WORLD : Farmers ‘Strong-Arm’ Walesa

Farmers demanding higher milk prices blocked Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and halted traffic on Poland’s main north-south highway today.

The farmers set up roadblocks near the town of Mlawa on the Gdansk-Warsaw road and stopped Walesa, who was on his way to Warsaw, for about an hour.

Walesa was allowed to continue after he promised to intervene with the government on the farmers’ behalf. He later flew to Geneva for the annual conference of the International Labor Organization.

“Discontent is spreading around the country, and people blame Walesa and the government for their difficulties,” Walesa told reporters.