Polish president enters constitutional court amid police standoff after judges suspended

Riot police confronted protesters outside Poland's constitutional court on Friday night after a panel of government-appointed judges suspended the court's president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The move sparked a protest that included opposition members of parliament.

President Karol Nawrocki returned to Warsaw from a planned state visit and entered the courthouse after midnight, pushing through a police cordon. Video footage showed the president struggling with security personnel and other judges to gain access. By early Saturday morning he remained inside the building.

"The government appointees were not judges of the constitutional court," Nawrocki said in a video posted online.

"A constitutional body was seized by force," he added in a statement read on his behalf, calling for security forces to leave the premises.

The suspension was carried out by a group of judges elected by the current parliamentary majority, who also claimed procedural control of the court. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of the five judges not accepted by Nawrocki, said she had assumed the top position based on her seniority in the judiciary.

Legal experts expressed divergent views on the legality of the suspension. Law scholar Marcin Matczak said the legal basis for the action appeared "non-existent," while justice minister Waldemar Żurek said he had requested that Święczkowski and Sochański be stripped of immunity to face prosecution for obstructing the court's work.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk reiterated his government's commitment to restoring the rule of law, stating, "After years of PiS's lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way."

Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters that the tribunal had been politicised under the previous government and that the current steps aim to allow the majority of duly elected judges to restore its function.

U.S. ambassador to Poland Tom Rose described the events as "very serious" and warned that large gatherings outside the tribunal could increase tensions.

The incident adds to a long-standing dispute over the court's composition that dates back to 2015 and is expected to influence the upcoming parliamentary election.