In brief
In Warsaw on Oct. 31, demonstrators from the opposition Law and Justice party confronted police outside the Constitutional Tribunal after the court’s president was suspended. The protest, attended by PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, underscored a broader conflict between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition and the opposition over judicial appointments. The tribunal’s leadership condemned the suspension as an illegal coup, while President Karol Nawrocki’s return from Senegal and meeting with judicial officials highlighted the crisis.
On the evening of Oct. 31, dozens of people gathered outside Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. The protest turned violent when police tackled demonstrators who tried to enter the court building. Three protesters were later detained while several others were said to have been injured, according to local media.
Who was there?
The crowd included supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. In front of the building, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki were seen speaking to the crowd. They accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his coalition of trying to take control of the judiciary.
The dispute over court appointments
The clash happened after the tribunal’s president was suspended for one month. A newly elected judge who is not recognized by the court’s leadership is now standing in temporary leadership. The tribunal describes the suspension as a “coup” and says the website was seized illegally.
Poland’s parliament, where Tusk’s coalition has a majority, elected eight judges to the tribunal this year. President Karol Nawrocki, an ally of PiS, accepted the oaths of only three judges. The remaining five took their oaths at parliamentary ceremonies, but the president and the tribunal refused to recognize them, blocking them from serving on the bench.
Shortly after the protest, President Nawrocki cut a trip he had planned to Senegal. He flew back to Warsaw, held an emergency meeting with judicial officials, and visited the Constitutional Tribunal later that night. These steps illustrate how high the stakes are, as both sides try to decide who controls Poland’s top court.
