French mayor bans death

[nitsua]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 12:21pm

Death is horrible, but this makes me laugh.

The mayor of a village on the French Riviera whose cemetery has run out of space has issued a decree telling people not to die.

"It is forbidden for any person not in possession of a family vault to die on the village's territory," the order stated.

Mayor Gil Bernardi said he issued the death ban to highlight the lack of burial space in the village.

At the moment 19 bodies are still waiting for a permanent burial space. They are temporarily buried in friends' vaults, waiting for a permanent plot.

About 80 people die each year in Le Lavandou, and only about half of them own a family vault. Nearly a third of the village's 5,508 residents are aged over 65.

"I issued the decree yesterday hoping for official attention," Mr Bernardi said on Thursday. "No one has died since then and I hope it stays that way."
From the BBC

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 2:36pm

And how exactly do they plan to punish those who die?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 2:47pm

They could start manufacturing Soylent Green.

[nitsua]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 2:48pm

Maybe they'll open a Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 5:57pm

The ban is punishable by death

Those fun loving frenchies.

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 6:00pm

"Cake or death?"

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/17/08 at 8:42pm

Where's Mrs. Lovett when you need her?

[blueroses]

Posted: 4/18/08 at 4:04pm

This article is eight years old. I wonder if he's been able to enforce it.