The Institute of National Remembrance invites you to participate in the social campaign "Victims of Martial Law. Light the Light of Freedom." By lighting a candle in the window on 13 December, we express solidarity with the victims of Martial Law. You can also light a virtual candle at http://swiatlowolnosci.ipn.gov.pl/
The "Victims of Martial Law. Light the Light of Freedom "campaign initiated by the Institute of National Remembrance a few years ago, refers to the gesture of placing candles in the windows, through which, in the early 1980s, Poles, but also others, expressed opposition to the brutal policy of the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic and solidarity with thousands of internees and their families.
In the act of solidarity with the suffering compatriots, John Paul II decided that a symbolic light should appear in the window of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on Christmas Eve 1981. The then US President Ronald Reagan called upon the Americans for a similar gesture of unity with the victims of Martial Law.
Let the light of millions of candles in American homes be of notice that the light of freedom is not going to be extinguished,
— said the US President during his Christmas speech in 1981.
The campaign carried out by the Institute of National Remembrance aims to commemorate all those who lost their lives or otherwise suffered as a result of Martial Law introduced on 13 December 1981. The IPN’s branch offices throughout Poland are launching commemorative and educational activities. See also
The finale of this year's campaign, with the participation of Polish President Andrzej Duda, will take place on 13 December at 7:30 p.m. at the Papal Cross on Józef Piłsudski Square in Warsaw.
Read more about Martial Law in Poland 1981—1983.