France is deploying 40,000 police officers to respond to violent protests across the nation that came in response to the death of a 17-year-old, who was shot by police during a traffic stop, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Thursday.
At least 150 people were arrested overnight as protests have rocked Paris and other French cities since Tuesday evening, officials said Thursday, according to France 24.
The teenager, identified as Nahel M., was pulled over by police in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, Tuesday morning for allegedly violating traffic laws, including refusing to pull over multiple times for police, while driving a car with a Polish license plate. Police initially said the teen was shot after driving his Mercedes at them.
Footage of the incident uploaded online shows police officers with their weapons drawn at the driver's window. The driver started to pull away and police began to shoot, hitting the teen through the arm and chest before the car crashed.
The officer who shot Nahel was detained on intentional homicide charges.
Darmanin posted videos on Twitter featuring some of the aftermath from the protests, including a burned-down school and town hall. Many cars were also burned and turned over, photos show.
The victim's mother led a silent march Thursday afternoon for her son.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the riots.
"Violence against police stations, schools, town halls, against the Republic, is unjustifiable. Thank you to the police, gendarmes, firefighters and elected officials mobilized. Meditation, Justice and calm must guide the next few hours," he tweeted.
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