Solidarity grew from desire for dignity - president

The Solidarity trade union grew out of a desire and a demand for dignity, President Andrzej Duda said in Gdansk, northern Poland, on Monday, at ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the union. Speaking at a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the 1980 August Agreements between protesting workers and Poland's communist government, which led to the union's official inception, Duda stated that the protesters wished a life of dignity and were prepared to demand it. "Solidarity grew from a huge desire and demand for dignity. The participants of August 1980 wanted normality and human dignity for all - for their countrymen, and not only," the president said.