South Korea ? Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in South Korea’s capital Saturday against U.S. beef imports, as a pro-government group staged a counter rally calling for an end to weeks of sometimes-violent protests.

Police estimated that 50,000 people jammed a plaza in front of Seoul’s City Hall and an adjacent 14-lane boulevard, holding candles and anti-government signs. The protesters, including Catholic priests and Buddhist monks, sang songs and chanted slogans.

About 20,000 riot police were deployed around the site, but there were no immediate reports of clashes.

It was the second-largest rally in a series of near-daily protests held for the past two months prompted by concerns over the safety of American beef imports. A rally on June 10 drew a crowd estimated by police at about 80,000.