Police will press charges against some of the anti-government protesters who allegedly blocked the way out of parliament during demonstrations against controversial government plans to change the justice system, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has said.

But Błaszczak has not said how many people would face charges.

The minister’s statement comes after a handful of protesters allegedly stopped governing party MP Grzegorz Janik from leaving parliament.

Błaszczak said the protesters “say they defend democracy but at the same time limit the rights of others”.

He added that Janik required police assistance in leaving parliament.

According to Błaszczak, some 20 protesters were camped in tents outside parliament on Thursday morning and police numbers were “enough to ensure safety”.

Protests have been ongoing since last weekend, when thousands of people in Warsaw and across Poland gathered to oppose planned reforms to Poland’s judiciary.

The government has said the changes are necessary because courts are inefficient and judges are out of touch and sometimes corrupt.

But opponents have claimed the ruling party was staging a “coup” and wanted to stack the courts in its favour.

Brussels has also criticised the planned changes.

(vb/pk)

Source: IAR