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Nobel Prize-Winning Former President Of Poland To Visit Occupy Wall Street
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 12, 2011
Modified Oct 12, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 12, 2011
Modified Oct 12, 2011
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Lech Walesa, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning former president of Poland, will show his support of Occupy Wall Street by paying Zuccotti Park a visit. "How could I not respond," Walesa said, "The thousands of people gathered near Wall Street are worried about the fate of their future, the fate of their country. This is something I understand."
Walesa, a former electrician, was imprisoned by the communist government of Poland for being a union activist, and was elected president in 1990 after sucessfully leading negotiations for Polish workers. He is also the inspiration for the U2 song "New Year's Day."
"This this a worldwide problem," Walesa told a Polish newspaper. "The Wall Street protesters have focused a magnifying glass on the problem." A spokesman for the 99 New York Campaign describes Walesa's career to the Daily News: "He fought very, very hard for the rights of all working people." It's unclear when Walesa will make the journey, but his representative said it'd be "soon."
Walesa isn't the only supporter of Occupy Wall Street that is famously familiar with communism: scholar and cultural theorist Slavoj Žižek addressed those assembled in Zuccotti Park on Sunday afternoon.
Tagged
communism
inequality
iron curtain
occupy wall street
poland
Slavoj Žižek
unions
wall street
workers' rights
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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