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Polish democracy leader Lech Walesa says a Trump victory would be a 'misfortune' for the world

  • The Associated Press

  • Canadian Press

  • October 14, 2024

FILE - Lech Walesa former President of Poland, speaks after being awarded withthe "Golden Medal for services to reconciliation and understanding among peoples" in Berlin, Monday Sept. 26, 2022. (Britta Pedersen/dpa via AP, file)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Polish democracy champion and former President Lech Walesa says a victory by Republican Donald Trump in this year's U.S. presidential election would bring "misfortune" to the world.

Walesa said in a short entry on Facebook on Sunday that he does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, but that the matter "is too important for the world" for him to withhold his views.

"I deeply believe that Americans will vote responsibly. In my opinion, I am completely convinced that Trump's election WOULD BE A MISFORTUNE FOR THE U.S. AND THE WORLD," he wrote, using all capital letters.

He did not explain his thinking further.

Walesa, 81, played a historic role as leader of Solidarity, a labor union that advocated for workers' rights and greater freedoms during the 1980s, when Poland was still under Soviet-backed communist rule.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for his defense of workers' rights and universal freedoms more broadly. Solidarity ended up playing a crucial role in the peaceful collapse of communism.

Walesa went on to serve one term as president of Poland.