President Karol Nawrocki ordered the return of his official trip to Warsaw after calling off a visit to Africa while in mid-flight.
Riot police were deployed around the constitutional court in Poland on 30 October. The deployment occurred following the suspension of constitutional court chief justice Bogdan Swieczkowski. Followers of the right-wing Law and Justice party, which governed from 2015 to 2023, protested against the removal of Swieczkowski.
The court’s official social media account described the situation as a "coup d’etat". Police arrested three individuals who attempted to enter the court complex. Another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, announced the suspension of Swieczkowski, stating the move was necessary to restore the rule of law.
Korwin-Piotrowska said, "In modern Europe, a democratic state cannot function without a constitutional court […] that acts as a guarantor of citizens’ rights and freedoms." Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek requested that the legal immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski be lifted.
Zurek said, "This court has become private property; we must restore its proper functioning".
Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated, "Restoring the rule of law is our duty".
Tusk added, "After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way."
Tomasz Zaleski claimed that Tusk was "trampling on our constitutional rights". Nawrocki held a meeting at the presidential palace with Swieczkowski and the court’s first chief justice Zbigniew Kapinski. The court’s official social media account maintained that Swieczkowski remained in office.
The court’s official social media account noted that Korwin-Piotrowska could not become interim chief because she had not been sworn in by the president. The constitutional court’s official website was inaccessible on Friday evening.
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said, "This court has become private property; we must restore its proper functioning".
Waldemar Zurek
