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.
uncertain
coup → have → 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.
asserted
judge → surround → government
Riot police were deployed to guard the entrance to the court as the demonstrators chanted 'Tusk traitor'.
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demonstrators → deploy → court
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.
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off → prompt → 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.
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he → arrive → 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.
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followers → guard → 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.
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they → say → Tusk
Some tried to force their way through security barricades.
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Some → try → barricades
Police said they had arrested three people who had tried to enter the court complex.
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who → say → 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 place
Mr Tusk was 'trampling on our constitutional rights', demonstrator Tomasz Zaleski told AFP outside the court.
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Zaleski → have → 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.
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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
Mr 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 Mr Nawrocki to act.
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Nawrocki → address → demonstration
The president said he had called off an official trip to Senegal in mid-flight and ordered it back to Warsaw.
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he → say → 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.
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Nawrocki → hold → palace
Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks at an event in the Philippines earlier in October
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Nawrocki → speak → 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 Nawrock
Mr 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.
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president → hold → Kapinski
Mr Nawrocki pushed his way through the crowds to enter the building, footage from local television showed.
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footage → push → television
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.
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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 Mr Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski.
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he → tell → Swieczkowski
He said: 'This court has become private property.
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court → say → ?
We must restore its proper functioning.'
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We → restore → functioning
Mr Tusk justified the action by 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
Its X account said there had been a 'coup d'etat' and that Mr Swieczkowski remained in office.
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Swieczkowski → say → office
Ms 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
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.'
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that → comment → rights
The Aporia
