Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Friday that his government would never tolerate the violent acts and school occupation by students, who demand affordable and quality public education.

Pinera said the violence should not be confused with the demand for qualified education and that his government will defend "the freedom of the students who want to study."

"We believe in the freedom to rally, but in a peaceful and law-abiding way. That is why the government doesn't tolerate violence," said Pinera.

The president added the government was not indifferent to students' calls, as the Congress had passed six laws to improve the national education system, and seven more laws are waiting for deliberation.

Student protests intensified in the past week, as Pinera's government proposed two laws to raise the benefits for private schools and penalize participants of social protests.

On Thursday, police stormed three middle schools and arrested 139 students. One day earlier, Santiago Mayor Pablo Zalaquett ordered the eviction of students from schools after the government's talks with student leaders broke down.

Chilean students began demonstrations on April 2011 to press for a fundamental education reform. Cases of violence, school occupations, and burning of buses have since then been frequently reported.