ByREUTERS

Polish President Karol Nawrocki turned back his plane en route to Senegal on Friday after police entered the premises of Poland's top court and its president was suspended.

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

Police said officers entered the premises of the Constitutional Tribunal after incidents outside the court, including the throwing of dangerous objects at police.

Police officers stand behind the fence with a rosary hanging on it as protesters gather outside the headquarters of Poland's Constitutional Court in Warsaw after police blocked access to the court building on 30 October, 2026
Police officers stand behind the fence with a rosary hanging on it as protesters gather outside the headquarters of Poland's Constitutional Court in Warsaw after police blocked access to the court building on 30 October, 2026 (credit: Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Court president suspended

The tribunal said on its website that the court's president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, had been suspended on Friday.

A long-running political dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal has effectively paralyzed the institution.

Earlier this year, Nawrocki, an ally of Poland's former nationalist government, refused to swear in three of six judges nominated by parliament, while Swieczkowski declined to allow judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to assume their duties.