Riot police were sent to Poland's Constitutional Court in Warsaw on Friday night after the court's top judge was suspended, the Guardian and the BBC report. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside to back the suspended judges, the Guardian says.

A group of judges elected by the current parliament moved to suspend court president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, the Guardian reports. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of five judges President Karol Nawrocki has refused to swear in, is now in temporary charge, the BBC says.

Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek has asked for the two judges to lose their immunity so they can face criminal charges for blocking the court's work, the outlets report. Neither judge has been charged.

Nawrocki, who is backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party, turned his plane around on the way to Senegal, the outlets report. One video showed him tussling with security to force his way into the building, the Guardian says. In a statement, he said "a constitutional body was seized by force."

The court's own social media account called the move "a coup d'etat," the BBC reports. Police said they detained three people after some protesters broke through a fence and threw objects at officers, the Guardian reports.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the step. "Restoring the rule of law is our duty," he wrote. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the court "was politicised under the previous government," the Guardian reports. Even some critics of that era question the suspension. Law expert Marcin Matczak said it had no legal basis, the outlets report.

What we know: Poland's top court chief was suspended, and riot police were deployed as the president entered the building.
What we don't: Who now legally controls the court, or whether the judges will be charged.