Polish judge suspended – “coup d’état”

 

Arvid Uddfeldt/TT

 

Published 01:37 | Updated 08:35

 

Demonstrators force their way past a metal fence in front of the Constitutional Tribunal. Photo: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/TT

Protests erupted at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal following the suspension of its presiding judge; three people have been arrested.

The Tribunal has described the event as a “coup d’état,” but Prime Minister Donald Tusk defends the decision.

“There is no other way,” Tusk wrote on X.

Demonstrators gathered outside Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, arguing that the presiding judge, Bogdan Święczkowski, was suspended wrongfully. “Tusk is a traitor,” some of them chanted.

“Tusk is trampling on our constitutional rights,” demonstrator Tomasz Zaleski told AFP.

Police report that three individuals were arrested after protesters breached the Tribunal’s fencing and threw objects at officers.

“Restoring the rule of law is our duty. After years of lawlessness under the PiS government, this is a difficult process—sometimes painful—and it requires decisive action. There is no other way,” Tusk wrote on X.

“Coup d’état”

Presiding judge Bogdan Święczkowski was appointed during the tenure of the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. Since Donald Tusk’s pro-European government took power in 2023, it has sought to reform Poland’s judicial institutions.

The announcement of Święczkowski’s suspension was posted on the Tribunal’s website, which, according to AFP, went offline hours later. However, this was refuted by the court’s official account on X, which claims that a “coup d’état” has taken place and that Swieczkowski remains in his post.

On several occasions, the court has ruled in favor of Polish legislation over EU law, and the EU has accused the court of being too closely aligned with the national-conservative party.

Donald Tusk promised to resolve the conflict with Brussels when he won the 2023 election. However, the country’s president, Karol Nawrocki—who belongs to the PiS party—has blocked Tusk’s nominations to the court.

President’s flight turns back

The events on Friday prompted Nawrocki to cut short his flight to Senegal and head back toward the capital.

“At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am aborting my trip to Senegal. I am returning,” Nawrocki wrote on X.
 

Norwegian "shithouse" campaign goes viral following Trump’s remarks

TT-NTB

 

Published 09:22

US President Donald Trump, photographed on Friday. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/TT

Norway is responding to US President Donald Trump’s characterization of the country as a “shithouse country” by promoting its public restrooms on social media.

“We heard talk of a certain ‘shithouse country’... What can we say? We have some of the world’s most beautiful and spectacular restrooms,” Visit Norway wrote in a social media post accompanying a series of images of public toilets located along Norwegian tourist routes. The post has been shared, liked, and commented on thousands of times.

Earlier this week, the US President once again expressed his disappointment at not having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize—by labeling Norway a “shithouse country.”

“Norway has become a shithouse country,” Trump said.

During his second term in the White House, the President has made no secret of his desire to receive the prize.

EU Official: Many Lies from Lavrov

 

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 04:17 | Updated 06:48

 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas during the G20 summit in Atlanta on Friday. Photo: Megan Varner/AP/TT

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accuses Russia’s Foreign Minister of lying during the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, USA, on Friday.

“We discussed major geopolitical crises, including Ukraine, and we had the opportunity to address this directly with Sergey Lavrov,” Kallas said, according to AFP.

“Naturally, he presented a number of lies and false claims, which we were able to refute.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that Lavrov would use the meeting to argue against international sanctions imposed on the country.

The G20 meeting, which began on Friday and continues on Saturday, is intended to lay the groundwork for the G20 summit in Miami in December, to be hosted by President Donald Trump. 

Defense Chief’s Concern: Russia Is Improving

 

TT

 

Published 07:22

 

Ewa Skoog Haslum, during the Aurora exercise this past spring. File photo. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

The Swedish Armed Forces are concerned about how adept the Russian military has become at adapting to the nature of warfare in Ukraine. This is according to Ewa Skoog Haslum, Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces’ Joint Operations Command, speaking on the radio program *Ekot’s Saturday Interview*.

“That is perhaps what concerns us—we previously dealt with a Russia we knew very well. We know exactly how their command structure and similar systems function,” she says, adding:

“If they are now becoming more adaptable—capable of altering their combat tactics and methods of warfare during an ongoing operation—that is something we must be prepared to address.”

When asked which Russian capabilities pose the greatest challenge for Sweden to counter, Ewa Skoog Haslum notes that developments are occurring across all domains.

“They have improved their long-range strike capabilities and are actively testing their systems. Furthermore, there remains the threat of nuclear weapons—a prospect they have also explicitly mentioned—which is a source of concern in itself.”

However, the Russian military has also deteriorated in certain respects, the defense official observes.

“They have lost a significant number of personnel—most notably, a great many highly trained individuals—so, in that regard, they have become considerably weaker,” she states in the radio interview. 

Preparing for new protests – 70,000 police deployed

 

Isak Lundholm Larsson

Published 09:52

 

France is deploying 70,000 police officers ahead of new protests across the country on Saturday. Photo: Jeremias Gonzalez / AP / TT

France is preparing for new protests this Saturday.

70,000 police officers have been deployed nationwide.

The Minister of the Interior warns that there is a “very high risk” of further unrest, according to Reuters.

What began as student protests has expanded into a broader protest movement, with demands including a lower cost of living, according to Reuters.

70,000 police officers are being deployed across the country this Saturday. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez states that there is a “very high risk” of further unrest.

“All resources have been mobilized to ensure a very robust response to any potential unrest,” the Interior Minister says, according to Reuters.

Saturday coincides with Halloween, and French authorities have noted the risk that protesters might hide behind Halloween masks. According to Laurent Nuñez, French police may choose to ban disguises if public order is at risk.

Advice from the Swedish Embassy

The Swedish Embassy has urged Swedes in France to avoid crowds.

“Burning barricades and clashes between protesters and police may occur, and traffic disruptions are possible,” the embassy writes. Several shops, including luxury stores, were looted during the previous major protests.

The French government now intends to introduce a new law under which individuals who participate in violent riots could be held liable to pay 100,000 kronor—covering damages they personally caused, or for which they are deemed responsible as part of a group that engaged in vandalism.

Human rights groups and lawyers have argued that the new law risks undermining the right to demonstrate. 

 

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