French president convenes crisis cell meeting after protests over police shooting of teen

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – The French president on Thursday morning gathered an inter-ministerial crisis cell following the protests that swept the country last night.

Emmanuel Macron attended the meeting which took place at the Interior Ministry, daily Le Figaro said, citing the French presidency.

He deplored the "unjustifiable" violence against the French institutions, reported the daily.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter on Thursday morning that the number of arrests rose to 150 following the shooting death of a 17-year-old delivery driver by police in a Paris suburb.

People took to the streets in several parts of the country including Nanterre, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, and Viry-Chatillon over the shooting of Nahel M. in Nanterre early Tuesday.

They set fire to vehicles, bins and public property in some areas. In the cities of Toulouse and Lille, protesters threw rocks at police officers, who responded with tear gas to disperse them.

Nahel was shot dead by police after he broke traffic laws and failed to stop, according to prosecutors.

His death sparked protests in Nanterre, leading to overnight clashes between demonstrators and police.

The 38-year-old police officer who killed Nahel was detained by the General Inspectorate of the National Police as part of the investigation into the intentional homicide by the Nanterre prosecutor's office.