Polish President calls crisis talks after court stand-off
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President → call → off
Poland’s President called urgent crisis talks with party representatives on Oct 31 after a dramatic showdown at the country’s constitutional court between the centrist government and nationalist right.
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President → call → government
Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and returned to Warsaw, where police had surrounded the court on Oct 30 following the suspension of its president Bogdan Swieczkowski.
He said the talks were necessary because of “the threat to internal security”, in a statement read on his behalf outside court the next morning.
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talks → cut → court
Dozens of police guarded the building as followers of the opposition right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) protested what they called an attempt by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government to seize control of the institution.
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they → guard → institution
The court’s official X account said there had been a “coup d’etat” and some demonstrators chanted “Tusk traitor” and tried to push through security barricades.
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demonstrators → say → barricades
Police said three people were arrested.
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people → say → ?
Tusk was “trampling on our constitutional rights”, demonstrator Tomasz Zaleski told AFP outside the court.
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Zaleski → trample → court
US ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, warned all sides: “Don’t take any action that could provoke violence or further escalation.”
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that → warn → violence
“The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse,” he said on X, adding the country a friend and ally of the United States while voicing concern for its stability.
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country → need → stability
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.
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that → try → 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.
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Union → rule → time
Mid-flight chaos
Tusk, a strongly pro-EU figure, vowed to end the dispute with Brussels after winning an election in 2023.
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Tusk → vow → 2023
But the country’s President, a right-wing independent, has blocked his nominations to the court.
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President → block → court
Former PiS prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski addressed the demonstration and called for Nawrocki to act.
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Nawrocki → address → demonstration
The President, who was travelling to Senegal for the opening of the Youth Olympic Games, ordered his plane to return to Warsaw.
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who → travel → Warsaw
Back in the capital, Nawrocki met with Swieczkowski and the court’s first chief justice Zbigniew Kapinski before heading to the court, according to his chief of staff Pawel Szefernaker.
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Nawrocki → meet → staff
Nawrocki pushed his way through the crowds to enter the building, local TV footage showed.
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footage → push → building
The suspension of Swieczkowski was announced by another judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who said the move was needed to restore the rule of law.
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move → announce → law
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who is also the attorney-general, told journalists he had requested the lifting of the legal immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski.
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he → tell → Swieczkowski
“This court has become private property; we must restore its proper functioning,” he added.
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he → become → functioning
Tusk justified the action on X, saying: “Restoring the rule of law is our duty.”
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Restoring → justify → law
“After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action.
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it → lead → action
Adding to the confusion, the court’s X account insisted Swieczkowski remained in office.
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Swieczkowski → add → office
Korwin-Piotrowska could not become interim chief as she had not been sworn in by the president, it added.
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it → become → president
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