President Karol Nawrocki cut short his Senegal trip and flew back to Warsaw on Saturday after the Constitutional Tribunal announced that Judges Bogdan Swieczkowski and Bartlomiej Sochanski were suspended.
Police surrounded the tribunal, and a crowd of Law and Justice supporters chanted "Tusk traitor" while attempting to breach security barricades. Three protesters were arrested by the force.
The dispute traces back to 2015 when the right‑wing Law and Justice party installed judges that the European Court of Human Rights later ruled were improperly appointed. Those appointments undermined the tribunal’s independence and prompted EU sanctions.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that his administration is working to restore rule of law, while the tribunal’s website labelled the actions a coup d’etat, accusing the government of trying to seize judicial power.
Nawrocki has called for urgent talks with opposition party leaders and will meet Supreme Court President Zbigniew Kapinski to discuss security protocols. The move signals a possible shift in the political balance as the country faces a judicial crisis.
A local bakery owner near the tribunal said the barricades halted his deliveries, illustrating how the standoff rattles everyday life in Warsaw.