The pre-war State Police did not give a damn. Or at least - it did not give the communists. Demonstrations of stubborn friends of the Soviet Union were dispersed, the ringleaders were arrested, and leaflets and lampoons were confiscated. Such a difficult situation forced the Polish Communist Party to apply exceptional measures ...
The Communists, of course, considered May 1, the Labor Day, to be the best day to incite the masses against capitalist exploitation. In 1932, however, they did not have much hope for success. “Nowiny Codzienne”, published by NGOs, mocked that all proposals for large demonstrations were rejected out of fear of the police. Apparently, the "communist elders" whined: Nothing will come of it! The police will speed up, arrest. The working masses in Poland are not yet prepared for armed protests ...
In such circumstances, it was decided to use an innovative tool worthy of the 1930s:air propaganda! In a row of villages… a group of pigeons was secretly caught and prepared for flight. Each of the little eulogists of socialism was affixed (although it is not clear exactly how) a banner with a clear inscription. To one "Down with the bourgeoisie" to the other "Long live the S.S.S.R." , yet another "Long live communist Poland" . On the morning of May 1, all these communist pigeons flew into the air.
As could have been expected, the whole action ended in a spectacular flop . The Daily News of May 4 reported:
Excerpt from the article from "Daily News". The class struggle continues!
In Żelechów such a pigeon immediately (traitor!) sat down on the chimney of a police station, in Łuków it got tangled up in telegraph wires, and in Sobolewo - refused to fly because of ... overloading.
Well, it looks like it wasn't just the working-and-peasant class that was not yet ready to fight. So is the pigeon class.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on:
- Communist pigeons to overthrow "bourgeois Poland" , "Daily Now", May 4, 1932, p. 3.