Members of the European Democrat Students organization from Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Germany as well as activist of the young Polish opposition movement participated in the seminar in Rynias.

On the meeting in IPN we had the pleasure to host Mr. Allan Tyrrel, who had been European Parliament member in the period from 1979 till 1984. In November 1979 he paid an unofficial visit to Poland and met with several Polish oppositionists. As a result of his visit he presented to the European Parliament a special report. Of Mr. Tyrrell’s accord the issue of human rights in PRL (Polish People’s Republic) was specified in the resolution of European Parliament in September 1980.

Mr. Stefan Dingerkus (in 1979 Deputy Chairman of European Democrat Students) and Mr. Richard Thoburn (in 1979 Research Assistant to Allan Tyrrell, and member of European Democrat Students) were also present at the meeting in IPN.

The Polish party was represented by: Mr. Janusz Krupski (activist of the opposition movement, today Deputy President of IPN), Mr. Kazimierz Wóycicki (activist of KIK – Catholic Intellectuals Club, director of Polish Institutes in Dusseldorf and Lipsk), Józef Ruszar (activist of KIK, today at the Publishing House „Presspublica”), Stanisław Puzyna (activist of the Warsaw KIK, today at the Chancellery of Polish Senate – responsible for contacts with European Parliament), Jan Strękowski (opposition activist, today focuses on research on Norwegian aid to Polish opposition in the 80s).

During the meeting the participants touched upon the historical and social reasons for the political transformations in the 80s. as well as the consequences of those changes for the European societies.
The schedule of the visit of the guests included also Warsaw Catholic Intellectuals Club and later they had a meeting scheduled in the offices of “Rzeczpospolita” Daily.