⁍ Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in a wave of protests across Bangkok and other Thai cities on Saturday.

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⁍ Many protesters said they had been stirred into action by the police’s use of water cannon on Friday to disperse thousands of youth-led protesters.

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⁍ Protesters demand the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former military ruler.

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⁍ They have also become openly critical of King Maha Vajiralongkorn despite lese majeste laws that can mean 15 years in jail for insulting the monarchy.

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– Thai police fired water cannons at anti-government protesters in Bangkok on Friday in the first use of force against demonstrators since a military coup last year, the AP reports. According to Reuters, the water cannons were used to break up a protest involving thousands of people at a train station in the capital. “It was way over the line. We want to show them our power and that we can’t accept this,” a 27-year-old office worker says. Protesters are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in the 2014 coup. They also want King Maha Vajiralongkorn—who is on his longest visit to Thailand this year—to step down. The protests have been going on for three months. On Thursday, the government banned all political gatherings of five or more people. Police have arrested more than 50 people in the past week. “There is no win or lose for any side. It’s all damage to the country,” government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri tells Reuters. Protesters say Prayuth engineered last year’s election to keep the power he seized in a 2014 coup—an accusation he denies. They say the monarchy has helped perpetuate years of political influence by the army and seek to curb its powers. “I condemn those who cracked down on the protesters and those who ordered it,” protest leader Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree says after being freed on bail Friday. “You all have blood on your hands.”