Polish riot police deployed as deposed court chief sets off crisis

WARSAW: Polish President Karol Nawrocki abruptly canceled a trip to Africa mid-flight after riot police were deployed to guard the constitutional court complex in the capital. The court's chief justice, Bogdan Swieczkowski, was suspended amid a political standoff between the centrist government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the nationalist right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS).

Dozens of police guarded the court's entrance as right-wing demonstrators protested the removal of Swieczkowski, chanting "Tusk traitor" and alleging that the prime minister was trampling on constitutional rights. Some demonstrators attempted to breach security barriers, prompting police to make three arrests. Tusk's government had been attempting to remove the court's judges, who were appointed by the previous PiS administration that governed from 2015 to 2023.

The constitutional court often ruled in favor of Polish legislation over EU law, leading the European Union to accuse Poland's highest court of being too aligned with nationalist political interests. Nawrocki, a pro-EU figure, returned to Warsaw from Africa to address the crisis and held a meeting with Swieczkowski and the court's first chief justice, Zbigniew Kapinski, at the presidential palace.

The suspension of Swieczkowski was announced by another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who claimed the move was necessary to restore the rule of law. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek requested the lifting of Swieczkowski's and his deputy's legal immunity. Tusk justified the action, stating that restoring the rule of law was a duty, acknowledging the difficult and painful process required.

However, the constitutional court's official website was inaccessible on Friday evening, and its X account falsely claimed that a coup d'état had occurred, despite Swieczkowski remaining in office. Korwin-Piotrowska noted that a democratic state cannot function without a constitutional court that safeguards citizens' rights and freedoms.