Poland’s president returned from an overseas journey to confront judges at the Constitutional Tribunal after its chief’s disputed suspension, escalating a struggle over who has lawful authority to run the court.

Police guarded the Warsaw tribunal on Friday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered. President Karol Nawrocki, aligned with the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), abandoned a visit to Senegal and ordered his aircraft back while over Spain.

The confrontation centres on Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s efforts to reverse judicial changes introduced during PiS rule between 2015 and 2023. Critics argued those changes undermined judicial independence. Tusk says restoring the rule of law requires determined action; PiS leaders accuse his government of mounting a coup against the tribunal.

Bogdan Święczkowski, the tribunal’s president, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, were reportedly suspended for one month. Their profiles were removed from its website on Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska’s instructions. A subsequent statement on the tribunal’s social media accounts alleged an unlawful takeover of the website and denied that she represented the court.

Święczkowski rejected the suspension and demanded entry, accusing police of helping usurpers. Footage showed someone attempting to saw through a fence, reportedly at his direction; the attempt apparently failed. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek separately requested that both men lose their immunity so they could face criminal charges.

Nawrocki’s arrival brought competing allegations of violence. Judge Maciej Berek published footage of a confrontation at the entrance and alleged that the president physically attacked Korwin-Piotrowska and other judges. Presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz rejected that account, accusing the judges of attacking Nawrocki and unlawfully obstructing him. Presidential official Marcin Przydacz claimed they could face up to 20 years in prison.

The president’s office said Nawrocki entered the grounds; Berek said he did not enter the building. Further footage recorded Nawrocki denying that those inside were tribunal judges. Berek also alleged that people identifying themselves as presidential staff tried to obtain room keys.

The underlying dispute concerns judges appointed by the Tusk-led parliamentary majority. Nawrocki refused to swear in most of them. They instead took oaths in parliament, relying on a Venice Commission opinion that a presidential ceremony was unnecessary. Nawrocki rejected that interpretation, while Święczkowski blocked their taking office.

Among protesters, Tomasz Zaleski accused Tusk of trampling constitutional rights. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński urged Nawrocki to end the situation; former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro called for determined resistance.

Police said they arrested three people for throwing objects at officers. They said officers entered the grounds, not the buildings, to maintain public order. The suspension’s validity and the rival judges’ authority remain disputed.