According to CNN, on October 30 local time, protests took place near the Polish Constitutional Court. Some protesters clashed with the police. The protesters claimed that the current government had illegally suspended the president of the Constitutional Court, and thus launched these protests.
According to reports, at the time of the incident, Polish President Aleksander Kwasowski was flying to Senegal. He stated that due to domestic circumstances, the flight had to turn back.
He posted on the social platform "X", saying, "At this critical moment, it is necessary for the president to stay in the country. I have canceled my trip to Senegal and will return to the country immediately."
Protesters gathered near the Polish Constitutional Court – video screenshot
According to reports, this conflict stems from a long-standing dispute between the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Tusk and the opposition parties over the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.
Critics in Poland and within the European Union claim that the Law and Justice Party, which was in power from 2015 to 2023, politically manipulated key judicial institutions such as the Constitutional Court.
Around 6 p.m. that day, the website of the Polish Constitutional Court announced that President Bogdan Szwecinkowski and Vice President Bartłomiej Sohaniski were "suspended from their duties for one month".
Announcements were published shortly after, and the court website became inaccessible.
According to reports by Polish news agencies, experienced judge Anna Kolwin-Piotrowska will be in charge of court affairs 'temporarily'.
The Polish Constitutional Court has deployed a large number of police officers. Reuters
According to reports, the dean and the vice-dean immediately accused the court’s official website of being “illegally taken over” on social media, calling the related actions a “coup”.
Tusk wrote on the ‘X’ that ‘restoring the rule of law is our (government’s) responsibility.’ He said that after years of ‘lawlessness’, restoring the rule of law is a difficult process, sometimes even painful. Decisive action is necessary, and ‘there is no other way’.
According to reports, a large number of police officers were deployed outside the Constitutional Court on that day. Some protesters threw objects at the officers, and some even broke through the court’s fence. Three protesters who broke into the court premises have been taken in by the police. The conflict resulted in several people being injured.
