Halal supermarket in France closed down for failing to sell alcohol or pork

The Good Price mini-market was ruled to have gone against the terms of its lease

People stand in front of eggs displayed at a supermarket in Lille, on August 11, 2017, as an eggs scandal contaminated with fipronil spreads across Europe.
Nearly 250,000 insecticide-contaminated eggs have been sold in France since April, but the risk for consumers is "very low," French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert said Friday. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN
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A French court has ruled that a halal supermarket in a Paris suburb should be shut down for not selling pork or alcohol.

The Good Price mini-market was accused by the mayor of Colombes and local authorities in August 2016 of not catering to the general public, who were forced to travel further out to buy the products they wanted.

The owner Soulemane Yalcin refused to follow the conditions on the store’s lease, which said that the market must act as a “general food store” and as a result the matter was taken to court.

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Nanterre court, in a suburb northwest of the French capital, decided on Monday that by failing to add alcohol and non-halal meats to its range of products, it had gone against its lease, which would subsequently be cancelled.

Mr Yalcin has been ordered to empty the premises and pay 4,000 euros (Dh17,400) worth of court fees.

Speaking to Le Parisien, the owner said he did not sell pork or alcohol because he was taking account of the supply-demand balance in the area.

He said: “I look around me and I target what I see. The lease states 'general food store and related activities' - but it all depends on how you interpret 'related activities'.”

The incident has caused many social media users to defend Mr Yalcin, accusing the local authorities of “discrimination”.