Polish president fights through crowds to get into country's top court amid 'coup' claims in battle between Donald Tusk's centrist government and nationalist right

Published: 07:16 EDT, 31 October 2026 | Updated: 07:41 EDT, 31 October 2026 Polish president Karol Nawrocki had to fight through crowds to get into the country's top court amid claims that a 'coup' was taking place. Hundreds of protesters surrounded the Polish leader outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw last night after its chief judge was suspended in an escalating battle between Donald Tusk's government and the nationalist Right.Riot police were deployed to guard the entrance to the court as the demonstrators chanted 'Tusk traitor'. The extraordinary stand-off prompted Mr Nawrocki to abandon an official trip to Senegal mid-flight and order his plane back to the Polish capital. But when the president arrived he had to push through crowds of hundreds of protesters waving Polish flags as he was ushered through by security guards. Dozens of police guarded the entrance to the court as followers of the opposition Right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) protested the ousting of constitutional court president Bogdan Swieczkowski.The court's official X social media account said there had been a 'coup d'etat' and some demonstrators chanted 'Tusk traitor' as they condemned the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.Some tried to force their way through security barricades. Police said they had arrested three people who had tried to enter the court complex. Polish president Karol Nawrocki had to fight through crowds of protesters to get into the country's top court on Friday night Hundreds of protesters had blocked Mr Nawrocki from entering the Constitutional Tribunal Polish riot police deploy on the grounds of the Constitutional Tribunal as protests broke out over claims a 'coup' was taking placeMr Tusk was 'trampling on our constitutional rights', demonstrator Tomasz Zaleski told AFP outside the court.Mr Tusk's government has been trying for weeks to force out the court's judges, who were appointed by the previous PiS government that ruled from 2015 to 2023.The court frequently ruled in favour of Polish legislation over EU law and the European Union accused Poland's highest court of being too close to the nationalist political power of the time.Mr Tusk, a strongly pro-EU figure, vowed to end the dispute with Brussels after winning an election in 2023. But the country's president, a Right-wing independent, has blocked his nominations to the court.Former PiS prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski addressed the demonstration and called for Mr Nawrocki to act. The president said he had called off an official trip to Senegal in mid-flight and ordered it back to Warsaw.Back in the capital, Mr Nawrocki held a meeting with Mr Swieczkowski and the court's first chief justice Zbigniew Kapinski at the presidential palace. Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks at an event in the Philippines earlier in October A man holds a cross as protesters gather outside the headquarters of Poland's top court in Warsaw after police blocked access to the court building on October 30 Police officers guard the entrance to the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw Demonstrators waving white-and-red Polish national flags gather along Avenue Szucha to voice support for Mr NawrockMr Nawrocki then entered the constitutional court building, his chief of staff Pawel Szefernaker said early Saturday, adding that the president was accompanied by Mr Kapinski.Mr Nawrocki pushed his way through the crowds to enter the building, footage from local television showed.The suspension of Mr Swieczkowski was announced by another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who said the move was needed to restore the rule of law.Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who is also the attorney general, told journalists he had requested the lifting of the legal immunity of Mr Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski.He said: 'This court has become private property. We must restore its proper functioning.'Mr Tusk justified the action by saying: 'Restoring the rule of law is our duty. After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.'The constitutional court's official website was not accessible on Friday evening.Its X account said there had been a 'coup d'etat' and that Mr Swieczkowski remained in office.Ms Korwin-Piotrowska could not become interim chief as she had not been sworn in by the president, it added.Amid the confusion, Ms Korwin-Piotrowska commented: 'In modern Europe, a democratic state cannot function without a constitutional court... that acts as a guarantor of citizens' rights and freedoms.'