On a cold weekend in Warsaw, a country that has spent years arguing over who gets to interpret its own constitution found that argument had moved onto the court's front steps. The suspension of the constitutional court's president, and the rival claims about who now holds his chair, have turned a long quarrel over judges and European law into a standoff that police were called to guard. Polish politics has seen this kind of pull between governing and opposing forces before, and the question now is whether the president's talks at the palace can lower a temperature that many people, on both sid
Polish President Nawrocki Holds Crisis Talks After Constitutional Court Standoff
Three people were arrested after demonstrators chanted at and tried to push through security barricades outside the court.
Two accounts of who leads Poland's highest court, and neither side yielding
Mark
Why did a court suspension bring riot police into the street?
Mimi
Because two sides claim the court's leadership. A judge announced Swieczkowski's suspension, and the court's own account says he is still in office. Protesters from PiS were already camped outside.
Luke
Worth noting that the 'coup d'etat' label comes from the court's own account, and 'restoring the rule of law' is Tusk's framing. Both are claims by parties to the fight.
Mark
What is the government's argument, as reported?
Mimi
That years of PiS-led lawlessness require decisive action. The justice minister also asked to lift immunity for Swieczkowski and his deputy.
Luke
We only know he requested it. The report doesn't say what grounds he gave or whether it was granted.
Mark
Why does Nawrocki matter here?
Mimi
He has blocked Tusk's nominations to the court, and the court says Korwin-Piotrowska can't act as interim head without his swearing-in.
Mark
And the talks?
Mimi
Civic Coalition stayed away, and The Left said it wasn't invited and sees him as a party to the dispute.
Luke
Right, so it's unclear what the talks can settle. No breakthrough was reported by Saturday afternoon, and the 'threat to internal security' was Nawrocki's assertion, with no specifics given.
O Pulso
- Riot police ring the constitutional court in Warsaw while protesters push against barricades and chant insults at the government.
- Two rival accounts of who leads the court collide, with one side calling the suspension a coup and the other calling it the restoration of law.
- President Nawrocki cuts short his trip abroad and convenes party talks at the palace, but the governing coalition's largest party stays away.
- Three arrests mark the first hard edge of the confrontation, and both the prime minister and the court's supporters refuse to back down.
- No breakthrough has emerged by Saturday afternoon, leaving the outcome hanging on whether the court's leadership fight and the EU law dispute escalate or ease.
On a cold weekend in Warsaw, a country that has spent years arguing over who gets to interpret its own constitution found that argument had moved onto the court's front steps. The suspension of the constitutional court's president, and the rival claims about who now holds his chair, have turned a long quarrel over judges and European law into a standoff that police were called to guard. Polish politics has seen this kind of pull between governing and opposing forces before, and the question now is whether the president's talks at the palace can lower a temperature that many people, on both sides, have stopped trying to hide.
Riot police surrounded Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw on Friday, and by Saturday President Karol Nawrocki had returned early from Senegal to convene crisis talks at the presidential palace. Hours into the meeting, no breakthrough had come.
The crisis began with the suspension of the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski. Another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, announced the move as necessary to restore the rule of law, and the justice minister, who is also attorney general, said he had asked for the immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy to be lifted. The court rejected all of it, calling the events a coup and insisting Swieczkowski remained in office. Its statement added that Korwin-Piotrowska could not take over because she had not been sworn in, leaving two incompatible versions of who leads the institution.
Outside, supporters of the opposition Law and Justice party protested what they saw as a government seizure of the court. Some chanted against Prime Minister Donald Tusk and pushed at barricades, and police made three arrests. Tusk defended the action as a painful but necessary duty after years of what he called PiS-led lawlessness.
The roots run back years. Tusk's government has tried for weeks to remove judges appointed under the previous PiS administration, a court that often sided with national law over EU law and drew sharp criticism from Brussels. Nawrocki has blocked Tusk's nominees, and PiS supporters have camped outside the building in support of its judges.
At the palace, nationalist and far-right parties and some coalition members attended, while Tusk's Civic Coalition stayed away. Protesters, some of them travelling long distances, said they saw the government as destroying democracy. The US ambassador urged all sides to avoid steps that could lead to violence. What happens next depends on whether the talks ease the standoff or whether the fight over the court's leadership and EU law deepens.
Riot police ringed Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw on Friday, and by Saturday the country's president had cut short a trip to Senegal and was back in the capital. Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing independent, convened crisis talks at the presidential palace with representatives of political parties. Hours in, no breakthrough had emerged.
The trigger was the suspension of the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski. The move was announced by another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who said it was needed to restore the rule of law. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who is also the attorney general, told journalists he had asked for the legal immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski, to be lifted.
The court itself disputes all of it. Its official X account described the events as a "coup d'etat" and insisted Swieczkowski remained in office. It added that Korwin-Piotrowska could not become interim head because the president had not sworn her in. That left two incompatible accounts of who leads the institution.
Outside, dozens of police intervened as supporters of the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS) protested what they called an attempt by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government to seize the court. Some demonstrators chanted "Tusk traitor" and tried to push through security barricades. Police said three people were arrested.
Prime Minister Tusk defended the action on X: "Restoring the rule of law is our duty." He called it a difficult and sometimes painful process after years of PiS-led lawlessness, and said there was no other way.
The background is a long contest over the court. Tusk's government has spent weeks trying to force out judges appointed under the previous PiS government, which ruled from 2015 to 2023. That court often ruled for Polish legislation over EU law, and the European Union accused it of being too close to the nationalist government of the day. Tusk, strongly pro-EU, promised to end the dispute with Brussels after winning the 2023 election. But Nawrocki has blocked his nominations to the court. PiS supporters have gathered outside the building for weeks in support of its judges.
Nawrocki said the talks were necessary because of "the threat to internal security," in a statement read on his behalf outside the court on Saturday morning. According to Polish media, nationalist, far-right and some ruling coalition parties attended. Tusk's Civic Coalition stayed away. The Left, a coalition member, said it had not been invited and would not have gone anyway, because it considers Nawrocki a party to the dispute.
Protesters kept up their presence on Saturday. Iwona Dudek, 62, who travelled with her husband from a German border town, told AFP: "This is Donald Tusk destroying democracy... it's a tragedy." She also saw one unexpected result: "Donald Tusk has done the impossible. He has united the entire right wing."
US ambassador Tom Rose urged all sides on X not to take any action that could provoke violence or further escalation, warning that the last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse. What to watch now is whether the palace talks, boycotted by Tusk's own party, ease the standoff, or whether the fight over who leads the court and how it treats EU law sharpens.
Citações Notáveis
Restoring the rule of law is our duty.— Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on X
Donald Tusk has done the impossible. He has united the entire right wing.— Iwona Dudek, 62, protester, to AFP
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