Rafał Górski

Rafał Górski (22 September 1973 – 4 July 2010) was a Polish historian, writer, anarchist, trade union and housing activist.

Górski was the author of several books and pamphlets on self-governance and cooperation. He was considered one of the most important figures in the contemporary Polish anarchist movement.

Personal life and activism Górski was born on 22 September 1973 in Kraków. In 1988 to 1990, Górski was a member of Federation of Fighting Youth and the Youth Organization of the Confederation of Independent Poland (KPN). In mid-1989, Górski became head of the youth organization of KPM, where he remained until 1991. In 1989, Górski also took part in protests in Warsaw against the election of Wojciech Jaruzelski as President of Poland and in Kraków during protests at the Soviet consulate. He later participated in ZSMP's and PZPR's occupation of the consulate in September 1989, and December 1989, respectively, and was involved in a series of street fights in Nowa Huta at the Lenin monument. In 1990, he supported the election campaigns of KPN members to the Kraków City Council, and participated in protests at the Soviet consulate against their aggression towards Lithuania in January 1991. He also took part in the Trail of the First Cadre Company March from Kraków to Kielce.

In 1991, Górski joined the Kraków section of the Anarchist Federation, the Free Caucasus Committee, and the Committee for the Assistance and Defense of Repressed Workers. Within these organizations, he helped co-organize a number of protests, including a blockade against the construction of the Czorsztyn Dam, which resulted in a number of arrests.

In 2006, Górski was diagnosed with cancer. In September 2009, he was hospitalized following injuries he received in a police raid. While in the hospital his health deteriorated and he underwent two operations due to a relapse in cancer. Górski died on 4 July 2010 in Kraków, at the age of 37.

Journalism Górski published in a number of anarchist and workers rights newsletters, including , , , , and Trybuna Śląska. From 2000 to 2004, he co-edited the anarchist periodical . In his writings, Górski wrote predominately on the theory and practicality of Representative Democracies, the history of anarchism and syndicalism in Poland, and on the popularity of cooperatives. In 2007, he published , which was described by the publisher as "the answer to the crisis of liberal democracy". The book, divided into three parts, discussed the impact of representative democracy on local governments, workplaces and the judiciary. In , Górski discussed the difference between the theory and practice of democracy, specifically stating in the preface "many myths that have arisen around participatory democracy: that it is a beautiful system, but impossible to implement" In 2008, he published , and in 2009 he published the article

Works ABC anarchosyndykalizmu. Mielec: Wydawnictwo "Inny Świat", 1999.[wspólnie z Michałem Przyborowskim] Demokracja uczestnicząca w samorządzie lokalnym. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskiej Biblioteki Anarchistycznej, 2003. . Przewodnik po demokracji uczestniczącej (partycypacyjnej). Poznań: Kraków : Oficyna Wydawnicza Bractwa "Trojka", 2005. . Bez państwa: demokracja uczestnicząca w działaniu. Kraków: Korporacja Ha!art, 2007. . Historia i teraźniejszość samorządności pracowniczej w Polsce. Poznań: Oficyna Bractwa "Trojka". . Polscy zamachowcy. Droga do wolności. Kraków: Egis Libron, 2008. .