Poland’s dispute over its Constitutional Tribunal intensified on October 30 as President Karol Nawrocki abandoned a flight to Senegal and police detained three people outside the Warsaw court. AP reported on October 31 that protesters rallied overnight against the suspension of tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski. Nawrocki returned and visited the building.
Reuters reported that judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended Święczkowski and declared she was taking charge. Right-wing politicians accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government of a takeover of the court. Tusk said his administration was restoring the rule of law and that the process required decisive action. Those competing positions underline the dispute over who may direct the institution.
Warsaw police said the prosecutor general and a tribunal judge had requested protection amid concerns about the safety of judges and staff and possible public disorder. In an October 30 statement, police said officers remained outside the building, securing the grounds and nearby Szucha Avenue. They denied taking action against tribunal guards or interfering with the institution’s work.
Police said dangerous objects were thrown at officers and three people were detained after climbing the fence and entering the grounds. AP reported that Nawrocki said he helped the suspended court president enter the building after returning to Poland. His intervention brought the presidency directly into the confrontation at the tribunal as the protests continued overnight.
According to Reuters, the long conflict has effectively paralysed the court. Earlier this year Nawrocki refused to swear in three of six parliamentary nominees, while Święczkowski refused to seat judges chosen by the current majority. Tusk’s coalition, in office since 2023, pledged judicial reform. The rival claims to authority leave the tribunal’s leadership contested, with no resolution reported in the accounts reviewed.
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