Parents complained about the youngsters being used as 'propaganda tools' after they were made to treat Nicolas Sarkozy as a hero, waving Tricolour flags and constantly shouting his name.
Some were even kissed by Mr Sarkozy, who is hugely unpopular and widely expected to lose the presidential election being held in France in the Spring.
© Agency France Presse/Getty ImagesControversy: Nicolas Sarkozy (centre) with Mayor of Lavaur Bernard Carayon (second left) at a visit to a day-care centre in Lavaur. At a nearby infant school children were forced to chant 'Long Live Sarkozy' when he visited.
© ReutersPhoto opportunity: France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused of using children as 'propaganda tools'.
Some 140 children from a local school were forced to line the steps of the town hall, said Mr Atlan, who said parents were given no say in the matter.
As is often the case with 5ft 5in Mr Sarkozy's 'photo opportunities', he was made to look a lot taller with children as young as five surrounding him.
Coralie Lestrade, another parent, said: 'They not only used our children without authorisation, but very specific recommendations were given to the children.
© ReutersThe president (right) was also accused of posing for a photos with workers he had bussed in to make him look more 'inclusive'.
Stephanie Taulelle, a mother with children at the Lavaur Infant School, said: 'Personally we did not want our son to participate in this event.'
But Joseph Dalla Riva, the deputy mayor of the town and a member of Mr Sarkozy's ruling UMP party, insisted that there was 'no manipulation', and that the children were simply taking part in a 'historic' and 'exceptional' day which they 'would remember all their lives'.
© ReutersUnveiling: Nicolas Sarkozy pictured delivering a speech on his family policy programme in Lavaur, south-western France.
Claude Bartolone, a Paris Socialist MP, said Mr Sarkozy should receive a 'best director Oscar' for organising such 'impressive' photographs.
The President, who is widely expected to lose the May election to Socialist rival Francois Hollande, has often been accused of busing in extras to improve his image.
Three years ago the 5ft 5ins head of state banned all tall people from a stage he was appearing on in Normandy because he did not want to look too short.
He was also reported to have banned tall bodyguards from his presidential protection team.
Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries.
The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in millions of third worlders and quote assimilating unquote with them.
Everybody says the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to “assimilate,” i.e., intermarry, with all those non-whites.
What if I said there was this RACE problem and this RACE problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries?
How long would it take anyone to realise I’m not talking about a RACE problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem?
And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn’t object to this?
But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.
They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white.
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.