Police investigate Grzegorz Braun and candidate Michał Klimek over Kraków sign stunt
Officers in Kraków examined a campaign stunt by Confederation of the Polish Crown politicians who used an angle grinder to dismantle a prop Clean Transport Zone sign attached with zip ties.
Campaign stunt in Nowa Huta
On 18 September 2026, members of the Confederation of the Polish Crown staged a political demonstration in the Nowa Huta district of Kraków. The party leader and Member of the European Parliament, Grzegorz Braun, appeared alongside Michał Klimek, the group's candidate for Mayor of Kraków. During the demonstration, Klimek used an angle grinder to cut through a metal post holding a Clean Transport Zone (SCT) sign. The politicians subsequently posted video footage of the event on social media platforms, framing the action as a direct dismantling of municipal traffic regulations.
Grzegorz Braun addressed viewers in the video recording to describe the purpose of the demonstration:
This is merely a pleasant foretaste of what awaits you, normal Poles, under the presidency of Michał Klimek in Kraków.
Public reaction and staging scrutiny
Shortly after the video appeared on platform X, commentators and social media users noted irregularities in how the sign had been installed. Video footage indicated that the metal post had been secured to roadside railings using plastic zip ties rather than standard municipal fixtures. Commentators observed that no official Clean Transport Zone sign had previously existed at that specific roadside location in Nowa Huta. Adam Czarnecki, initiator of the "Stoimy dla CPK" movement, and Zero.pl journalist Paweł Figurski publicly stated that the politicians appeared to have brought their own prop to cut down on camera.
Michał Klimek addressed the controversy on social media, defending the action as a deliberate political statement against environmental regulations:
We ended yesterday's meeting with Kraków residents by signing the freshly cut SCT sign. This cut sign is a vivid symbol of opposition to solutions imposed on us from Brussels that limit the freedom of residents and visitors.
Police inquiry and legal provisions
On 19 September 2026, Małopolska Police issued an official statement regarding the circulated recording. Law enforcement officials confirmed that officers examined the scene and determined the object was not part of road infrastructure, but rather a prop used in a political stunt. Despite the item being an unofficial prop, officers initiated proceedings under Article 85, Paragraph 1 of the Polish Code of Petty Offences.
- Grzegorz Braun and Michał Klimek film cutting down a zip-tied SCT sign in Nowa Huta
- Małopolska Police confirm investigation under Article 85 § 1 of the Code of Petty Offences
- Kraków holds mayoral election to choose the successor to Aleksander Miszalski
The cited legal provision regulates actions concerning warning, protective, and informational signs on public roads. Under Article 85, Paragraph 1, any person who arbitrarily sets up, destroys, damages, removes, turns on, or turns off a sign or protective device, or alters its position or obscures it, faces penalties of arrest, restriction of liberty, or a fine. Police investigators carried out on-site procedures to document the unauthorized placement and subsequent cutting of the hardware.
Kraków mayoral election context
The demonstration took place during the municipal campaign ahead of the Kraków mayoral election scheduled for Sunday, 27 September 2026. Voters across the city are preparing to elect a successor to Mayor Aleksander Miszalski of Civic Coalition. Transport policy and the implementation of clean transport zones have formed central discussion points throughout the mayoral campaign. Klimek utilized the stunt to reiterate his campaign pledge that, if elected mayor, he would dismantle the Clean Transport Zone across Kraków.
