French Mayor Accused of Refusing to Allow Roma Family to Bury Dead Infant in Public Cemetery

France's Roma population has long been marginalized, but the harsh treatment of the minority group perhaps reached a new low when the mayor of a small town outside of Paris allegedly refused to allow a Roma family to bury their dead infant in a local public cemetery.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, 10-week-old Maria Francesca died December 26 from sudden infant death syndrome. Her family planned to bury her in Champlan, a town about 10 miles southwest of Paris where they've lived for several years. But Christian Leclerc, Champlan's right-wing mayor, reportedly claimed there was not enough room in the cemetery, and that "local taxpayers" get priority for new plots.

France's hardline policy toward Roma — Europe's largest ethnic minority group, who are sometimes called gypsies — has been a hot-button issue for years. According to figures released by the French interior ministry in 2013, around 20,000 Roma live in squalid, makeshift settlements around Paris and in the South of France. The French government regularly demolishes the settlements.

Francesca's family lives in a 30-family settlement on the outskirts of Champlan in a slum that has no electricity or running water. The parents are in their mid-30s, and have lived in France for "eight years at least," according to Marie-Hélène Brelaud, a member of ASEFRR, a local Roma advocacy NGO. The parents also have two sons, who attend school in Champlan.

"The baby's family wanted the burial to take place in Champlan, because that is where they have settled," Julien Guenzi, the funeral manager tasked with organizing the baby's burial, reportedly told Le Parisien. "We made a formal application to the city hall of Champlan. But they called me back, and informed me the application had been turned down."

Guenzi also told AFP that, while Champlan's mayor doesn't have to "justify himself," refusals to allow burials are "very rare."

Forced evictions of Paris slum leave 200 Roma residents homeless. Read more here.

Leclerc's alleged actions were widely condemned in France.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls — who was criticized himself in 2013 for calling the Roma lifestyle "clearly in confrontation" with the French way of life — denounced the mayor on Twitter. "Refusing a child a burial because of its roots is an insult to its memory, an insult to France," Valls said.

Refuser la sépulture à un enfant en raison de son origine : une injure à sa mémoire, une injure à ce qu'est la France.— Manuel Valls (@manuelvalls)4 Janvier 2015

Leclerc has reportedly denied the allegation that he refused to allow Francesca's burial. The mayor told AFP that he had "at no point opposed the burial." He apologized to the family for the incident, and issued a statement Sunday that said he "very much wanted for the burial to take place in Champlan, the town where [the family] lives."

Despite the apology, Champlan city hall was vandalized Sunday night.

Info— Patrick Sauce (@SaucePatrick)5 Janvier 2015

According to the BBC, Richard Trinquier, the center-right mayor of Wissous — a town near Champlan where Francesca was ultimately laid to rest — called Leclerc's alleged actions "incomprehensible."

"Everyone has a right to a decent burial," Trinquier reportedly said.

French human rights defender Jacques Toubon said he was "shocked and stunned" by the alleged discrimination in Champlan.

Toubon, who served as interior minister under former French President Jacques Chirac, promised to launch an investigation into the incident.

Follow Mélodie Bouchaud on Twitter: @meloboucho