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Museum of Tolerance hosts Lech Walesa at Solidarity anniversary celebration

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This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles this week hosted a 30th anniversary celebration for Solidarity, the Polish trade union that was instrumental in leading to the collapse of communism in Poland during the 1980s. Speaking at the event was none another than Lech Walesa, the former head of the union and president of Poland.

Walesa spoke at the Wednesday event about his years as a union leader and political activist. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was joined on stage by Polish filmmaker Jacek Borcuch, whose recent movie ‘All That I Love’ chronicles the rise of a fictional Polish punk band in the early ‘80s, around the same time that Solidarity was gaining momentum. (The film played at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.)

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The event was co-organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute -- an official cultural organization to promote Polish culture -- and the Polish Film Institute.

Adding to the celebrity quotient of the evening was ‘Basic Instinct’ actress Sharon Stone and guitarist Stephen Stills. They were joined by Gorki Aguila, the Cuban rock musician who has been openly critical of the Fidel Castro regime.

In recent weeks, Walesa, 67, has been in the news regarding the latest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Walesa offered to accept the award on behalf of Liu Xiaobo, who was unable to attend the ceremony after being jailed by the Chinese government. (Walesa was unable to accept his, but his wife and son accepted for him.)

Here’s another photo of Walesa and others at the Museum of Tolerance ...

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-- David Ng

[Updated: a previous version of this post misspelled the title for the movie ‘All That I Love.’]

Top photo: Lech Walesa at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Credit: Charley Gallay / Getty Images for PFI

Stephen Stills, left, Lech Walesa and Sharon Stone at the Museum of Tolerance celebration honoring Walesa and Solidarity. Credit: Charley Gallay / Getty Images For PFI

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