While en route to Senegal, Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane around and returned home after police entered Poland's top court, the Constitutional Tribunal, and the tribunal’s president was suspended.

"At such a moment, the President must be in Poland," Nawrocki posted on X. "I'm interrupting my flight to Senegal. I'm returning."

Police say they secured the Tribunal after dozens of protesters gathered to demonstrate against what they called the wrongful suspension of the top court’s president by the current pro-European government. 

Police said there were also dangerous objects thrown at officers outside the building.

Some protesters outside the court were seen praying, while others held posters reading "Tusk — a symbol of anti-Polish sentiment," "Down with the commies and Tusk’s regime," and "Stop destroying the state."

Poland’s top judicial bodies, including the Constitutional Tribunal, have been a major bone of contention between the current pro-European government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and the main opposition party, national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), which ruled the country from 2015 to 2023. 

Critics accuse the PiS of imposing political control over key judicial institutions, with some reforms having led the EU to impose fines on Poland.

NATO ALLY PUSHES ‘FORT TRUMP’ US MILITARY BASE AS RUSSIAN HELICOPTER PENETRATES AIRSPACE

Nawrocki, an ally of the PiS ​party, refused to swear in three of six judges nominated by parliament earlier this year. 

Constitutional Tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski, ⁠who was appointed by the PiS government after also serving as a deputy justice minister, declined to allow judges elected by the current parliamentary majority to assume their duties. According to the tribunal’s website, Święczkowski was suspended Friday.

"Restoring the rule of law is our duty," said Tusk, who returned to power in 2023 with a promise to restore the judiciary’s independence. He posted to X, "After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way." 

Since taking power, Tusk’s pro-European government’s efforts have been vetoed by two successive presidents aligned with PiS, including Nawrocki.

HUNGARY AND POLAND DEFEND TOUGH MIGRATION POLICIES AS FRANCE REELS FROM VIOLENT UNREST

Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a former PiS member whose Rozwój Plus coalition is positioning itself as an alternative to Tusk's government ahead of next November’s parliamentary elections, also took to X to denounce "the forceful takeover of the Constitutional Tribunal."

"Justice cannot be achieved through violence," Morawiecki said, adding that "Tusk will stop at nothing to cling to power… We do not consent to Belarusian methods in Poland!" 

"It’s true: a coup d’état is underway," former PiS Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X. "If someone were to forcibly break into the Prime Minister’s Office and take it over, we would all know what to call it… This is a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order… That is why I call for resistance that will be loud, firm, solidary and fearless."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"A judge whose oath was never accepted by the President Nawrocki has declared herself head of the Constitutional Tribunal and suspended its leadership, while police secured the building," added Morawiecki. "This is not how the rule of law is restored. The tribunal's crisis is real, but replacing one disputed set of rules with a more radical one only invites the next government to do the same."

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose posted a statement on social media that read in part: "The events unfolding tonight at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal are very serious indeed. We appear to be witnessing an unprecedented confrontation over the government’s use of state power and the independence and authority of a constitutional institution. Both sides offer sharply different accounts of what happened and why. Whatever the facts ultimately establish, thousands gathering outside the Tribunal make an already dangerous situation more combustible. The last thing Poland needs is a confrontation that spirals into something far worse. America is on Poland’s side. It is not our place to judge or interfere in its internal affairs. Our concern is for the stability, security, and democratic future of a country we are proud to call our friend and ally."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
 

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made returned to her home country on Sunday after nearly a year abroad, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.

"I'm here. With you all," Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Her homecoming comes as Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally backed by the Trump administration, with no presidential election scheduled.

President Donald Trump, asked about Machado's return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.

TRUMP TOUTS ACCESS TO 65 BILLION BARRELS OF VENEZUELAN OIL IN DEAL HE SAYS WILL SLASH GAS PRICES

"I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman," Trump said. "She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she's safe. She's a very nice woman. But we're doing really well in Venezuela."

Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro's government, did not disclose her exact location or provide details about how she returned.

Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González, who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from seeking office, confirmed her arrival on social media and said he would join her "very soon."

"Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" González wrote on X. "You know it, this is until the end."

Machado's return comes nearly 10 months after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January, removing the longtime leader from power.

Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, has remained in power with the Trump administration's support, despite exceeding the period she was initially authorized to serve as acting president.

Trump has repeatedly praised his administration's relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.

NICOLAS MADURO AND WIFE CILIA FLORES FACE NEW CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY TO TORTURE AMERICANS

In September, Trump said it was too soon to consider holding democratic elections in Venezuela, with U.S. officials prioritizing economic stabilization. Machado and her allies, meanwhile, have pushed for an election date, arguing that democratic governance is essential to the country's long-term stability.

Her return could complicate relations between the Venezuelan opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had asked Machado to delay her return.

Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following an opposition protest that January. She later secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meanwhile, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition and Rodríguez's government held another round of talks this month focused on reforms to the country's Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Machado's political movement has not participated in those negotiations.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.