Abstract

The anger felt in France against the Polish military coup was mixed with a lot of ignorance, mistakes and perhaps some projection of the image reflected by Solidarity. Some people saw in it nothing but a workers' movement fighting against Stalinist bureaucracy; others took it to mean a movement for the defense of freedoms; still others viewed it as national liberation. All this was in keeping with the ideological choices within the French political scene. This anger did not rise up without misunderstandings. It is useful to clarify, therefore, what this movement is in order to be faithful to the spirit of Solidarity which expressed itself clearly against casehardened blockheads.