Thousands of mourners attend funeral of former first secretary Gierek

Thousands turned out on Friday for the funeral of Edward Gierek, the communist leader whose dash for growth in the 1970s collapsed under a mountain of debt and spawned the Solidarity movement. The family of Gierek, who died last weekend at the age of 88, had originally planned a private ceremony in his hometown of Sosnowiec in the industrial southern region of Silesia. But police estimated that as many as 10,000 people came to the burial in the municipal cemetery, transforming it into a nostalgic rally with strong political overtones less than two months before the general election. Gierek's son Adam, an engineering professor who is running as a candidate for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), paid tribute to his father's achievements. "When you were first secretary, 2.5 million new apartments were built. Three million new jobs were created. Poland opened up to the world," he said in a funeral oration to loud applause. "Today, I am asking how would Poland look now if it was not for the achievements of the 1970s." All roads were closed leading to the cemetery, which was packed with mostly elderly mourners. Gierek's coffin was laid in a family grave where his parents are buried. (Reuters)