A coup-like drama unfolded in Poland on Friday evening. Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted to take advantage of President Karol Nawrocki’s state visit to Senegal by dismissing the head of the Constitutional Court and appointing his own judges. Tusk has appointed his own judges via the Sejm, but they must be approved by the president. Nawrocki has refused to do so.
Tusk is loyal to Brussels, Nawrocki to the Polish people.
When Nawrocki heard the news, he realised what was happening and cut short his visit. But when he returned home, Tusk is said to have tried to prevent the plane from landing.
The coup plotters had a window of opportunity, and they knew that if Nawrocki returned home, he would be able to close it.
Both supporters of the coup attempt and defenders of the court surrounded the court’s headquarters. The police were called, and physical confrontations ensued.
Fundamentally, the conflict is about which path Poland should follow. The accusation that the Law and Justice Party is exploiting the courts – which must therefore be replaced – is Brussels’ line, and Norway supports it. The problem for Tusk is that he is unpopular and that there is to be an election next year. He must checkmate Nawrocki before he himself loses power.
That is why he attempted a coup on Friday.
Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced that she would be dismissing the head of the Tribunal Bogdan Święczkowski and his Bartłomiej Sochański, as she attempted to take control over the Constitutional Tribunal.
It was an act of high treason and mutiny in broad daylight.
In response, opposition leaders from the conservative Law and Justice party, including PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, gathered outside of the Tribunal’s building, claiming that the move was unlawful and amounted to a coup, Rzeczpospolita reported.
When Nawrocki arrived at the court, he had to force his way in. At a meeting attended by Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, Nawrocki said that they were not judges. He rejected the appointment.
In turn, Nawrocki’s allies accused the judges — whom they labelled as “usurpers” — of using force against him and of violating his constitutional authority by seeking to subvert his role in officially swearing in justices.
Meanwhile, leaked audio from the late-night meeting inside the Tribunal reportedly recorded President Nawrocki telling Anna Korwin-Piotrowska and two others that they are “not judges”.
Additionally, Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, was heard accusing Korwin-Piotrowska of staging a “coup d’état”.
These are dramatic allegations in a NATO and EU member state.
NTB presents a muted account. There is no doubt that it was Tusk who made the move to remove the head of the judiciary.
It may appear that Nawrocki has regained the initiative and that Tusk is thus suffering a defeat.
Following the chaotic evening, Nawrocki released a statement calling for the “forces of coercion” to leave the Constitutional Tribunal building, while accusing the Tusk government of “violating the constitutional order of the Republic of Poland and forcibly taking over a constitutional body of state.
“Due to the threat to the internal security of the Republic of Poland, I am calling urgent consultations today with representatives of parliamentary forces in order to stabilize the political situation and restore constitutional order. I thank everyone who is under the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Tribunal,” the president said.
Nawrocki suggested that First President of the Supreme Court, Zbigniew Kapiński, “also does not recognize as legal the actions taken by persons usurping power” over the Tribunal.
The coup plotters had taken control of the court’s website, but the X account remained in the hands of the legitimate court. It stated:
“Ms. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska is not a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. All persons participating in these actions are committing the crime of a coup d’état.”
Tusk claimed that he was merely attempting to restore law and order. This is the same argument that coup plotters in other countries and at other times have used to legitimise breaches of the law.
“After years of lawlessness under PiS this is a difficult process, sometimes painful and it requires decisive action. There is no other way,” he said.
Poland has emerged as a key country in relation to Ukraine and Russia. The conservative side is close to Trump, and there is no doubt where the US Ambassador Thomas Rose stands, even though he expresses himself cautiously.
However, there has been international backlash, including from U.S. Ambassador to Poland Thomas Rose, who wrote on X: “The events unfolding tonight at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal are very serious indeed. We appear to be witnessing an unprecedented confrontation over the government’s use of state power and the independence and authority of a constitutional institution.
“Both sides offer sharply different accounts of what happened and why. Whatever the facts ultimately establish, thousands gathering outside the Tribunal make an already dangerous situation more combustible. The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse.”
“America is on Poland’s side. It is not our place to judge or interfere in its internal affairs. Our concern is for the stability, security, and democratic future of a country we are proud to call our friend and ally,” Ambassador Rose added.
“I hope everyone involved—government officials, law enforcement, and demonstrators alike- will take a deep breath, and don’t take any action that could provoke violence or further escalation.”
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/10/31/coup-detat-polish-politicians-physically-clash-as-globalist-tusk-govt-seeks-forceful-takeover-of-constitutional-tribunal/
