Thousands of protestors on bicycles took over the streets of Slovenian cities on Friday evening, in the latest display of discontent with the government of prime minister Janez Jansa.

Horn-honking cyclists shouted "thieves" and "criminals" in reference to a TV station's allegations of corruption in the purchasing of face masks and ventilators. The government has denied any wrongdoing. 

Several protests have been organized in recent weeks but this was the biggest so far, with an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 attending the biggest in capital Ljubljana. There were simultaneous protests under the banner "You Won't Take Our Freedom" in Slovenia's second city Maribor, plus Koper, Celje and smaller towns.

Cyclists carried Slovenian flags along with banners saying  "Raise workers' wages," "The government is falling" and "Stronger together." Having gathered opposite the cordoned-off National Assembly in Ljubljana's Republic Square, the cyclists rode past several state institutions in the city, and were cheered by locals clapping their hands from nearby windows.

Among protesters was Luka Mesec, the 32-year-old leader of The Left, the only political party to explicitly support the protest: other opposition groups said problems should be resolved in parliament.

Jansa returned for his third stint as prime minister in March. His centre-right government took power after the previous centre-left administration resigned because it lacked sufficient support in parliament. 

In mid-March Slovenia entered a strict lockdown, which has been progressively eased since 20 April. Protestors claim Jansa's government is using the pandemic as a pretext to increase police powers, clamp down on protest, harass journalists and incited hatred against migrants. The government denies these claims.

Check out The Pandemic Playbook, CGTN Europe's major investigation into the lessons learned from COVID-19