Celebrating the Memorial of Victims
The celebrations commemorating the 16th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster will begin on Friday at the early morning hours in Military Powązki, where families, representatives of the Sejm and legislature will gather at the graves – including Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska – members of the government and president of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski. At 8.41 p.m., at the time of the 2010 disaster, the celebration was begun by president Karol Nawrocki, taking part in a memorial appeal and laying wreaths at the plaque at the Presidential Palace, and then at the monument of Lech Kaczyński and the monument of the victims of the disaster in Piłsudski Square.
In parallel, the Law and Justice planned their own appeal of remembrance before the Presidential Palace, and after that, the laying of wreaths at the same memorial sites in Piłsudski Square.
Celebrations commemorating the victims of the Smolensk disaster will besides be held on Friday morning at the Kraków Rakowicki Cemetery, where part of the victims of the tragedy lies. The event will be attended, among others, by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, participating in ceremonies covering the appeal of memory and laying wreaths on the graves of the victims.
In the evening at 19 o'clock, a mass of celebrations will be celebrated in the Warsaw Archaeister in the intention of the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe, in which the president will participate. After its completion from the temple towards the Presidential Palace, the March of Memory organized by the Law and Justice, and at 21 o'clock the president of the Jarosław Kaczyński organization was scheduled to speak.
“Earth filled with blood”
The head of the MON Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, attending ceremonies commemorating the plane crash close Smolensk, noted that “the Katyń forest, this land, is filled with blood.”
We cannot ignore the fact that in these 16 years there have been those who wanted to destruct this community.... This is our tragedy. The tragedy at Smolensk besides became a tragedy for us, for families.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that hope should not be lost because, despite the passing of 16 years, it is inactive possible to gather together during the anniversary of the tragedy.
The top Tragedy of Postwar Poland
The Smolensk disaster occurred on April 10, 2010. Then the Polish military aircraft Tu-154M during the approach to landing close Smolensk-Sierierj Airport crashed in Russia. There were 96 people on board – 89 passengers and 7 crew members – including president Lech Kaczyński, his wife, the highest representatives of the state, military commanders, parliamentarians and another persons accompanying the delegation. They all died.
The plane flew to Smolensk for a celebration commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn crime. According to investigators, the device lowered in hard weather conditions and hit field obstacles, leading to its demolition and disaster. This event is 1 of the biggest tragedies in the post-war past of Poland and has caused many years of political, social, but besides legal consequences, even through the commission set up by Antoni Macierewicz.
