Polish president heads home mid-flight as court chief’s suspension triggers protests

Polish President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane back on Friday while flying to Senegal, after protests broke out over the suspension of the country’s top judge, The Epoch Times reports.

“At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning,” Nawrocki said on X.

The Constitutional Tribunal announced that its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, had been suspended amid disagreements over judicial appointments. Riot police were deployed, and at least four protesters were detained. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska was appointed to lead the tribunal temporarily.

The former Law and Justice (PiS) government appointed Swieczkowski. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose judicial reforms have been blocked by presidential vetoes, defended the suspension.

“Restoring the rule of law is our duty,” Tusk wrote on X.

The US ambassador, Tom Rose, warned: “The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse.”