Polish MPs Brand Tusk a ’Dictator’ in Parliament

By Staff, Agencies

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola faced a protest in Poland's parliament on Friday, where opposition lawmakers displayed a large "TUSK=DICTATOR" banner and accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of orchestrating a takeover of the country's judiciary.

Members of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party also held placards warning of an alleged coup against Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, highlighting the escalating confrontation between Tusk's pro-EU government and conservative President Karol Nawrocki and his allies.

Metsola largely avoided addressing the protest, describing it as an expression of democracy. Meanwhile, Tusk mocked the demonstration on social media, while PiS lawmakers accused European officials of ignoring what they described as violations of Poland's constitutional order.

The confrontation follows clashes surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal, where riot police were deployed amid efforts by government-backed judges to suspend its leadership. 

Nawrocki accused Tusk's government of forcibly taking control of a constitutional institution, while the ruling coalition maintains that it is restoring judicial independence after years of political interference under PiS.