Rapper Peja recounts October 2025 meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki

Motivation behind the letter to the president

Polish hip-hop veteran Ryszard Andrzejewski, known by the stage name Peja, detailed the circumstances surrounding his direct communication with President Karol Nawrocki during an appearance on Bogdan Rymanowski's podcast on 30 September 2026. Andrzejewski, who has been active in the Polish music industry for more than three decades, decided to bypass standard public channels after regularly posting commentary about Israel on Facebook. He stated that social media posts began to feel inadequate for addressing foreign policy matters. His decision drew inspiration from a citizen in Tczew who formally petitioned local government officials to cancel partnership agreements between Tczew and an Israeli municipality. Andrzejewski subsequently decided to draft a letter to the head of state after learning about radar equipment purchases from Israel by Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Before sending the letter, he compiled background materials detailing commercial cooperation between Polish and Israeli companies.

I simply gathered a package of information about which companies cooperate with Israeli ones, and I asked for a conversation. I did not write that I demand a break in military and economic cooperation, but that I am concerned about what I see, and as a citizen I submit such conclusions and will gladly talk about it at a meeting if the president makes it possible.

Meeting at the Presidential Palace

The Chancellery of the President contacted Andrzejewski by phone following the receipt of his letter, extending an invitation to attend an in-person meeting in October 2025. Andrzejewski travelled to the Presidential Palace in Warsaw alongside Piotr Miężał, his long-time stage partner and friend. Prior to the meeting, the musician deliberately chose an informal dress code, advising Miężał not to wear a suit jacket so they would avoid looking like security personnel. The discussion with Nawrocki lasted for nearly two hours. Andrzejewski noted that despite the cordial and constructive atmosphere in the room, neither participant suggested switching to informal first-name terms.

I told Piotrek not to wear a suit jacket, because we would look like club bouncers and people would hate on us. Let them say what they want. He is a great guy. We talked about very different topics.

Agenda topics and later interactions

The conversation at the palace went beyond Polish foreign policy toward Israel to encompass a wider range of political and personal subjects. Andrzejewski and Nawrocki discussed the president's diplomatic visit to the United States, as well as the early milestones of Nawrocki's career in public administration. Andrzejewski also spoke positively about Nawrocki's personal discipline, pointing out that the president remains physically fit enough to do push-ups on one arm. Following the October 2025 talks, the presidential administration invited Andrzejewski to multiple state gatherings, including official ceremonies for Polish Army Day. While professional commitments prevented him from attending those events, the rapper and the president later encountered each other during commemorative ceremonies for the June 1956 protests near Poznań.