Supporters of Thailand's beleaguered government gathered yesterday just outside Bangkok, saying they would safeguard democracy as anti-government protesters took to the city streerts.

Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister on Wednesday. Her sacking by the Constitutional Court for nepotism followed six months of protests against the government.

Yingluck's supporters have dubbed her removal a "judicial coup". Her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a military coup in 2006.