Polish President Karol Nawrocki was forced to push through a crowd to enter the country’s top court amid claims that a “coup” was under way.
Hundreds of protesters surrounded the president outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday night, as tensions escalated between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government and the nationalist right following the suspension of the court’s chief judge.
Riot police were deployed to secure the court entrance while demonstrators shouted, “Tusk traitor.”
The confrontation prompted Mr Nawrocki to abandon an official visit to Senegal in mid-flight and order his aircraft to return to the Polish capital.
When he arrived, security officers escorted the president through a crowd of hundreds waving Polish flags and protesting outside the court.
Dozens of police officers guarded the entrance as supporters of the opposition right-wing Law and Justice party, known as PiS, demonstrated against the removal of Constitutional Tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski.
The court’s official X account described the events as a “coup d’etat”, while protesters accused Mr Tusk’s government of undermining Poland’s constitutional order.
Several demonstrators attempted to breach the security barriers. Police said three people were arrested after trying to enter the court complex.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki was forced to push through a crowd of protesters to enter the country’s top court on Friday night
Hundreds of protesters blocked Mr Nawrocki’s access to the Constitutional Tribunal
Polish riot police stood inside the Constitutional Tribunal as protests erupted over claims of a “coup”
“Tusk is trampling on our constitutional rights,” demonstrator Tomasz Zaleski told AFP outside the court.
Mr Tusk’s government has spent weeks seeking to remove judges appointed under the previous PiS administration, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.
The Constitutional Tribunal repeatedly ruled in favour of Polish legislation over EU law, prompting the European Union to accuse Poland’s highest court of being too closely aligned with the nationalist government then in power.
Mr Tusk, a strongly pro-EU politician, promised to resolve the dispute with Brussels after his coalition won power in 2023.
However, Mr Nawrocki, a right-wing independent president, has blocked the government’s nominations to the court.
Former PiS prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski addressed the protesters and urged Mr Nawrocki to take action.
MORE ON THIS: Antigua PM Open to Slavery Apology as King Charles Arrives
The president said he had called off his official trip to Senegal while in mid-air and instructed the plane to turn back to Warsaw.
After returning to the capital, Mr Nawrocki met Mr Swieczkowski and the court’s first chief justice, Zbigniew Kapinski, at the presidential palace.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, pictured speaking at an event in the Philippines earlier this month, was also forced to push through crowds to enter the court
A man holding a cross joined protesters outside Poland’s top court in Warsaw after police blocked access to the building
Police officers guarded the entrance to Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw
Demonstrators waved Polish flags along Avenue Szucha in support of Mr Nawrocki
Mr Nawrocki later entered the Constitutional Tribunal, his chief of staff, Pawel Szefernaker, said early on Saturday. He added that the president was accompanied by Mr Kapinski.
Footage broadcast by local television showed Mr Nawrocki making his way through the crowd and entering the building.
The suspension of Mr Swieczkowski was announced by fellow judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who said the step was necessary to restore the rule of law.
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who also serves as attorney general, told reporters that he had sought the removal of legal immunity from Mr Swieczkowski and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski.
“This court has become private property. We must restore its proper functioning,” he said.
Mr Tusk defended the move, saying: “Restoring the rule of law is our duty. After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.”
The Constitutional Tribunal’s official website was inaccessible on Friday evening.
In a post on X, the court said a “coup d’etat” had taken place and insisted that Mr Swieczkowski remained in office.
The statement also said Ms Korwin-Piotrowska could not serve as interim chief justice because she had not been sworn in by the president.
As the dispute deepened, Ms Korwin-Piotrowska said: “In modern Europe, a democratic state cannot function without a constitutional court… that acts as a guarantor of citizens’ rights and freedoms.”
