Muslim troops' graves vandalized in France

ARRAS, France, April 6 (UPI) -- The graves of 148 Muslim soldiers have been vandalized in the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery near Arras, France, authorities said Sunday.

State prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi said the soldiers' graves were desecrated with insulting propaganda ranging from a swastika to a severed pig's head, The Mail on Sunday reported.

"A pig's head was hung from one tombstone, in an attempt to insult Muslims," Valensi said.

A statement from French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office opposed the hateful incident, calling it "unacceptable."

"This is a most unacceptable act of racism and the president shares the pain of France's Muslim community," the statement read.

Nearly 100 police officers have been sent to the military cemetery to aid in the investigation, the Mail said.

Scores of Muslim troops were among the estimated 78,000 colonial subjects killed serving France during World War I. An estimated 5 million Muslims live in France, making it the largest Muslim community in all of Europe.