Symbolic metal barriers removed from parliament and constitutional court buildings

Metal barriers used to separate pedestrians from the seat of the Constitutional Tribunal at Aleja Szucha have been removed after three years.

"The barriers would spread along a section of approx. 50 meters. They are nowhere to be seen anymore. There's also no police presence here," said tvnwarszawa.pl reporter Tomasz Zieliński who was at the Tribunal HQ on Tuesday morning.

In October 2020, the constitutional court, under the leadership of Julia Przyłębska, passed a ruling deeming the abortion law established in 1993 unconstitutional.

The decision sparked a wave of protests that swept across Poland. It was then that the barriers were installed in front of the court building.

On Monday night, the barriers installed in front of the Sejm have also been removed. The removal began earlier that day during the first session of the new parliament. A group of people gathered at Wiejska Street and started to dismantle the fence. Videos from that symbolic happening have been posted on social media platforms.

The newly appointed speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia said the barriers should "disappear" as soon as it was possible and informed he had already discussed the issue with the head of the Sejm Chancellery and the Marshal Guard commander - Agnieszka Kaczmarska.

"I've issued the Marshal Guard commander an order to draw up a relevant notice. In a moment this notice will be sent to Warsaw police. We expect the barriers that have been surrounding the Sejm so far will disappear this night," Hołownia said, adding that the police had already dismantled the fence.

"A request from the Marshal Guard to remove the fence came to us yesterday. It (the fence made of metal barriers) was transported to warehouses this morning," said Sylwester Marczak, a spokesperson for Warsaw police.

Barriers set up in front of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in Aleje Ujazdowskie are still there. It was not certain whether or not they will be removed too.