President Nicolas Sarkozy: Marine Le Pen

Prime Minister Francois Fillon Dept: President Nicolas Sarkozy has lamented the decline of the traditional French butcher and now wants all meat clearly marked -- halal, kosher or French -- while Prime Minister Francois Fillon has suggested the ritual slaughter of animals by Muslims and Jews is out of sync with modern times, according to CTV. Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire released data making clear that Le Pen was wrong when she said last month that all meat sold in the Paris region is halal. However, halal butcher shops run by Muslims have long been on the rise in the country with Western Europe's largest Muslim population -- while traditional butcher shops are in decline and the changes in this age-old industry reflect profound economic and societal shifts gnawing at France's core, and have catapulted the butcher shop into the debate before presidential elections in April and May. The conservative leaders awoke to the topic after extreme-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen contended that Muslims have a stranglehold on butcher shops -- and on the French way of life. With polls suggesting Sarkozy will lose to Socialist rival Francois Hollande, the president is racing after third-place Le Pen's voters to bolster his chances at a second term. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.