army very quickly. On December 14th army surrounded the Gdansk Shipyard. From 15 to 16th Militia attacked Wytwornia Sprzetu Komunikacyjnego in Swidnik near Lublin. They used the tear-gases against the strikers, who were also beaten with canes. On December 16th the Foundry of Lenin was attacked. On December 15-16th in Wroclaw striking institutions were emptied. On December 17th Militia and Motorized Reserves of the Civic Militia (ZOMKO) dispersed demonstration near the monument of shipyarders in Gdansk. In all above examples gates and walls were blocked by tanks and then detachments of ZOMO broke into the areas of factories and institutions. They used canes, tear-gases.

The monument in memory of victims of August '80 in Gdansk.

A bit different situation was in Olesk. On December 15th ZOMO pacified a strike of miners in mine called Manifest Lipcowy in Jastrzeb and miners from Staszic mine - without victims. However on December 16th there was a tragedy in Wujek mine, where the miners decided to defend themselves. ZOMO and army attacked. They started to schoot. Immediately 7 miners died, 2 died in hospital, a great many of the rest were injured. The workers from Katowice foundry and miners from "Ziemowit" and "Piast" mines, who were staying underground, were striking for the longest period of time. The strike in Katowice finished on December 23rd, in "Ziemowit" on 23-24th and in "Piast" on 28th. According to the decrees from December 12th 1981 it was a crime to take part in strikes, demonstrations, publishing independent press, spreading leaflets.

Actors, journalists and scientists boycotted TV. On March 19th The Association of Polish Journalists was dissolved. Its place was taken by another association controlled by the government. For an average citizen the form of protest was to stop buying daily press and publicly demonstrate the fact of not watching television. Also carrying signs of Solidarity was a form of the protest. In thirteenth day of each month people turned off the lights and lighted the candles.

The PZPR was not suspended during the martial law. Formally the party did not take part in preparing its introduction. Works of party members and secretaries were subordinated to the control of army commissaries. However this party was burdened with the responsibility for bringing in the martial law.

In that time most of provisions was sold for special stamps but it does not mean that they were always accessible in the shops. The same situation was with alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and for a short period of time also with shoes.