Police secure Poland's top court after judge suspends its leadership
A judge suspended the Constitutional Tribunal's president and deputy on Friday, prompting protests, a knife-and-pistol arrest and President Nawrocki's hurried return from Senegal.
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Police secured Poland's Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw after judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski, on Friday, saying the move would restore the rule of law. The tribunal's own leadership disputed the suspension's legality on its official X account, saying Swieczkowski remained in office and accusing those involved of committing what it called the offence of a coup.
President Karol Nawrocki cut short an official visit to Senegal and ordered his plane to turn back after police entered the tribunal's grounds and crowds of opposition supporters gathered outside, some trying to break through barriers to reach the building, according to Mediafax and Le Figaro. "At a moment like this, the president must be in Poland. I am cutting short my trip to Senegal. I am returning," Nawrocki wrote on X.
Nawrocki convened emergency talks on Saturday with representatives of all parties in parliament, citing what his office called a threat to Poland's internal security, according to Kurier. Riot police continued to guard the court building as hundreds of demonstrators gathered again on Saturday.
Police in Warsaw arrested a 30-year-old man carrying a knife, a starter pistol loaded with blanks and a badge resembling a police ID during Saturday's protest, after he struck one of the march's organisers and fled when asked to remove his face covering, Kurier reported, citing police. Officers also found drugs on him.
Justice minister and prosecutor general Waldemar Zurek said he had asked parliament to lift the two suspended judges' immunity so criminal proceedings could be opened against them, accusing them of blocking judges appointed by the current parliamentary majority from taking up their posts, Mediafax reported.
The crisis is the latest flashpoint in a long-running dispute between Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government and allies of the former nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) administration over control of the judiciary. Parliament elected eight new constitutional judges in 2026, but Nawrocki, a PiS ally, has refused to swear in several of them, while Swieczkowski has refused to let judges chosen by the current majority take up their roles.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Știripesurse, Proto Thema Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended Constitutional Tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski and deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski on Friday; the tribunal's leadership disputes the move's legality.
- 2+ outlets · Kurir, Philenews +1 President Karol Nawrocki cut short a visit to Senegal and returned to Poland after police secured the tribunal and crowds gathered outside.
- 2+ outlets · Media.az, Oxu.az +1 Nawrocki convened emergency talks with all parliamentary parties on Saturday, citing a threat to internal security.
- 1 outlet · Het Nieuwsblad Police arrested a 30-year-old man carrying a knife and a starter pistol at Saturday's protest.
- 1 outlet · Știripesurse Justice minister Waldemar Zurek asked parliament to lift the two judges' immunity to open possible criminal proceedings against them.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The standoff over who controls Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has been a central fault line in Polish politics since the Tusk government took power in December 2023, drawing EU criticism of the previous PiS government's judicial changes. A forcible confrontation at the country's top court, with police deployed and an armed man arrested at the protest, marks a serious escalation of that fight.
Sources
Reported by 23 reports from 22 independent outlets in 12 countries.
- Kurir: HAOS U POLJSKOJ: Predsednik Navrocki prekinuo posetu Senegalu i hitno se vratio zbog vanredne situacije!
- Philenews: Πολιτικός σεισμός στην Πολωνία: Επεισόδια και καταγγελίες για «πραξικόπημα» στο Συνταγματικό Δικαστήριο – Ο Ναβρότσκι διέκοψε την πτήση του και επέστρεψε εσπευσμένα (βίντεο)
- Dnevni avaz: Predsjednik Poljske hitno se vraća iz inostranstva zbog vanredne situacije: Policija ušla u Ustavni sud
- Le Figaro: Crise politique en Pologne : le président du tribunal constitutionnel écarté, la police anti-émeutes déployée
- Kurier: Politisches Beben in Polen: Polizei sichert Verfassungsgericht
Source balance
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Confidence and impact scores, 20 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- Why was the Constitutional Tribunal's leadership suspended?
- Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended president Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy on Friday, saying it would restore the rule of law; the tribunal's own leadership disputes the move's legality.
- Why did President Nawrocki cut short his trip?
- He returned from Senegal after police entered the tribunal grounds and crowds gathered outside, saying the president needed to be in Poland at such a moment.
- What is the dispute about?
- Parliament elected eight new constitutional judges in 2026, but Nawrocki has refused to swear some in, while the tribunal's PiS-aligned leadership has blocked others from taking up their roles.
This article was written with AI assistance from 25 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.