Bogdan Święczkowski in front of the Constitutional Tribunal building: We are dealing with a coup d'état

The Constitutional Tribunal is here today, it is among Poles who have gathered to defend not only the Tribunal, but above all the rule of law and democracy in our country. Thank you for this, he said.

You can take over a building by deception, but you cannot take over a constitutional organ of the state. The Tribunal is made up of judges appointed in accordance with the law, not usurpers who entered it through the back gate, assisted by government security guards, and surrounded themselves with a police cordon out of fear of the Poles - he added, and those gathered started shouting: "Shame."

According to Święczkowski, "we are dealing with an attack on a constitutional organ of the state, we are dealing with a coup d'état." The government's actions against the independent constitutional court exclude Poland from the group of democratic states of law and have no precedent in the world, they discredit our country, not only its authorities, said Święczowski.

He emphasized that no authority can be a judge in its own case and appoint judges of its own choosing. We cannot remain silent and agree to the capture of the state and its institutions, he said.

He emphasized that the independence of the Constitutional Tribunal is a guarantee for citizens that their rights and freedoms will be protected against abuse. This government has shown today that it is ready to resort to any lawlessness, he said.

He thanked President Karol Nawrocki for his support, the clear position of the First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Kapiński and for the expressions of solidarity and support from various lawyers.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote: "The clash over the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland concerns the restoration of the rule of law of an institution that has been politicized by a populist government that is losing power in the 2023 elections. Its president has repeatedly broken the law by referring politically sensitive cases to hand-selected judges. The Tribunal failed to adopt its own budget."

The Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, published information on police activities on the X platform.

"The police near TK have been acting professionally and calmly for many hours. They do not escalate, they care about public safety and order. This professionalism should be appreciated by everyone," he wrote.