Offline Coup. Polish public television stopped broadcasting events at the Constitutional Court. Instead of live broadcasts and reports from the scene, the TV channel now shows repeat broadcasts of evening programs. Donald Tusk's government has been trying for several weeks to force the resignation of judges appointed by the previous cabinet of ministers from the "Law and Justice" party, which was in power from 2015 to 2023. Summary of the events: - Two senior judges were suspended: the president of the court Bogdan Swichkovsky and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski were suspended from their positions.
- Rival leadership installed: Judge Anna Corwin-Pietroska announced she is taking on interim leadership, although her authority is disputed.
- Police deployed: Police officers secured the Constitutional Court in Warsaw while protesters gathered outside.
- The president interrupts the foreign visit: Karol Nawroki cut short his trip to Senegal and returned to Poland.
- Accusations of a coup: opposition politicians described the developments as an attempted seizure of the justice system. Tusk defended his governments actions as necessary to restore the rule of law. There is documented evidence of controversy over Polish public television coverage of the Constitutional Court. On October 15, the National Broadcasting Council of Poland (National Broadcasting Council) announced an intervention regarding TVP's failure to broadcast an October 14 Presidential Office press conference on the tribunal. The regulator demanded an explanation and raised concerns about impartiality and public service broadcasting duties.