Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that France's "institutional racism" and the country's colonial past were to blame for the riots. 

Last Tuesday, 17-year-old Nahel M was shot by a police officer in Nanterre after failing to comply with a traffic stop. Nahel was a French citizen of Algerian background. His death sparked nationwide protests on a daily basis and caused for over a thousand to be detained and several injured in riot clashes. 

Erdogan said that "islamophobia" and France's colonial past were to blame for France's social unrest. 

Read more: Two French police officers injured in shooting during night unrest

"In countries known for their colonial past, cultural racism has turned into institutional racism," he said on television, after chairing a weekly cabinet meeting.

"At the root of the events that started in France is the social architecture built by this mentality. Most of the immigrants who are condemned to live in ghettos, who are systematically oppressed, are Muslims," he added, while also condemning the widespread looting that has resulted from the unrest.  

"The streets cannot be used to seek justice. However, it is clear the authorities should also learn from the social explosion," Erdogan said.

Read more: Over $1Mln in donations raised for family of officer who shot Nahel M.