Riot police deployed amid Poland constitutional court standoff in Warsaw

Riot police were deployed outside Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw on Friday night after a dispute over the court's leadership escalated into a tense standoff. Protesters gathered outside the building as the confrontation unfolded, with the situation continuing into the early hours of Saturday. The incident centres on a long-running battle over the court's legitimacy and the authority of judges appointed by different political camps.

The immediate trigger was a decision by a group of government-appointed judges to suspend the court's contested president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The move prompted a strong reaction from the opposition Law and Justice party, whose leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, described it as an assault on the court. Hundreds of people, including opposition lawmakers, assembled outside the court in support of the suspended judges.

President Karol Nawrocki returned to Warsaw after turning his plane around while travelling to a state visit in Senegal. He arrived at the court late on Friday and was seen trying to gain entry through a heavy police presence. Three people were reportedly arrested after attempting to force their way inside.

By around 1am local time on Saturday, Nawrocki had appeared outside the building and moved through the police cordon, with video showing a struggle involving security personnel and other judges. The standoff matters because it reflects a deeper institutional dispute that has shaped Polish politics for years. The constitutional court has been at the centre of arguments over the balance between domestic law and European Union law, and it has frequently ruled in favour of Polish legislation over EU positions.

The European Union has previously accused the court of being too close to the nationalist political power of the time, underlining the wider legal and political significance of the current confrontation. Nawrocki, who is backed by Law and Justice and is described as a close ally of Donald Trump, remained inside the court building as of 4am local time. In a statement read on his behalf at 5am, he said the government appointees were not judges of the constitutional court and accused the authorities of violating Poland's constitutional order.

He also said a constitutional body had been seized by force and called for security forces to leave the premises. The latest clash is likely to deepen political polarisation ahead of next year's parliamentary election. Polls suggest the populist right could have a chance to return to power, which adds to the stakes of the dispute over the court.

What remains unclear is how long the standoff will last, whether further arrests will follow, and whether the confrontation will lead to a broader institutional crisis in the coming days.

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