Police secure Polish court after president suspended
Poland’s president cut short a foreign trip after the power struggle over the Constitutional Court escalated.
Follow-up to: Polish president returns after court conflict Friday, 30 October 2026, 21:26
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Polish police secured the grounds around the Constitutional Court in Warsaw on Friday during protests over the suspension of court president Bogdan Święczkowski. President Karol Nawrocki then cut short his trip to Senegal to return to Poland.
According to police, three people were detained after climbing over the court’s fence. Police also said protesters had thrown objects at officers. Police said their personnel were active only outside the building and had not entered the seat of the Constitutional Court.
The deployment followed a request from Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska. She had warned of possible risks to the safety of judges and staff and of disruption to public order. Police also said they had acted following a request from Prosecutor General and Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek.
The immediate cause was a decision suspending Święczkowski as president. According to the Associated Press, information about this appeared on the court’s website on Friday. The news agency reports that the website went offline shortly afterwards, meaning it could not independently verify the official reasons for the suspension. The court itself said that Święczkowski remained president and called the change of power a coup d’état.
The issue is part of a longer conflict over the independence and composition of Poland’s judiciary. The pro-European government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk says it wants to restore the rule of law after reforms under the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice party, which governed between 2015 and 2023. The opposition and President Nawrocki’s allies, by contrast, accuse the government of an unlawful takeover of the court.
Nawrocki wrote on social media that the president must be in Poland at a moment like this. He therefore cut short his flight to Senegal, where he was due to hold talks with the Senegalese president and representatives of the African Union. The power struggle could affect the functioning of the court, which reviews laws against the Polish Constitution, and European institutions’ confidence in Poland’s rule of law.
The precise legal status of the suspension and the question of which judges are authorised to lead the court were still the subject of conflicting statements on Friday. Police stressed that their presence did not constitute interference in the court’s work. The government speaks of restoring the rule of law; opponents instead see an attack on the constitutional order.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The president of the Constitutional Court was suspended.
- Police were present on the grounds and detained three people.
- Police say they did not enter the building.
- President Nawrocki returned from a trip to Senegal.
- The government and opposition offer opposing legal and political interpretations of the change of power.
Left
Arguments The government must intervene to ensure that a court which critics say has been hollowed out by earlier political appointments operates again in line with constitutional and European standards.
Values An independent judiciary, the rule of law and democratic oversight of institutions.
Consequences The concern from this left-wing perspective is that without intervention the court could block policy and Poland could continue to clash with European rule-of-law standards; overly forceful methods could damage confidence in the reform.
Centre
Arguments The rule of law must be restored through accountable procedures, clear powers and judicial review, not through institutional power grabs or mobilisation in the streets.
Values Legal predictability, institutional continuity and restraint by the state.
Consequences A transparent procedure could prolong the crisis, but offers the best chance of a solution that will also endure after a change of government.
Right
Arguments The government is using the restoration of the rule of law as a justification for removing political opponents from a constitutional institution, thereby exceeding its powers.
Values Constitutional continuity, protection against government power and respect for previously appointed institutions.
Consequences The fear from this right-wing perspective is that, if this approach is accepted, every new government could bend institutions to its will; confrontation with the government could, however, paralyse the court further.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is confirmed by AP, the Polish police and Polskie Radio. The original reporting about police action inside the court has been toned down because police explicitly say they operated only outside the building.
- confirmed Polish police secured the grounds around the Constitutional Court in Warsaw on 30 October. — This is stated in the capital police’s statement and is also reported by AP. source
- confirmed Three people were detained after climbing over the fence. — Police cite three detentions for entering the grounds; AP reports the same. source
- confirmed President Karol Nawrocki cut short his trip to Senegal. — Nawrocki announced this himself; AP and Polskie Radio reported it. source
- confirmed Bogdan Święczkowski was suspended as president of the court. — This was reported by the court and multiple news sources, although the legal status was disputed. source
- confirmed Police did not enter the court building. — The capital police explicitly say that officers were active only outside. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Police enter Polish Constitutional CourtNow: Police secure grounds around Polish Constitutional Court (Polish police deny that officers entered the court building.)
Editor's note
It is certain that police secured the grounds around the court, detained three people and that the president cut short his trip. Police deny that officers entered the building; the legal basis and consequences of the suspension were still the subject of conflicting statements.Sources
- Police secure Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal as protests erupt over court chief’s suspension — Associated Press
- Komunikat dotyczący działań Policji — Komenda Stołeczna Policji
- UPDATE: Polish president turns back from Senegal trip as top court chief suspended — Polskie Radio
The story so far
- Friday, 30 October 2026, 21:26 Polish president returns after court conflict
- Saturday, 31 October 2026, 01:55 Police secure Polish court after president suspended (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „polen constitutioneel hof”
- Het Parool — „polen constitutioneel hof”
- Trouw — „polen constitutioneel hof”