Walesa encourages peaceful response to terrorism

Former president of Poland Lech Walesa delivered a keynote address titled, "Democracy: The Never-Ending Battle," during Elon's Fall Convocation Tuesday, Oct. 2. Before his speech in Alumni Gym, he held a press conference on campus, where he spoke of the recent terrorist attacks on the United States.

"Here I am, coming to the United States, to be in solidarity with the American people," Walesa said through translator Magdalena Iwinska. Calling terrorism "the greatest menace of the 21st century," he said the Polish people are also in solidarity with Americans.

"There is no religion in the world that tells its followers to kill people," he said. "The attack on the U.S. was an attack on the whole world, and now the whole world must come to terms with it." The winner of the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize said he hopes the war on terrorism can be resolved peacefully. "If there are any shots at all, I hope it's going to be champagne corks," he said.

At the convocation, President Leo M. Lambert introduced Walesa after the Elon University Camerata and Chorale sang the national anthems of both Poland and the United States. "It is a rare privilege to hear from a man who, quite simply, changed the world," Lambert said.

Walesa began his speech by telling the crowd about the struggle that led to the Solidarity Labor Movement in Poland. He said that part of the problem was Poland's location in the heart of Europe, between Russia and Germany. "As you know, those two nations are very socializing nations, and they enjoy visiting each other," he said, noting that the problem was that they had to cross Poland on the way.

Walesa said that after World War II, Poland ended up "in the arms of the Soviet Union" because the country didn't have the strength to oppose. "It took us 50 years to get rid of the Soviet domination," he said. "We did defeat this monster without a single shot."

He encouraged the U.S. to take the same approach with the current crisis. "The 21st century is a struggle for values," he said. Walesa stressed that the world needs to reach an international consensus on basic principles against terrorism.

He told students of the challenges ahead for their generation, and said that sometimes the model of democracy requires re-adjustments. "For example, not so long ago, you almost ended up with two presidents for one term of office," he said, drawing laughs from the crowd in reference to the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

Walesa said that in today's globalized world, there are some things we can't control -- information, ecology and economics -- but that we have an obligation to control security. He said the best government for politicians, students and all citizens is one of human conscience.

"Being with conscience is something we must promote," he said, emphasizing that there is enormous opportunity ahead. "I encourage you to be more active, to participate, to be in solidarity."