The mayor of a Paris suburb has been accused of racism

Jokpeme Joseph Omode January 04, 2015
The mayor of a Paris suburb has been accused of racism after he refused to allow a Roma baby to be buried in the municipal cemetery.
Christian Leclerc, the mayor of Champlan, about 23km south of Paris, has explained his refusal on the grounds that the cemetery has "few available plots".
"Priority is given to those who pay their local taxes," Leclerc was quoted by Le Parisien daily as saying.
Critics, however, believe his decision to refuse the nearly 3-month-old girl a final resting place was motivated by anti-Roma sentiment.
"It's racism, xenophobia, and stigmatisation," said Loic Gandais, president of an association helping Roma families in the region.
Gandais accused Leclerc of hiding behind the fact that the baby, identified only as Maria Francesca, was pronounced dead in another town.
The infant was rushed to hospital on December 26 in the nearby town of Corbeil-Essonnes, where she was declared dead from sudden infant death syndrome.
The parents are Romanians who have lived in France for at least eight years.
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Jokpeme Joseph Omode stands as a prominent figure in contemporary journalism, embodying the spirit of a multifaceted storyteller who bridges history, poetry, and investigative reporting to champion social progress. As the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Alexa News Network (Alexa.ng), Omode has transformed a digital platform into a vital voice for governance, education, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development in Africa. His career, marked by over a decade of experience across media, public relations, brand strategy, and content creation, reflects a relentless commitment to using journalism as a tool for accountability and societal advancement.

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