RIOTERS clashed with police in the streets of Caracas yesterday following the arrest of 243 anti-government activists and dismantling of four protest camps.

Dozens of activists erected barricades throughout the day, setting off clashes with police. 

A police officer was killed and another wounded by gunfire. 

President Nicolas Maduro said the officer was hit by a sniper while police cleared the streets of debris in the Chacao district near the UN office.

“He was protecting the community and was killed vilely by right-wing assassins,” Mr Maduro said as he launched a Caracas event to deliver homes to low-income families.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres displayed mortars, guns and Molotov cocktails, seized at the camps, that had been used against security forces.

“This shows there was an entire logistical apparatus in place,” Mr Rodriguez Torres said, dismissing claims that the protests were peaceful and spontaneous.