In brief
Hundreds of opposition supporters gathered outside the Polish Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday night to protest the suspension of the court’s president, accusing Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government of intruding on the judiciary. Police detained three demonstrators who had entered the court building and several people were reported injured, according to local media. The dispute follows months of conflict over the appointment of new judges, with Poland’s parliament having elected eight while President Karol Nawrocki accepted only three oaths, a move the tribunal’s leadership has called a “coup.”
Hundreds of demonstrators, many from Poland’s opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, gathered outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday night, sparking a clash with police that left several injured and three protesters detained for entering the court building.
Police presence was thick as protesters blocked the building’s entrance. Xinhua reported that three demonstrators were stopped and given temporary detention after they breached the premises, and local media said several people were injured during the confrontation.
The protests were triggered by the court’s announcement that its president and vice‑president had been suspended for one month. The move followed a long‑standing dispute over the appointment of new judges, a conflict that has divided the ruling coalition and the opposition.
According to Xinhua, Poland’s parliament—controlled by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition—had elected eight new judges to the tribunal this year. However, President Karol Nawrocki, who is allied with the PiS opposition, accepted only the oaths of three of the new judges. The remaining five took their oaths during parliamentary ceremonies, but Nawrocki and the tribunal’s leadership refused to recognise their status, preventing them from taking up their judicial duties.
For the night of the protests, the tribunal’s website announced that its president and vice‑president had been suspended, while a newly elected judge whose legitimacy is contested now holds temporary leadership of the court. The tribunal’s leadership rejected the suspension as an illegal act and accused those involved of “illegal taking over its website,” describing the move as a “coup.”
President Nawrocki cut short an overseas trip to Senegal, returned to Warsaw, and held an emergency meeting with judicial officials late Friday. He visited the Constitutional Tribunal shortly after midnight and entered the court building, a move that was met with cheers from some protestors.
Opposition leaders present at the scene included PiS chairperson Jarosław Kaczyński and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. They joined the crowd in calling the government’s actions a violation of judicial independence.
In response, Tusk has vowed to depoliticise the judiciary. The BBC reported that he defended the court’s suspension, arguing that the government’s intervention was necessary in light of Poland’s legal framework.
The protests came at a time of heightened scrutiny over Poland’s judicial system. The court, which has a constitutional role in certifying the legality of law and government actions, has been a flashpoint between an increasingly powerful ruling coalition and a determined opposition that views changes in judicial appointments as politically motivated.
While the immediate confrontation ended after the police restored order, the broader dispute over the tribunal’s composition remains unresolved. Local media continue to monitor the situation as both sides accuse each other of undermining the rule of law.
