Communist Party of Poland commemorates Gierek

The commemorations included a ceremony at his grave in Sosnowiec, attended by several hundred people, followed by a conference on his legacy at the Sztygarka Museum in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Speakers, including Adam Gierek, the son of the former Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) leader, praised the social and economic achievements of the 1970s under Edward Gierek, highlighting major investments in industry, infrastructure, housing, and public services. Adam Gierek also criticized Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), accusing it of distorting the history of the People's Republic of Poland and downplaying the lasting contributions of the Gierek era.

Professor Zdzisława Janowska argued that Poland's post-1989 economic transformation dismantled much of the country's industrial base. She maintained that policies inspired by the United States and foreign economic advisers led to widespread privatization and the sale of state assets below their true value, citing the privatization of the Kwidzyn pulp mills as an example.

Professor Maria Szyszkowska contrasted the Gierek period with contemporary Poland, arguing that the socialist era emphasized cooperative and state ownership alongside limited private enterprise, whereas modern Poland prioritizes private property and individualism. She also criticized changes to the education system, claiming that educational standards and the breadth of general knowledge have declined since the communist period. In addition, she argued that Poland has become more economically and politically dependent on Western Europe and the United States than it was during the 1970s, and concluded by calling for the revival of the cooperative movement.