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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday accused conservative nationalist opposition leaders of seeking to “destroy democracy and rule of law,” a day after police intervened at the Constitutional Court. Supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party had gathered there to protest the suspension of the court’s president, Bogdan Swieczkowski.
Addressing the country’s ongoing constitutional crisis in a speech on Saturday evening, Tusk said the threat was not new. “Let’s call things by their name,” he said. “For years in Poland there exist organisations and politicians who wish to destroy democracy and rule of law.”
On Friday, some demonstrators outside the court chanted “Tusk traitor” and tried to push through security barricades. Police said three people were arrested.
The court’s official X account described the government’s move against its president as a “coup d’etat.” Tusk, for his part, called the scenes outside the building “horrifying.”
“I very much wish that we would never have to witness similar scenes in Poland again,” he said.
Tusk’s government has spent weeks trying to force out the court’s judges, who were appointed under the previous PiS government, which ruled from 2015 to 2023. PiS supporters have gathered outside the court for weeks in defense of the judges.
The conflict is rooted in a long-running argument over the court’s independence. Under PiS, the tribunal frequently ruled in favor of Polish legislation over European Union law, and the EU accused the country’s highest court of being too close to the nationalist political power of the time.
In 2021, the court ruled that parts of the EU’s founding treaties were incompatible with Poland’s constitution, a decision that drew sharp criticism in Brussels.
Tusk, a strongly pro-EU politician, vowed to end the dispute with Brussels after winning the 2023 election. But Poland’s president, a right-wing independent, has blocked his nominations to the court.
Tusk said he was confident the situation would be resolved. “I am certain that the Constitutional Tribunal will begin to function as it should,” he said.
The court should carry out its duties “independently ... and in accordance with the Constitution,” he added, saying the government had a part to play in that. “The task of the executive branch, and thus my task, is to ensure its security and working conditions.”
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