Polish president joins protesters after top court leaders suspended

Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and returned to Warsaw as riot police confronted protesters outside the Constitutional Tribunal following the suspension of its president and deputy.

A group of government-appointed judges suspended Bogdan Święczkowski and Bartłomiej Sochański amid a long-running dispute over the legitimacy of the court’s bench. Hundreds of demonstrators, including opposition lawmakers, gathered outside the tribunal on Friday to support the suspended judges. Police said three people were detained after some protesters breached a perimeter fence and objects were thrown at officers.

Nawrocki, a conservative backed by the opposition Law and Justice party, arrived shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday and passed through the police cordon into the building. Video showed him struggling with security and others as he sought entry. He remained inside for several hours.

In footage posted online, Nawrocki said the government appointees involved “were not judges of the constitutional court.” A statement read on his behalf accused the government of violating Poland’s constitutional order and seizing a constitutional body by force. He called for security personnel to withdraw. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has not recognized the tribunal’s legitimacy in its current form.

The dispute dates to competing judicial appointments beginning in 2015. During Law and Justice’s years in government, the European Union accused the tribunal of being too close to the ruling party. Since taking office in 2023, Tusk has sought to reverse contested judicial changes, while opposition-aligned presidents have blocked parts of his reform agenda.