March ’68 (1968) – Warszawa Gdańska railway station

Fact of the Polish figure „The Auschwitz Nazi German Death Camp”

Part of the „The Holocaust” topic

The direct cause of the March events was the ban on the play Dziady by Adam Mickiewicz, directed by Kazimierz Dejmek, due to its anti-Russian themes. In response, a group of students, including Adam Michnik and Henryk Szlajfer, opposed this interference and were expelled from the university, which triggered further incidents. On 8 March 1968, militia forces broke up a rally held in front of the University of Warsaw Library. The protest sparked a wave of demonstrations by young people and students across the country. Since many of the striking students were of Jewish origin, the events became a pretext for accusing Jews of Zionism. The authorities used anti-Semitism and stereotypes against the Jews to justify actions against Jews, organize workplace meetings, and stir negative sentiment in society. It is estimated that about 13,000 Jews left Poland due to the anti-Semitic campaign. Those who did were stripped of Polish citizenship. March ’68 is widely seen as the end of organized Jewish life in Poland.