In the famous BHP Hall of the Gdańsk Shipyard, we paid tribute to the heroes of ‘Solidarity’. At the ceremony attended by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, the Institute of National Remembrance was represented by its Deputy Presidents, Prof. Karol Polejowski and Mateusz Szpytma, Ph.D.

I stand here before you, and I am deeply moved, because for the last four years I have had the great honor and enormous responsibility, to present the Crosses of Freedom and Solidarity to our heroes as the President of the Institute of National Remembrance, on behalf of the then President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, who is here with us today . I presented them here, in the BHP Hall, and throughout Poland to those who behaved as they should have in 1980, and whom the Polish state had forgotten for many years and many decades, to those who never heard words of gratitude for being at the Gdańsk Shipyard, the Szczecin Shipyard, and throughout Poland in August to fight for our freedom and independence. Today's celebration is about them, said Polish President Karol Nawrocki, addressing the audience.

Poland would like to thank the millions who stood on the right side during that memorable August, but it is impossible to tell the great story of ‘Solidarity’ without mentioning some big names. The President expressed his gratitude to Joanna and Andrzej Gwiazda and Krzysztof Wyszkowski, who were present at the ceremony. He also mentioned the late Anna Walentynowicz – the Mother of Solidarity, with whom it all began.