The father of a local Member of Parliament has been awarded decoration from the Polish government, for work in bringing democracy to that country.
Richard Kusmierczyk, the father of Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk of Windsor-Tecumseh, has been awarded the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, one of Poland's highest prizes.
The elder Kusmierczyk received the honour in recognition for his work on the Solidarity movement in Poland during the early 1980s.
Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Percy Hatfield recognized Kusmierczyk in a members' statement at Queens Park on Wednesday.
"A group of workers formed the Solidarity Movement. They would evolve into the first free and independent trade union in the Soviet bloc and eventually led Poland towards democracy," said Hatfield.
Richard Kusmierczyk had been the head of a union representing factory workers during the Communist regime in Poland at the time. The workers became part of the movement that stood up to the Communist government in the early 1980s, often underground as Poland was under martial law.
"The police came to Richard’s door and hauled him off to jail, and for two weeks his family didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Thousands of Solidarity members were rounded up, and during the subsequent years of martial law, many were killed," said Hatfield. "Richard Kusmierczyk was declared an enemy of the state."
Kusmierczyk fled Poland in 1983 with his family, including five-year-old Irek, eventually entering Canada and settling in Windsor, finding work in the auto industry.
The Polish Cross of Freedom and Solidarity. Courtesy LukGasz/Wikipedia.
The cross itself is red and silver, with the attached ribbon in red and white, the colours of the Polish flag. It is awarded to those who fought for democracy in Poland and were killed, injured, arrested, or imprisoned for the cause.
