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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a possible Russian provocation near Poland’s eastern border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad was averted overnight on Monday. He said he was informed shortly after midnight that people carrying flashlights had been seen in the border area.
14 sources
Unrest broke out at Poland’s Constitutional Court in Warsaw after court president Bogdan Święczkowski was suspended and was refused entry to the building. Demonstrators gathered outside, riot police were deployed and three people were arrested after allegedly trying to enter the court. Reports also described confrontations between police and protesters; one report said objects were thrown. The court’s account called the action an illegal coup, while the government said the police were present to ensure security at judges’ request. President Karol Nawrocki cancelled a trip to Senegal and returned to Warsaw, where he went to the court and remained for much of the night. One report said he pushed his way into the building after being held back by recently appointed judges. He later called for urgent consultations, and held crisis talks with political-party representatives. The dispute over judicial appointments continues between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government and the opposition PiS party; the government says the suspension was intended to break a deadlock, while opponents describe it as a coup d’état.