To protest is a democratic right, we respect that and we have always seriously analyzed similar situations, PM Nikola Gruevski said Saturday when asked to comment yesterday's protest against the police operation Monster.

However, he added, we should be aware that there have been situations in many democratic states in which protest organizers have managed to manipulate the citizens.

"I've been informed by MoI officials that it has provided hard evidence over the April murder of five fishermen, which will be presented before the court. Time will show that the evidence tells the truth... In any case we respect the right to protest and we seriously approach such events," Gruevski told reporters on Saturday.

Asked whether multi-ethnic relations were under threat, Gruevski said: "Macedonia is a multi-ethnic country and in every multi-ethnic country there are always events related to a certain ethnic community that could be interpreted in many ways."

"Yesterday's protest had an obvious ethnic character. However, I don't think it will have an impact, because the trial is due to start and there evidence will be revealed. People will understand that there is hard evidence. A murder is a murder no matter if it has been committed by a Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Roma, Serbian, Bosniak or by a member of any other nationality," the Premier stressed.