Poland's President Turns Plane Around After Chaos at Court

Hundreds of anti-government protesters rallied overnight around a top court in Poland to denounce the suspension of the tribunal's president, for which they blame the country's pro-European government. Police said they detained three protesters after some threw objects at officers and tried to break through a security fence. Meanwhile, Polish President Karol Nawrocki—who opposes that pro-European government—turned back his plane during a flight to Senegal on Friday and returned home over the situation, per the AP. After arriving back in Poland, Nawrocki made his way to the Constitutional Tribunal and said he helped the suspended court chief to enter the building, despite the chaos.

Early Saturday, Nawrocki said a 'breach of Poland's constitutional order" had taken place and called parliamentary group heads for an urgent meeting on Saturday on "stabilizing the political situation." Late Friday, the Constitutional Tribunal's website announced the suspension of court president Bogdan Swieczkowski. Shortly after, the protesters—including PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and far-right politicians—started rallying outside the building.

The government says Swieczkowski, who became head of the court under the ex-PiS government, repeatedly broke the law and jeopardized the tribunal's work. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused him of blocking judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts at the tribunal. Critics in Poland and the EU accuse PiS, which led the country between 2015 and 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions. Tusk's government came to power in 2023 with a vow to restore the independence of the judiciary. Its efforts have since been blocked by vetoes by two successive presidents aligned with PiS, including Nawrocki.