STORY: Polish President Karol Nawrocki was seen entering the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw early on Saturday (October 31), as crowds of protesters gathered outside and rows of police officers in riot gear stood watch.

Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and returned to Poland on Friday (October 30) after far-right ally Bogdan Swieczkowski was suspended as head of the country's top court, escalating the battle with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government over control of the judiciary.

The suspension came earlier on Friday, when the Tribunal said its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had removed Swieczkowski — an appointee of Tusk's far-right predecessor — and taken charge of the court.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the tribunal late on Friday amid a heavy police presence, while right-wing politicians addressed the crowd accusing Tusk's government of carrying out a coup against the court.

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STORY: Crowds of protesters and riot police gathered outside Poland's Constitutional Court early on Saturday (October 31), after far-right tribunal chief Bogdan Swieczkowski was suspended.

The tribunal said on Friday (October 30) that its longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had removed Swieczkowski, an appointee of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's far-right predecessor, and taken charge of the court.

Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the court late on Friday amid a heavy police presence, as right-wing politicians addressed the crowd and accused Tusk's government of staging a coup against the court. Members of the nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS) were seen leaving the court building in the early hours of Saturday, making their way through a crowd of protesters and police officers.

President Karol Nawrocki had earlier been seen entering the court premises, Polish broadcaster TVN later reported that Nawrocki had left.

The long-running dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal has effectively paralysed the institution, with the pro-EU government and nationalist president refusing to recognise each other's appointe

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: WARSAW, POLAND (OCTOBER 30, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

1. PROTESTERS GATHERED AT THE GATE OF POLAND’S CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL COURT / SPARKS FLYING / PROTESTERS FACING OFF POLICE IN RIOT GEAR

2. SUSPENDED PRESIDENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL BOGDAN SWIECZKOWSKI SPEAKING TO POLICE

3. SWIECZKOWSKI CLIMBING ON FENCE / SPEAKING TO POLICE

WARSAW, POLAND (OCTOBER 31, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

4. VARIOUS OF POLISH PRESIDENT KAROL NAWROCKI, SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE, ARRIVING

WARSAW, POLAND (OCTOBER 30, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLAND’S MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND PROSECUTOR GENERAL, WALDEMAR ZUREK, SAYING:

“As Prosecutor General, I have submitted five applications to the Constitutional Tribunal for the lifting of immunity. These applications total 224 pages. Along with them, 50 volumes of case files have been forwarded to the Tribunal. The cases concern various types of offenses and involve two individuals: the acting President of the Constitutional Tribunal and his deputy. It is already known that the longest-serving judge, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, has suspended the official duties of the Tribunal’s President and his deputy. She took this action based on the relevant provisions governing the Constitutional Tribunal—which also incorporate regulations concerning the Supreme Court—as well as Article 130 of the Law on the Organization of Common Courts.”

6. WHITE FLASH

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 30, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLAND’S FOREIGN MINISTER, RADOSLAW SIKORSKI, SAYING:

“Constitutional Tribunal was politicised under the previous government. And now it has a majority elected by the new Parliament in the last three years, and yet the outgoing president was not convening the Council of the Tribunal. As a result of which, they were not able to pass even their own budget for next year.”

8. WHITE FLASH

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLAND’S FOREIGN MINISTER, RADOSLAW SIKORSKI, SAYING:

“(The) eldest of the duly elected judges felt that, because there were demonstrators blocking the building, she asked for personal protection just to make sure that the due process could take place.”

WARSAW, POLAND (OCTOBER 31, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

10. PROTESTERS RALLYING IN FRONT OF CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL

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SHOWS: WARSAW, POLAND (OCTOBER 31, 2026) (TVN - No use Poland)

1. MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, TOBIASZ BOCHENCKI, KACPER PLAZYNSKI AND MICHAL WOJCIK, WALKING THROUGH CROWD AMONG PROTESTERS AND POLICE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) CHIEF OF CABINET TO POLISH PRESIDENT KAROL NAWROCKI, PAWEL SZEFERNAKER, SPEAKING:

“I have facilitated the entry of the lawfully serving Vice-President of the Constitutional Tribunal, Judge Bartlomiej Sochanski. In light of the threat to the internal security of the Republic of Poland, I am convening urgent consultations for today, involving representatives of parliamentary forces, with the aim of stabilising the political situation and restoring constitutional order.”

3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE FILMING IN FRONT OF POLICE STANDING IN RIOT GEAR

4. PROTESTERS ARGUING WITH CAMERA OPERATOR / CAMERA OPERATOR WALKING THROUGH CROWD OF PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS

5. PROTESTERS RALLYING

6. VARIOUS OF POLICE IN RIOT GEAR STANDING GUARD