Silesian Autonomy Movement
The Silesian Autonomy Movement, abbreviated as RAŚ, is a movement officially declaring its support for the autonomy of Silesia as part of a unified Europe. The association was founded in January 1990 by Rudolf Kołodziejczyk and is based in the Polish part of Upper Silesia. RAŚ sees the Silesians as a "separate nation" rather than primarily as Poles, Germans or Czechs.
On 17 October 2009, the Silesian Autonomy Movement signed a cooperation agreement with its German sister organisation, Initiative der Autonomie Schlesiens, based in Würzburg, and the UK-based Silesian Autonomy Movement.
In 2002, RAŚ became a member of the European Free Alliance.
In 2007, RAŚ activists reestablished football club 1. FC Katowice. Also, since 2007 RAŚ organize in Poland every year "Autonomy Marches".
Polish parliamentary elections
The movement participated in the 1991 parliamentary elections and received 40,061 votes and two seats, one of its MP was Kazimierz Świtoń.In the 2001 parliamentary elections, two candidates of the movement were included on the lists of the Civic Platform.
In the elections of 2005, several candidates from the movement, including its vice president Krzysztof Kluczniok, took part on the list of the Polish People's Party.
Local elections
Polish local elections, 2006
In the 2006 Polish local elections, the movement did not win a single seat in the sejmik of the Silesian Voivodeship, gaining 4.35% of the popular vote. It placed after main parties in Poland: Civic Platform, Law and Justice, Democratic Left Alliance and Polish People's Party, but ahead other main parties in Poland: Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland, which won 3.96%, and the League of Polish Families, which won 3.46%. In Opole Voivodeship, RAŚ won 1.46% of all ballots.RAŚ won mandates in a few municipalities and county councils: in Katowice, Ruda Śląska, Zabrze, Tychy, Bytom, Mysłowice and Gliwice county, Bieruń-Lędziny county, Tarnowskie Góry county, Siemianowice Śląskie, Piekary Śląskie, Rybnik county.
Polish local elections, 2010
In the 2010 Polish local elections, the movement got three seats in the sejmik of the Silesian Voivodeship, gaining 8.5% of the popular vote. It is twice the amount from previous elections. It placed RAŚ after the main parties in Poland: Civic Platform, Law and Justice and Democratic Left Alliance, but ahead of other main National parties: Polish People's Party, Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland and the League of Polish Families.In the Silesian part of the Silesian Voivodeship RAŚ had the following percentage of votes: Chorzów area - 17,50%, Katowice area - 15.96%, Rybnik area - 14.57%, Gliwice area - 8.70% and Bielsko-Biała area - 1.58%. Generally, the average result in Silesia within the Silesian Voivodeship was nearly 15%.
In districts of the Silesian Voivodeship which lie outside of the historical Silesian region RAŚ had the following support percentage: Sosnowiec area - 1.37% and Częstochowa area - 0.69%. Towns, cities, communes or municipality councils: Gmina Godów -, Gmina Lyski -, Gmina Cisek - 41.26%, powiat rybnicki - 25.61%, Czerwionka-Leszczyny 20.48%, Mysłowice - 9.29%, Katowice - 8.86%, Chorzów - 8.69%, Ruda Śląska - 8.18%, powiat wodzisławski - 7.91%, Powiat Opolski - 5.27%, powiat bieruńsko-lędziński - 4.54% and Gmina Gaszowice, Gmina Marklowice.
Candidates in the towns, cities, communes or municipalities majors: Gmina Godów - 90.3%, Gmina Lyski - 64.67%, Mysłowice - 9.79%, Ruda Śląska - 7.75%, Chorzów - 7.61%, Rybnik - 3.78%. RAŚ in comparison with the other parties did not have a developed election campaign,moreover, RAŚ is not a political party but a social organization.
[Silesian Regional Assembly]http://wybory2010.pkw.gov.pl/geo/pl/240000/240000.html#tabs-6 Serwis PKW – Wybory 2010
Polish local elections, 2014
[Silesian Regional Assembly]https://web.archive.org/web/20141214032212/http://pkw.gov.pl/g2/oryginal/2014_11/8b4fcc8febb13dc7d88f8e386e3ab5a4.pdf Serwis PKW – Wybory 2014
Controversies
- In 2000 the Polish Office For State Protection warned in its report that RAŚ may be a potential threat to Poland's interests.
- In 2007, reestablishment of the 1. FC Kattowitz soccer club by the RAŚ activists caused controversy. 1. FC Kattowitz was a soccer club established in 1905 by Germans, club played in the German soccer league. Following the Silesian Uprisings in 1921 and a subsequent League of Nations plebiscite, part of the region – including Kattowitz – was granted to Poland and the name of the city was changed to Katowice. With the transfer of the city of Katowice to Poland, the name of the club was Polonized in 1922 to 1. Klub Sportowy Katowice. That same year, the membership of the club successfully challenged the change in court and won the right to play as 1. FC Kattowitz. By 1924, the team was part of regional Polish competition and playing as 1. FC Katowice. Katowice faltered in 1929 and was relegated from first division Polish football, descending to play in the regional Silesian league where they became champions in 1932.
- In 2010, controversy sparked over the controversial photo on official RAŚ site. The photo itself showed a young man who held a trophy in his hand and diploma in other while behind him was a commemorative plaque with words in German language "Zum gedenken den gefallenen", above the plaque was the Iron Cross with dates 1939-1945. On the sides of the commemorative plaque were Silesian and modern Germany flags. When the scandal broke out, Silesian Autonomy Movement has been accused by some of being a "Volksdeutsche organization which real goal is to break the Silesia region from Poland and return it to Germany" and also a "German fifth column in Poland". Photo vanished from the RAŚ site as soon as it was acknowledged in the media. Ryszard Czarnecki, Polish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament for the Lower Silesian and Opole constituency from Law and Justice, stated on his official Europarliament site that: "From one side it proves how contumely and effrontery are Silesian separatists, from the other side Polish media can play a positive role only if they will want to oppose such iniquity, such defamation of the fallen Poles from the German hands during the II World War. One must want and can to place a dam to this pro-German effrontery."
- Jerzy Gorzelik, the current leader and representative of the Silesian Autonomy Movement, has claimed numerous times that he is not Polish by nationality but rather "Upper Silesian". He once stated: I'm Silesian, not Polish. My fatherland is Upper Silesia. I did not pledge anything to Poland nor I promised anything to it so it means that I did not betray it. State called Republic of Poland, of which I'm a citizen, refused to give me and my friends a right to self-determination and so that's why I do not feel obligated to loyalty towards this country.
- Fear of separatism, instead of officially declared autonomy, was flamed up by some publications in "Jaskółka Śląska" - RAŚ's official magazine. Articles were published that openly called for a sovereign, independent Silesian state.
Leadership
- Paweł Musioł
- Zenon Wieczorek
- Krzysztof Kluczniok
- Jerzy Gorzelik