Warsaw
Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered overnight around a Polish top court to denounce the suspension of the court’s president, which they blame on the country’s pro-European government. Police said they arrested three protesters after some threw objects at officers and tried to break through the security barrier surrounding the court.
Meanwhile, Polish President Karol Nawrocki – who opposes the pro-EU government – turned away his plane on a flight to Senegal on Friday evening and returned home due to the situation.
“At a time like this, the President must be in Poland. I’m shortening my flight to Senegal. I’m going back,” he wrote on X.
After returning to Poland, Nawrocki went to the Constitutional Court despite the chaos and said he helped the suspended court president also enter the building.
On Saturday morning, Nawrocki declared that a “violation of the Polish constitutional order” had taken place and summoned the leaders of the parliamentary groups to an emergency meeting on Saturday to “stabilize the political situation”.
Protests against the long-beleaguered Constitutional Court risk sharpening tensions between Poland’s pro-European government and its opponents, mainly the main opposition party, the national-conservative Law and Justice party, or PiS. Poland’s highest judicial bodies, including the Constitutional Court, constitute a major bone of contention between the two parties.
Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse PiS, which ruled the country between 2015 and 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions. Reforms introduced under the PiS government prompted the EU to impose fines on Poland.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European government came to power in 2023 with a promise to restore the independence of the judiciary. Since then, his efforts have been blocked by vetoes from two successive PiS-aligned presidents, including Nawrocki.
On Friday evening, the website of the Constitutional Court announced the suspension of the president of the court, Bogdan Święczkowski. Shortly after, protesters – including PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and far-right politicians – began gathering in front of the building.
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Government protests continue Saturday as police and protesters clash in Poland.
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Government protests continue Saturday as police and protesters clash in Poland.
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Anti-government protests continue in Poland as police and protesters continue to clash
Anti-government protests continue in Poland as police and protesters continue to clash
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The government claims that Święczkowski repeatedly broke the law and jeopardized the work of the court. Święczkowski became president of the court under the former PiS government. Tusk accused him of preventing judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts at the court.
“Restoring the rule of law is our obligation,” Tusk wrote on X on Friday evening. “After years of anarchy under PiS, this is a difficult, sometimes painful process that requires decisive action. There is no other way out.”
Tusk had previously promised that his government would ensure the court was once again staffed with legally appointed judges, while acknowledging that its methods might not please everyone.
PiS politicians criticized Święczkowski’s suspension.
“This is a blatant and criminal attack on the constitutional order,” former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X on Friday evening. “This is why I call for a resistance that will be strong, firm, united and fearless. »
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