Donald Tusk Deploys Police to Seize Constitutional Tribunal

Prime Minister Donald Tusk deployed riot police to the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland on October 30 to ensure the entry of judges appointed by parliament. These judges had previously been denied swearing-in by the president. Upon entering the building, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy for 30 days, citing the obstruction of the court's functioning. Korwin-Piotrowska subsequently declared that she would assume the presidency of the court.

The move has triggered accusations of a "constitutional coup" from political opponents and international critics. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of Russia, characterized the action as an attempt to centralize power and marginalize conservative opponents from the Law and Justice (PiS) party. The conflict stems from a decade-long dispute over the tribunal's composition, with the current liberal administration claiming the previous conservative government stacked the court to prioritize Polish law over European Union law.

Opponents of the move argue that Tusk is attempting to subordinate Poland to a federation dominated by other EU members. In response, patriotic factions have led a resistance against the restructuring, with some figures calling for early elections to resolve the constitutional crisis.