Political crisis erupts in Poland as crowd storms Constitutional Tribunal
Crowd storms Poland's Constitutional Tribunal on October 30 (photo from social media)
A political conflict over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has escalated in Warsaw: police have blocked the institution's building, and its leadership has been suspended, according to PAP and Polsat News.
Police have surrounded and blocked the Constitutional Tribunal building in Warsaw. Law enforcement officials said they were acting on information about a possible threat to the lives or health of the institution's judges and employees.
Meanwhile, several politicians have already called the developments surrounding the tribunal an attempted coup. A statement appeared on the tribunal's X account claiming that the institution's website had been seized and that its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, was continuing to perform his duties.
Court leadership suspended
An official statement on the tribunal's website says the longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, decided to suspend Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, from their duties for one month.
The reason was that the court's leadership had blocked the convening of a General Assembly involving all judges elected by the Sejm.
A political crisis erupts in #Poland: Protesters storm Constitutional Tribunal as president rushes back
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) October 30, 2026
A confrontation between the government and the president is escalating in #Warsaw. Police have surrounded the Constitutional #Tribunal building and blocked access, while the… pic.twitter.com/5LYCA5Q12N
Amid these developments, Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek filed five motions with the tribunal to lift judicial immunity, including that of Święczkowski and his deputy.
Protesters in #Poland try to cut the chain on the Constitutional Tribunal's gates pic.twitter.com/P4soCGxnE2
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) October 30, 2026
Amid the rapid escalation, Polish President Karol Nawrocki has urgently cut short his visit to Senegal and is returning to Warsaw.
Conflict background
Poland has been locked in a prolonged confrontation between Donald Tusk's government and the president over control of the judicial system.
After taking office, the prime minister sought to change the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal, arguing that the previous government had turned it into a politically dependent institution.
Earlier this year, Nawrocki refused to swear in three of the six judges nominated by Parliament, while Święczkowski refused to allow judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to take up their duties.
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the United States was asking its European allies to tone down their rhetoric toward Russia. He stressed that such a move was unacceptable amid continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.
