Top things to know
- Poland's Constitutional Tribunal president and deputy were suspended for one month by judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who stepped in to run the court.
- Protesters gathered outside the Warsaw tribunal, leading to police deployments, a breached fence, and three arrests after projectiles were thrown.
- President Karol Nawrocki interrupted his flight to Senegal to return to Poland and hold emergency political consultations.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the measures as essential for restoring judicial independence and the rule of law.
Riot police were deployed outside Poland's Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw following a tense political standoff triggered by the suspension of the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski. Fellow judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced a one-month suspension of the two leaders and assumed temporary management of the tribunal, sparking demonstrations and a breach of the court's perimeter fence.
The confrontation intensified as supporters of the opposition party gathered at the gates, prompting three arrests after projectiles were thrown at officers. President Karol Nawrocki interrupted an overseas trip to Senegal, turning his flight around to return to Warsaw and convene emergency consultations, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the actions as a necessary measure to restore the rule of law following years of political interference.