In mid-1981, amid a widespread economic crisis and food shortages in the Polish People's Republic, thousands of Poles, mainly women and their children, took part in several hunger demonstrations, organized in cities and towns across the country.

The first result of the ninth party congress: a cut in food rations, the poster said, referring to the 20 percent reduction in meat allotments.

This announcement raised angry comments, Solidarity demanded control of food production, and there were rumors that the government was keeping meat away from the public.

[1] The first recorded hunger demonstration took place on 25 July 1981, in the town centre Kutno, at a crucial railroad junction.

[4] Some 2,000 people participated in it, and it was the first street protest in Poland since August 1980, as Solidarity had previously been trying to limit its actions to factories.

The demonstration in Kutno was organized by the local Solidarity office, Interfactory Founding Committee (Międzyzakładowy Komitet Założycielski).

[8] The biggest demonstration took place in Łódź, on 30 July 1981, and was organized by a group of local Solidarity activists, such as Andrzej Slowik, Grzegorz Palka, Jerzy Kropiwnicki and Janina Kończak.

Most participants are women of different ages, who sing hymns, such as "Boże, coś Polskę" or patriotic songs, including "Rota".

[4] James M. Markham of The New York Times wrote on 30 July 1981: "As planned, policemen halted cross traffic along the route of two and a half miles as the angry placards were borne toward City Hall.

This is his recollection of the demonstration: "In those years, Łódź became famous in Poland with the so-called hunger march, frequently shown on public TV during the Martial law.

However, back in mid-1981, when the situation in Łódź became tragic and there was no guarantee for one to purchase a piece of cheese or a fish, we realized that we could not control the workers any longer.