Polish police enter Constitutional Tribunal after judge suspension triggers backlash
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Police moved into the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw after protests over the suspension of its head judge, Bogdan Swieczkowski, as Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek pushes to strip him of immunity amid accusations tied to PiS-era obstruction.
Police were deployed to the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday after demonstrators gathered to protest the suspension of the court's head judge, Bogdan Swieczkowski. Officers entered the building after unrest outside, including objects thrown at law enforcement, and detained three people.
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said he had asked that Swieczkowski and his deputy lose immunity for allegedly preventing newly elected judges from taking up their duties. Swieczkowski, appointed by the former Law and Justice (PiS) government, had used his position to block judges chosen by the current parliamentary majority over the past six months.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X that restoring the rule of law is a government duty and described the process as difficult, requiring decisive action after years of what he called lawlessness under PiS.
PiS supporters gathered at the court gates, and police said some protesters launched "dangerous projectiles". President Karol Nawrocki, a PiS ally, cancelled a trip to Senegal, saying he needed to remain in Poland amid the developments.
The Constitutional Tribunal has become a major site of political conflict, with critics accusing the previous PiS administration of politicising the judiciary. The current pro-European government says it aims to restore judicial independence, though two of its efforts have been vetoed by PiS-aligned presidents, including Nawrocki, who has refused to swear in three of six parliament-nominated judges.
Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro described the suspension as a "blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order" on X.