Riot police deployed outside Poland's Constitutional Court after head judge suspended

Riot police were deployed outside Poland's Constitutional Court after the court's head judge was suspended, according to The Guardian and Al Jazeera. Riot police are officers trained to handle large or volatile crowds.

The Constitutional Court is Poland's top court for questions about whether laws are consistent with the country's constitution. Its head judge is the senior member who leads the court, and a suspension removes that judge from the role for the time being. Courts of this kind often attract close attention when their leadership changes, because their rulings can shape how laws are applied.

Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest the suspension, Al Jazeera reported. The riot officers and the protesters were locked in a tense standoff, The Guardian reported.