(CNN) Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has warned government officials not to "stain themselves with the blood of the people," after his supporters took to the streets in support of the embattled former leader.

Protests in the country's main city La Paz broke out Wednesday amid calls from Morales and his backers to reject newly declared interim president Jeanine Anez.

Protesters carrying the indigenous flag were met by riot police, and the two sides engaged in brief confrontations. Some were seen throwing rocks at authorities, while police used tear gas to disperse those who had gathered.

A demonstrator throws a smoking container during clashes with police in La Paz Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference thousands of miles away in Mexico City, where he was granted political asylum, Morales claimed the current unrest was part of an anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle that indigenous Bolivians have been fighting for years.

Morales expressed his will to return to Bolivia if the "people ask for it" and cautioned those currently in charge in his home country not to stain themselves "with the blood of the people."

An indigenous protester is standing with a flag in tear gas smoke during Wednesday's unrest in La Paz.

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