Riot officers protected the police headquarters ahead of an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, today (August 10).

Footage shows dozens of the armoured cops lining up in front of the lavish building opposite the Central World shopping mall in the capital.

It came ahead of a planned protest against the government, which has been criticised by opposition groups for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anger at the regime – which seized power with a military coup in 2014 – has grown in recent years sparking mass protests.

Activists are demanding new elections, the prime minister to resign and a new constitution with ‘more democracy’.

Ministers say the unrest is being fuelled by disaffected opposition and exiled politicians such as former Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra to encourage anarchists and youth groups to cause violence.

Thailand has recorded 795,951 Covid-19 cases and 6,588 deaths as of August 10 – with cases rising dramatically since April.