Hundreds of anti-government protesters rallied overnight around a top court in Poland to denounce the suspension of the tribunal's president Bogdan Święczkowski, officials said Saturday.
Protesters, including opposition Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński, clashed with police, blaming Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European government. Tusk defended the suspension, stating Święczkowski repeatedly broke the law and blocked lawfully appointed judges.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short a flight to Senegal on Friday, returned to Warsaw, and helped the suspended tribunal chief enter the building. Terming the event a "breach of Poland's constitutional order," Nawrocki summoned parliamentary group heads for an urgent Saturday meeting to stabilize the political situation.
Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro denounced the suspension as a "criminal attack" and called for firm resistance. The standoff underscores deepening friction between Tusk’s administration and PiS-aligned figures over judicial independence.