On 19 October 1984, in the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, Jorge Bolet played Liszt. That very evening, Catholic priest and chaplain of Solidarity/Solidarność Jerzy Popiełuszko was murdered by officers of the Security Service.
The archives of the Warsaw Philharmonic have this concert down for 19/20 October 1985, but this may an error as Stolica: warszawski tygodnik ilustrowany, R. 39, 1984 nr 42 [14 X] advertised it on that week of 1984.
Although the communists lifted martial law in 1983, the repressions against the opposition continued. Public opinion was in uproar at the death of the Catholic priest and chaplain of “Solidarity,” Jerzy Popiełuszko. His murderers were officers of the Security Service, the instrument of conspiracy in the Polish People's Republic [Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa]. Jorge Bolet may well have been unnerved by his visit at this time (see note under 1961): Popiełuszko was assassinated on 19th October, the very day of Jorge's concert.
The priest had arrived in Bydgoszcz on 19 October 1984. At 6pm, he celebrated Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Polish Brothers Martyrs. Later that evening, the priest was beaten to death by three Security Police officers: Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, and Waldemar Chmielewski. They pretended to have problems with their car and flagged down Popiełuszko's car for help. Popiełuszko was severely beaten, tied up and put in the trunk of the car. The officers bound a stone to his feet and dropped him into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek from where his body was recovered on 30 October 1984.
News of the political murder caused an uproar throughout Poland, and the murderers and one of their superiors, Colonel Adam Pietruszka, were convicted of the crime. A huge crowd estimated to be between 600,000 to 1 million, including Lech Wałęsa, attended his funeral on 3 November 1984.
Popiełuszko has been recognised as a martyr by the Catholic Church and was beatified on 6 June 2010 by Cardinal Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.