Among those taking part in the demonstration were communist-era oppositionists, right-wingers and people who claim they have been unfairly treated by Polish courts, state news agency PAP reported.
Poland’s president recently signed into law controversial rules to discipline judges.
The move by President Andrzej Duda raised the stakes in a standoff between Poland and the European Commission, which has asked the EU’s highest court to freeze the new rules.
Poland could face massive fine: report
The Rzeczpospolita daily reported on Saturday that the Court of Justice of the European Union could slap a massive fine of EUR 2 million a day on Poland if it does not freeze the Disciplinary Chamber of the country’s Supreme Court.
Critics have claimed that disciplinary measures introduced by Poland’s ruling party could undermine judicial independence and allow the government to gag dissenters.
But Poland's governing, conservative Law and Justice party, which came to power in late 2015 and won a second term last October, has insisted that sweeping changes are needed to reform an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system tainted by the communist past.
'Remove criminals in judges’ robes'
The protestors demonstrating in Warsaw on Saturday held banners with slogans such as: “Remove criminals in judges’ robes from their profession.”
Demonstration organizer Adam Borowski, an opposition activist in the communist period, said that until now street protests about government reforms of the justice system have been held only by opponents of the changes.
Under the new rules signed into force by President Duda, judges could face penalties for criticising government changes to the judiciary and challenging the appointment of those of their peers who took up their posts after the conservatives came to power.
(pk)
Source: PAP/Rzeczpospolita