Poland’s president cut short a trip to Senegal and flew back to Warsaw overnight after a late-night confrontation at the country’s Constitutional Tribunal plunged Poland into a fresh constitutional crisis.
President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane around on Friday evening, October 30, and reached the tribunal shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday, October 31, as hundreds of protesters gathered outside and riot police secured the building. Police said three people were detained after some demonstrators threw objects at officers and tried to break through the security fence.
What triggered the confrontation
The immediate trigger was the suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the suspensions on Friday, accusing the tribunal’s leadership of obstructing judges elected by the current parliamentary majority and preventing the court from functioning properly.
The tribunal’s existing leadership rejected the move and described it on its official social media account as an attempted coup. Nawrocki, who opposes Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European government, backed the suspended leadership. On Saturday morning he said a “breach of Poland’s constitutional order” had taken place and called parliamentary group heads for an urgent meeting on stabilising the political situation.
A night of scuffles at the tribunal
Nawrocki entered the tribunal building accompanied by Zbigniew Kapiński, the first president of the Supreme Court, according to Polish media reports. Access was marked by shoving and conflicting accounts: Judge Maciej Berek released images accusing the president of pushing judges, while the presidential circle said an attempt was made to prevent Nawrocki from entering and that his physical integrity was violated. Those are claims from the parties involved, not judicially established findings.
Police said they were on the tribunal grounds but not inside the building, and denied reports that they had expelled members of its security service. Police said they acted following requests from Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek and from Korwin-Piotrowska, related to possible risks for workers, magistrates and public order.
Among the protesters outside were opposition Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński and far-right politicians. The government says Święczkowski repeatedly broke the law and jeopardised the tribunal’s work; Żurek has sought the lifting of judicial immunity for Święczkowski and Sochański.
Why this matters beyond one night
The confrontation exposes a deeper, long-running conflict over judicial appointments and the authority of Poland’s highest constitutional court, pitting Tusk’s government against Nawrocki and the conservative opposition. At stake is who legitimately controls the 15-member tribunal — judges backed by the current parliamentary majority, some of whom Nawrocki has not sworn in, or the leadership installed under the previous nationalist government.
The crisis is unfolding as Poland’s politics remain sharply polarised, and Saturday’s urgent consultations will be the first test of whether the rival camps can agree even on a process for resolving the standoff.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Poland’s president cut short his Senegal trip? President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane around on Friday, October 30, writing on X: “At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning.”
Was there a coup in Poland? The tribunal’s leadership called the suspensions an attempted coup, and Nawrocki accused the government of a forcible takeover. Those are political characterisations by the parties involved; no court has established that a coup legally occurred.
How many people were detained? Police said three protesters were detained after some threw objects at officers and tried to break through the security fence.
Sources
- CNN — Police detain 3 protesters during overnight rally as Polish president backs suspended judge
- Business Today — Riot police, protests and coup claims: What triggered Poland’s midnight constitutional crisis?
- Babel — Nawrocki calls for urgent consultations over the seizure of the Constitutional Tribunal
