On the anniversary of Andrzej Lepper's death, a rally of remembrance takes place in front of the gate of the Szczecin Shipyard.

On Tuesday, August 5th, the 14th anniversary of Andrzej Lepper's death, a remembrance rally took place at the historic gates of the Szczecin Shipyard, organized by the Confederation of the Polish Crown, the Polish Thought Club, and groups associated with the former Self-Defense. At a place that held symbolic significance for Lepper – it was here in 2002 that he supported the shipyard workers in protest – participants remembered him as the only politician who had the courage to speak the truth and defend the interests of working people.

The rally began with a recollection of Andrzej Lepper's speech in Strasbourg from 2002. As the organizers noted, these words, once ridiculed, now sound prophetic. Those gathered listened to a recording, after which Tomasz Lepper, son of the Self-Defense leader, spoke.

"I would like to thank everyone for attending and for organizing this rally on the 14th anniversary of my father's death. It's very important to me that his memory has survived. He was not only a great politician, but also a father. What he said still rings true today. Poland has been sold out, industry has been destroyed, and the ordinary person means nothing in the eyes of the current government. He had the courage to speak out, and that's why people listened and respected him," he said with visibly moved voice.

The audience also heard the account of Zbigniew Wysocki, known as the "Black Shipyard Worker", a participant in the 2002 protests and the symbolic funeral of the Shipyard in 2009.

"I protested here in 2002. Andrzej Lepper was the only politician who came to us back then and spoke our language. Not from a teleprompter, not for the cameras, but from the heart. Today, the shipyard is gone. I worked here for 25 years. At the end, we received 5,000-6,000 złoty in severance pay, and people had nothing to live on. They destroyed everything – the entire industry. In 2009, we cried as they loaded the last ship. And the government remained silent," he said.

Mateusz Piskorski, a former close associate of Lepper, recalled the dramatic circumstances of the death of the Self-Defense chairman.

"Fourteen years ago, I was waiting for him in the morning on Aleje Jerozolimskie in Warsaw. I didn't make it. He had big plans. The 2011 elections were supposed to be his return to politics. He was coming back not for himself, but for the people. He was a sincere, honest, and fair politician. He had a charisma that no one else had during the so-called transition period. And he was intelligent. He could talk to economics professors and then pass on their knowledge to ordinary people at rallies. We need such a man today," said Piskorski. He also pointed out that the security Lepper fought for was not just a matter of the army and defense, but above all, a stable job, an apartment, and a life without Swiss franc loans.

More on this topic in "Kurier Szczeciński" and eKurier of August 6, 2025.

(dg)

Film: Dariusz Gorajski