Was the Pardon of “Staruch” a Mistake? Poles Evaluate the President’s Decision

A recent poll reveals that a majority of Poles disapprove of President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to pardon football ultra leader Piotr “Staruch” Staruchowicz, though opinions remain sharply divided along political lines.

Presidential Pardon Announcement

The Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland reported on August 3 that Karol Nawrocki had pardoned three individuals, including Piotr “Staruch” Staruchowicz, the capo of the Żyleta—the ultra stand of Legia Warsaw. The information was confirmed by his defense attorney, Krzysztof Wąsowski.

Why did Nawrocki acquit Staruch? The president thereby annulled the ban on his entry into mass events, based on article 54 paragraph 2 point 2 of the Act on Security of Mass Events. He justified it, among other things, by a positive environmental opinion and the incidental nature of the act.

Call for Mercy and Stadium Ban

“Staruch” asked Nawrocki for mercy in December of last year. He called into Kanał Zero, which hosted the president, stating that it sounds strange when a fan responsible for leading cheers cannot enter the capo stand.

This refers to the stadium ban that the court imposed on Staruchowicz after he stayed in a “place not intended for the public” during an away match between Legia and Motor Lublin in March 2025. At that time, he led the cheering of Legia fans from the stadium fence. The court made this decision even though the host club acknowledged that Legia’s capo led the cheering in accordance with the permission granted by Motor.

Prior Convictions and Public Doubt

Earlier, “Staruch” was convicted, among other things, for slapping Legia player Jakub Rzeźniczak, as well as for beating a Polonia fan. In 2016, he was cleared of drug trafficking charges.

Doubts are also held by voters. A poll by United Surveys by IBRiS for Wirtualna Polski shows that 58.3 percent of respondents negatively evaluate Nawrocki’s decision to pardon “Staruch.” In this group, over 39 percent of respondents rated it “definitely negatively.”

In turn, 27 percent of respondents spoke positively about the president’s decision, of which 14.5 percent rated it “definitely well.” 14.7 percent of respondents have no opinion on the matter.

Voter Divisions

Voters of the ruling parties almost unanimously critically evaluate the president’s decision. 90 percent of this group evaluates it negatively, including 69 percent definitely negatively. 8 percent of respondents support it.

According to opposition voters (i.e., PiS, Konfederacja, and Razem), Karol Nawrocki rightly pardoned “Staruch.” A total of 59 percent of respondents from this group think so, while 26 percent are of the opposite opinion.

Among voters of both Konfederacja parties, 57 percent of respondents evaluate the president’s decision positively, including 37 percent definitely positively. 27 percent of respondents speak negatively about the pardon.

The study was carried out on August 7-9, 2026, using the mix-mode method (a combination of CAWI internet interviews and CATI computer-assisted telephone standardized questionnaire interviews), on a nationwide, representative sample of 1,000 adult residents of Poland.