More than 200 protesters were arrested in demonstrations across Chile on Thursday in connection with a national strike, the South American country’s government said.

At least 26 people were injured in clashes between protesters and police, the government said.

The protests started with student demonstrations criticizing the government’s education policies over the past several weeks and have snowballed into a broader push for economic and labor policy changes.

Organizers said 610,000 people marched nationwide, but government officials offered a lower estimate, saying 175,000 people protested.

Nationwide, police detained 210 protesters, with 140 of them in the nation’s capital of Santiago.

Most protests were peaceful, the government said. Eight of 51 authorized marches across the country included violent incidents, according to the government.

CNN Chile’s Paula Farina contributed to this report.