The candle lit in a window by President Ronald Reagan was more than a symbol. It was America’s pledge: We are with you. That flame of friendship burns brightly tonight. And today, together with U.S. President Donald Trump, we remain faithful to Poland, because a strong Poland is in America’s interest, wrote Tom Rose, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland.
This evening, as every year on the anniversary of the imposition of martial law, the “Light of Freedom” will be lit. President Karol Nawrocki will take part in the ceremonial event beneath the Papal Cross in Piłsudski Square in Warsaw.
“The initiative refers to the gesture of solidarity shown to Poles living under martial law on Christmas Eve 1981 by vast numbers of people in what was then the free world. As a sign of unity with his compatriots, Pope John Paul II also lit a candle in the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. U.S. President Ronald Reagan likewise called on people to place candles in their windows; in his Christmas address to the nation, he said: “They (Poles) have been betrayed by their own government. The men who rule them and their totalitarian allies fear the very freedom that the Polish people cherish. (…) Let the light of millions of candles in American homes give notice that the light of freedom is not going to be extinguished,”
recalls the Institute of National Remembrance.
The symbolic initiative was also recalled today by the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose.
“44 years ago today Poland’s puppet communist government imposed martial law in a desperate but failed attempt to crush the Polish spirit. Today we join the world in paying our profound tribute to a nation that answered oppression with courage, dignity, and an unshakable commitment to freedom. Once again, an attempt to crush the Polish people’s fight for liberty instead revealed their extraordinary strength. President Reagan’s candle in the White House window was more than a symbol; it was America’s pledge: We are with you. That flame of friendship burns bright tonight,”
he wrote.
“And today, with U.S. President Donald Trump leading America, we remain firmly committed to Poland, because a strong Poland is in America’s interest. Poland’s history teaches a timeless lesson the world must never forget: freedom wins when the brave refuse to bow,”
he added.