Poland threatened by ‘Kosovo scenario’

RT ^

[kronos77]

The Silesian Autonomy Movement has sent a petition to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asking him to allow all regional communities to gain autonomy status.

If he does not agree, the Silesians say they are ready to raise the issue of separation, according to Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

The movement officially declares its support for the autonomy of Silesia. The association was founded in 1991 and is based mainly in the Polish part of Upper Silesia.

A similar petition has been sent to the Polish Sejm, the lower house of parliament, which along with the Senate (the upper house) has adopted the Act on National and Ethnic Minorities and on Regional Language in the country. The Silesians and the Silesian language have not been mentioned among other nationalities and ethnical minorities.

In the 2002 national census, over 170, 000 Poles described their nationality as 'Silesian'. One third of them use the Silesian language at home. The language has been entered into the list of languages at the US Library of Congress.

Silesians have appealed to the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights after the Polish district court in Katovitsy ruled that the Silesian nation does not exist, and did not let the Silesian Union to be registered.

According to experts, a deliberate decision to ignore the Silesians’ interests could provoke the ‘Kosovo scenario’.

The problem has a long history. Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located in modern day Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. Modern Silesia is inhabited by Poles, Germans, Czechs and Slavic Silesians. The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Silesians are the largest national minority in Poland, Germans being the second. Both groups are located mostly in Upper Silesia. The Czech part of Silesia is inhabited by Czechs, Moravians and Poles.

In 1920-1939 Silesia had its own Sejm, the governing body in control of the budget. It was elected in democratic elections and had certain influence over the usage of taxes collected in Silesia.

[kronos77]

[kronos77]

Ping!

[raybbr]

Are they threatening to secede on religious grounds or ethnic grounds?

[ghost of nixon]

Setting up your own tiny country with a German minority next to Germany? Doesn’t sound real smart to me for some reason...

[E. Cartman]

Rising secessionist movements? No one say they didn't see them coming.

[F-117A]

How long till the Germans in Silesia demand autonomy for Silesia?

[F-117A]

And how long till the Silesians in German Silesia demand autonomy for Selesian German Silesia? Etc. Etc.

[montyspython]

Hitler is smiling.

[Kozik]

Rossiyskaya Gazeta... It speaks for itself...

They aren’t demanding authonomy as in Kosovo, but more authonomy for each of Polish regions and their local self-governments (still dependent on Polish government and being a part of Poland).

BTW. It wasn’t smart to approve of authonomy of Kosovo.

[SQUID]

I support the independence movement within Poland. I think those poor people have suffered enough.

I also support independence for Northern Epirus from Albania, Bavaria from Germany, Chagos Islands, St. Helena, Northern Ireland, from UK, Turks and Chiacos, Aruba, Curacao, St. Martin, St. Eustatius, Bonaire, Saba, Flyslan, Martenique, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Marquesas Isl. Wallis and Futuna,
Catalonia, Sicily, Quebec, British Columbia, Chiapas, Scotland, Wales, Cayman Islands and Bermuda.

I think that should keep the UN busy for now. They have so many new countries to recognize. But the great thing about todays’ international “laws” is that you don't even have to ask anyone. Just do it.

[BabaYaga]

Also Serbs (Sorbs) from Lusatia region in Germany should get their authonomy. Even under heavy germanisation they survived and kept their language and culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusatia

http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-lu/jezik/euromosaic-sorbian_eng.html

[Tailgunner Joe]

I support independence for Taiwan and Tibet as well as for the Karen and Karrenni in Burma. I am also pretty happy the USA broke away from the British Empire. We didn’t even ask the UN’s permission!

[SQUID]

My point was obviously sarcastic because many in America and other places think that any independence is good independence.

This assumption is pretty damn false. Don't you think?

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from June and prior to the Russian invasion of Georgia.

The Silesian Autonomy Movement has sent a petition to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asking him to allow all regional communities to gain autonomy status. If he does not agree, the Silesians say they are ready to raise the issue of separation, according to Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta... In the 2002 national census, over 170, 000 Poles described their nationality as 'Silesian'. One third of them use the Silesian language at home. The language has been entered into the list of languages at the US Library of Congress... The problem has a long history. Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located in modern day Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. Modern Silesia is inhabited by Poles, Germans, Czechs and Slavic Silesians. The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Silesians are the largest national minority in Poland, Germans being the second. Both groups are located mostly in Upper Silesia. The Czech part of Silesia is inhabited by Czechs, Moravians and Poles. In 1920-1939 Silesia had its own Sejm, the governing body in control of the budget. It was elected in democratic elections and had certain influence over the usage of taxes collected in Silesia.

[Berosus]

I’ve never heard of ethnic Silesians. Are they Slavs, Teutons, or what?

[SunkenCiv]

They sound polyglot (ethnically) but the Silesian tongue may be Germanic. I guess I could go look a second... [sound of virtual footsteps growing more distant]

Oh, okay, the name comes from a Roman-era Germanic tribe, “Silingii”, but the population was later Slavonic; later in medieval times the German population grew again, and about 100 years ago (when the entry found at the link was written) Silesia was about 1/4 Polish and 3/4 German. .

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13790b.htm

According to the wiki-wacky, the German population was removed to the eventual East Germany and replaced with Polish folks removed from eastern Poland, as the USSR pushed both borders of Poland to the west.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesia

Upper Silesian is a West Slavic language, and Lower Silesian is/was Germanic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_language

other links:

http://www.polishroots.org/genpoland/sil.htm
http://www.schoenwitz.de/ahnen/quellen/kblz.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Silesia

(the “polishroots” page has an historical map showing the formerly German hometown of some of my ancestors)