Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Speakes on Violence in Poland

The President deeply deplores the acts of violence which resulted in the tragic loss of life in Lubin. He deeply regrets and condemns the use of deadly force to break up peaceful demonstrations in Warsaw and other cities on Solidarity's second anniversary.

These events once again point up the need for reconciliation and restoration by the Government of basic human rights in Poland. The fact that demonstrations involving thousands occurred in eight major cities in the face of Government warnings that security forces would use violence to put them down and dole out summary punishments vividly illustrates and demonstrates the strength of the dedication of the Polish people to free trade unions and other basic liberties.

The deaths of the two individuals in Lubin can only serve to deepen the already extensive chasm separating Polish authorities from the Polish people.

The Polish Government's actions against the demonstrators are the latest manifestation of martial law in Poland and dramatize the significance of the policies which the President announced last December.