As journalists, citizens, and participants in public life, we express our firm and categorical protest against the attack on the Constitutional Tribunal by the government of Donald Tusk, which took place today during a demonstration in front of the Constitutional Tribunal’s headquarters in Warsaw.

The use of force at night—while the President of the Republic of Poland was out of the country—along with brutal interventions and the escalation of tension toward those gathered, meets with our profound opposition. In a democratic state governed by the rule of law, the role of uniformed services is to protect citizens and ensure the opportunity to express views peacefully, not to employ oppressive measures that exacerbate social conflict. We recall that the right to assemble and to express public dissent is a cornerstone of the civil liberties guaranteed by Dr. Jolanta Hajdasz.

Therefore, this brutal police action and the subsequent events constitute an unprecedented assault on a constitutional state body—the Constitutional Tribunal—striking at the very foundations of the Republic’s political order. We view these events, marked by the use of force by the police, as an utterly outrageous attempt to intimidate the public and curtail public debate.

We demand an immediate end to the use of disproportionate, direct coercive measures against demonstration participants, a transparent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding today’s interventions, and that those who issued orders leading to an escalation of violence be held accountable. We call upon non-governmental organizations and institutions dedicated to the protection of human rights to closely monitor the situation and to stand in solidarity with those affected by the actions of the coercive apparatus. There can be no tolerance for violence or the violation of civil rights in the public sphere.

We urge journalists, reporters, photojournalists, and editorial teams to uphold the highest professional standards. In times of social tension, accuracy, independence, and a sense of responsibility for every word and image published take on particular significance. The public has a right to information that enables them to understand events—their origins and context—as well as to anticipate their consequences.

We acknowledge with appreciation and respect the work of journalists from media outlets independent of the authorities, who are providing reliable coverage of the events taking place outside the Constitutional Tribunal. We call upon all representatives of public and private authorities and institutions to provide assistance to journalists covering the events surrounding the forceful assault on the Constitutional Tribunal and the attempted coup d’état.

On behalf of the Main Board of the Association of Polish Journalists (SDP),

Dr. Jolanta Hajdasz, President of the Association of Polish Journalists