Clashes at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw as opposition alleges coup attempt
In Warsaw, police and supporters of the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS) clashed outside the Constitutional Tribunal after its leadership was declared suspended. The president and the tribunal's head call it a violent takeover and a coup, while the government insists it is restoring the rule of law.
Clashes broke out overnight on 30 October between police and supporters of Poland's opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) outside the Constitutional Tribunal building in Warsaw. The confrontation escalated after tribunal judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the suspension of the tribunal's president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The opposition accuses the government of attempting a coup, and the events have further inflamed the long-running dispute over judicial independence.
What happened
PiS supporters gathered at the building, while police were deployed to keep demonstrators from entering. Police reported three detentions after protesters breached cordons and threw objects at officers.
Earlier, Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek said he was asking for the immunity of both tribunal leaders to be lifted so criminal proceedings could be opened against them. He accused them of obstructing the work of judges by not letting those elected by parliament begin work at the tribunal.
Reactions
President Karol Nawrocki cut short a visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw. He demanded that police sent by the government be removed from the building and called urgent consultations with the parties represented in parliament. Nawrocki described the events as a violent seizure of a constitutional institution. Święczkowski, who according to media reports was not allowed into the building, called it a coup. The tribunal said on social media that he and Sochański remain in their posts, questioned Korwin-Piotrowska's status as a judge and said its website had been taken over unlawfully.
Żurek, in turn, said the situation was stabilising and that judges were now inside. He called Nawrocki's conduct scandalous and warned that prosecutors would respond.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that restoring the rule of law is the government's duty. Lawyer Marcin Matczak, who has previously criticised PiS's judicial reforms, said there is no legal basis for suspending the tribunal's president.
Background
Most of the tribunal's judges were appointed while PiS was in power. Tusk's government believes the party influenced the tribunal politically and appointed some judges in breach of procedure. The president has refused to swear in the new judges elected by parliament, citing procedural violations, while Święczkowski has not let them start work. Parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled for next year.
