Drops of blood on a postcard commemorating the events of December 1970
The Polish Post Office issued a postcard today commemorating the events of December 1970. The first shots were fired on December 15th in Gdańsk. The real massacre occurred two days later in Gdynia, when the army and militia fired on unarmed people walking to work in the morning. According to official figures, at least 45 people were killed and 1,165 were injured 50 years ago.
Drops of blood and an outstretched hand with bullet casings are the graphic elements of the latest issue of Poczta Polska. On the side is the inscription "December '70" and the names of the four cities where the workers' massacre took place: Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin, and Elbląg.
" The workers' protests on the Coast, brutally suppressed by the communist authorities in 1970, are events that every Pole should remember. That's why Poczta Polska decided to pay tribute to the victims of 50 years ago by issuing a postcard with the "December '70" postage stamp printed on it. We wanted to recall the brutality with which the workers were treated, so the card featured symbolic bloodstains and a hand with bloody scales. In the postage stamp, we featured a photo of Maciej Jasiecki with a poster reading: SHIPYARDS ARE ON STRIKE, SUPPORT US, to show the horror and fear under which the protesters operated. The December 1970 strikes are part of Poland's path to freedom, and it is our company's undeniable duty to remind the younger generation that it is thanks to events like these that we have this freedom today, " said Wiesław Włodek, Vice President of Poczta Polska.
The issue of the stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Coastal Massacre is not the only postal commemoration of anti-communist movements this year. In March, the "Road to Freedom" issue entered circulation, consisting of nine stamps depicting the most important events in 20th-century Polish history. These include the events of June 1956, the Millennium of Poland's Baptism, the 1970 workers' protests on the Coast, and John Paul II's first pilgrimage to his homeland. The stamp commemorating December 1970 illustrates the most dramatic event of those days: the march of Gdynia residents carrying the body of "Janek Wiśniewski." The crowd of demonstrators marching along Czerwonech Kosynierów Street (now Morska Street) was captured by communist security officers during operational operations. Next to the photograph, the stamp's author included a photo of the viaduct at the Gdynia Stocznia SKM station, which was confiscated material. Currently, it is in the collection of the Institute of National Remembrance.
In August this year, on the 40th anniversary of the NSZZ "Solidarity", Poczta Polska issued a stamp depicting a hand made in the "Victoria" gesture – a symbol of victory, with a fragment of a photo symbolizing a crowd of protesters placed within its outline.
" The Solidarity Trade Union is a symbol of a free and independent country and a proud nation that can fight for its rights and dignity, refusing to be imposed on by foreign forces. Thanks to the activities of the anti-communist opposition, Poland was able to regain its sovereignty. Solidarity was a spontaneous movement, a movement of resistance and opposition to the communist government. Poczta Polska has honored this social movement by introducing a stamp commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Union, " said Tomasz Zdzikot, President of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
About the card:
card designer: Jan Konarzewski
number of stamps: 1
value: A
circulation: 8,000 pcs.
printing technique: offset
card format: 148 x 105 mm
date of introduction into circulation: 16/12/2020