Tent city outside the Constitutional Tribunal

Activists and Gazeta Polska Club members established a continuous tent encampment outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw following reports of a potential forceful takeover by the government. Przemysław Czarnek, the Law and Justice (PiS) candidate for prime minister and member of parliament, announced at a morning press conference on 30 September 2026 that he would join the demonstrators at 17:30. During his speech, Czarnek credited the ongoing vigil with deterring Prime Minister Donald Tusk from carrying out changes to the tribunal before the close of September. He urged the demonstrators to remain in place through the coming months.

“We must endure here on guard, endure here in this tent city in front of the Constitutional Tribunal.”

Solidarność union backing and budget concerns

During his appearance outside the tribunal, Czarnek disclosed details of a conversation with Piotr Duda, chairman of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union Solidarność. Duda assured him that the union is monitoring developments and defending the interests of more than 300 tribunal employees who could lose their livelihoods if parliament passes a state budget depriving the institution of operating funds. Czarnek stated that union members are prepared to assemble at the site if authorities attempt an unauthorized takeover.

“Solidarność will arrive here in full force if someone raises a hand against the tribunal, if someone wants to enter forcefully, or if someone wants to unlawfully set up a new tribunal here.”

He also extended gratitude to conservative television networks, including Telewizja Republika, TV Trwam, and wPolsce24, thanking the creators, journalists, and citizens who fund and support their reporting on the demonstration.

Dispute over parliamentary judicial appointments

The institutional dispute surrounding the court escalated after the Sejm elected Maciej Berek, a former minister in Donald Tusk's cabinet, to the Constitutional Tribunal. Berek has not received an invitation from the President of Poland to take the official judicial oath and has not been admitted to adjudicate cases. Government representatives have not explicitly announced a physical seizure of the headquarters, though they have not ruled out involving police officers if the standoff cannot be settled through other avenues. Czarnek argued that the ruling coalition spent two and a half years asserting that the tribunal did not exist, but is now attempting to gain unlawful control over its operations.

Opposition claims and upcoming schedule

Speaking on Telewizja Republika's program "Gość Dzisiaj" on Wednesday evening, Czarnek noted that only three and a half hours remained before the end of September. He argued that taking over the tribunal would allow the governing coalition to dominate the political arena, obstruct democratic elections in the coming year, and strip the president of executive powers. Czarnek alleged that the plan involves installing Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty as acting president for several months to alter state structures and adopt the euro currency. He confirmed that opposition vigils outside the building will persist throughout October and November to support Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and the court's sitting judges.