NEARLY 300 people have been arrested in Chile since a month of protests kicked off on Monday.

The clampdown comes amid renewed calls for the resignation of President Sebastian Pinera.

The National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) reported that 12 people had been injured in the clashes, including four children.

A 12-year-old girl was said to be in a serious condition after she was shot while waiting for a bus.

Anti-government demonstrations have re-ignited with rising anger against economic inequality and the government of the right-wing billionaire Mr Pinera.

Protesters warned that the government had unleashed mass repression “leaving a trail of massacres” in violent attacks from both the police and the Chilean armed forces.

At least 30 people have been killed since the demonstrations started last October, sparked by a planned rise in fares on the Chilean metro system.

The movement grew with around a million people bringing the capital Santiago to a halt last October in the largest demonstration seen in Chile since the fall of the Pincohet dictatorship in 1990.

Protests will take place throughout March, with a mass rally planned for International Women’s Day on Sunday.