Police detained three protesters outside the Constitutional Court in Warsaw after part of the crowd threw objects at law enforcement officers and tried to break through the fence around the building. Thousands of demonstrators protested against the dismissal of the president of the court Bogdan Świeczkowski.
Among the protesters were the leader of the opposition party “PiS“ Jarosław Kaczyński and other politicians from the formation. The tension began after the announcement of Świnczkowski's removal from office.
The president interrupted his trip to Senegal
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who is in a sharp political conflict with Donald Tusk's pro-European government, interrupted his flight to Senegal and returned to the country.
Nawrocki wrote on the social network „Ex“.
After his return, he went to the Constitutional Court and stated that he helped the removed president enter the building. The president later declared that “the constitutional order of Poland had been violated“, and called an emergency meeting of the leaders of the parliamentary groups in order to stabilize the political situation.
Government defends removal
Donald Tusk's government claims that Świnczkowski has repeatedly violated the law and jeopardized the work of the highest judicial institution. He was appointed president of the Constitutional Tribunal during the rule of “PiS“.
Tusk accused him of preventing judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking office.
“Restoring the rule of law is our duty. After years of lawlessness under PiS, this is a difficult process, sometimes even painful, and requires decisive action. There is no other way“,the prime minister wrote.
The dispute is part of a long-running conflict between Tusk's government and the Law and Justice party, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023. Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse PiS of imposing political control over key judicial institutions. Judicial reforms adopted during its rule led to EU sanctions against Poland.
PiS politicians rejected Świnczkowski's removal. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Żobro described it as a “blatant and criminal attack on the constitutional order“ and called for “loud, unwavering, united and fearless“ resistance.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com