Thousands attend counter-protest in Macedonia

Show of strength comes after opposition supporters blame PM for corruption, phone tapping and ethnic tensions.

Gruevski has been accused of corruption, phone-tapping and of fomenting ethnic tensions to hang on to power

Tens of thousands of Macedonians have turned out to support Nikola Gruevski's government in a counter-protest after opposition supporters marched through the capital Skopje a day earlier to demand the prime minister's resignation.

The opposition accuses Gruevski of corruption, tapping the phones of thousands of people and of fomenting ethnic tensions to hang on to power.
Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker, reporting from Skopje, said a large crowd of government supporters playing Macedonian nationalist music and carrying Macedonian and Serbian flags assembled outside the parliament building on Monday night.
He said the crowd of supporters appeared much larger than the numbers of opposition protesters, estimated by some at 20,000, who had set up camp about 2km away, although they were confined into a narrow strip in front of the parliament building.
"There was a show of strength by the opposition but this is an indication that Gruevski also has broad support," he said.