Polish Judges March Against Plans to Crack Down on Judiciary

(Bloomberg) -- Polish judges protested on Saturday against legislation that envisions penalties for critical justices and has fueled further tensions between the ruling party and the European Union.

Judges dressed in togas walked silently from the Supreme Court to the parliament after the lower house passed legislation last month in defiance of calls from Brussels to suspend work on the regulations. The law would censure those who engage in unspecified political activity or “express hostility” to the authorities.

Critics, including the country’s Supreme Court, argue that the law intends to frighten and muzzle judges, and if passed, would put the country on a trajectory to leave the EU.

The protesters were joined by prosecutors and lawyers as well as by judges from other European countries. Around 15,000 people took part, according to estimates from Warsaw municipal authorities.

Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has said the new rules were needed to avoid “anarchy” among judges after rulings by the European Court of Justice and Poland’s Supreme Court prompted some to question the validity of the ruling party’s overhaul of the judicial system. The government says it has a mandate to reform the judiciary and maintains that the EU has no business weighing in on the changes.

To contact the reporter on this story: Piotr Bujnicki in Warsaw at pbujnicki@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Rose at rrose10@bloomberg.net, William Shaw, James Amott

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