Poland's president accuses Tusk of seizing constitutional court
Poland's president has accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of forcibly taking over the country's constitutional court amid a stand-off, with riot police deployed and protesters detained. The justice minister requested stripping the court's suspended president and vice-president of immunity from prosecution, prompting the tribunal to accuse Tusk of staging a coup d'état. President Karol Nawrocki returned from a flight to Senegal to support the suspended judges. The dispute stems from Tusk's efforts to restore judicial independence since 2023, while opponents say the judges remain legally appointed. The court, previously criticized for closeness to the nationalist PiS government, has been a flashpoint in Poland's EU relations.