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Catalonia Takes First Step Toward Bullfight Ban

Written by PETA | December 21, 2009

When morning’s chill is frigid and frightful, my husband and I can get into some pretty intense debates about whose turn it is to walk Charlie and Lucy. OK, I’m exaggerating: We just play a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors—and usually wind up walking them together.

But in Spain’s Catalonia region, a heated battle is growing over a proposed bill to ban bullfighting, initiated by a citizens’ lobbying group that opposes the hideous “sport.” Of course, other politicians want to keep the bloody “tradition” alive.


stopbullfighting / CC


We’re happy to report that the bill just passed a secret vote in the regional parliament (yay!). According to news reports, it was such a sensitive issue that some legislators actually used newspaper to cover their hands when they voted. Secret voting is rare in the Catalan legislature—so the cruelty behind bullfighting really hit home for the representatives who voted their conscience in defiance of tradition.

But the vote was close (67-59), and the bill still has a long way to go: Debates are sure to intensify before the final vote, which is several months away. If the bill passes, Catalonia will be the second region in Spain to outlaw bullfighting—the Canary Islands did it way back in 1991.

Of course, there’s no question that my husband and I will call a truce long enough to sign this petition to end the Running of the Bulls. Won’t you do the same?

Written by Karin Bennett

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  • Dee says:

    well said Kathy cobb those are my feelings exactly. every one who attends a bullfight should be willing to change places with the bull. then we will see how they like it. as for the matador he is nothing but a poncy coward.

  • Kathy Cobb says:

    Sherri and Maria Both of you are obviously married to andor related to people who support this issue. Otherwise why would you go out of your way to justify such a cruel sport? Especially you Sherribringing up the fact that cruel things happen to other animals is NO excuse. Stating that other animals die whether for food or in the running of the bulls does not make bullfighting any less wrong. As for the bulls living such great lives they owe it to their owners to die a cruel bloody death to pay for their lives? You call this art? As for bulls becoming extinct if bullfighting is banned that says it all. You have just admitted that the only reason people are raising them in the first place is not because they loverespectadmire them so much as the bulls are their ticket to fame and fortune. If Spaniards lovedrespected their bulls so much they would still raise them treat them well and let them live long happy lives without making the bulls pay such a high price. If bulls become extinct it is sad but anything is better than this. If the bullfighters are so courageous and loveadmire their bulls so much and that it is an intellectual mind game between man and bullthen why is it not a fair fight? Why drug the bull? Sorry but this goes right up there with cockfighting and dog fighting. Stating that it is part of the culture is simply saying “people have been doing this for a long time and are too ignorant to consider change.” Culture does not justify cruelty. Slavery used to part of the American culture that does not mean it ever was morally right. You are exactly the type of person that makes it difficult to change things for the better. You make excuses most likely fed to you by others who support the issue thus allowing cruelty to continue. Finally your statement about various political decisions to ban the sport is filled with nothing but air. You have absolutely no way of knowing whether these politicians are using bullfighting to support their own agenda or whether they truly believe that it is a cruel sport. You’re just an ignoramus spewing propaganda. There are always a few cruel mindless people on every board.

  • irene says:

    What a disgrace bull fighting is to the proud and great traditions of Spain! Just like slavery is a disgraceful part of US culture and the Holocaust a disgraceful aspect of the history of Germany bull fighting is something that every person proud of the greatness of Spanish culture should fight to see ended. It is a throwback to the coliseums of Rome a barbaric ‘tradition’ that only serves to hurt Spain in the eyes of the world. Shame Spain. You can do better than this. Abolish bull fighting. It is inhumane would you uphold the tradition of the human sacrifice in the Roman coliseum? Would you uphold the ‘right’ to the tradition of ‘cruxifiction’ for ‘tradition’s sake?” When are you going to wake up to what is most obvious to everyone else around the world? Bull fighting makes Spain LOOK Bad it makes your country seem barbaric. Get rid of it…now…fight against this atrocity within your culture.

  • helen says:

    Bullfighting is the only reason i don’t want to visit spain even though i am a spanish student. I think countries that support such “entertainment” should have no tourists at all until they learn what civilization is about.Spain SUCKS!

  • L says:

    I’m from Spain n i live in Madrid to me bullfighters are all a killers! Pppl thinks that’s a form of art but for ppl like me that’s a kill…

  • Maria says:

    Good job Sherri Smith

  • Davi Parrish says:

    This is to sigh .. go off and live in your f up world. Can’t believe how imbeciles think. Your karma will get you..

  • Eden says:

    Bullfighting is speciesism at its most horrific. Even though “sigh” used many many words in its defense it is indefensible. I resent the arrogance of assuming that believing that bullfighting is abhorent we are hypocrital and eat other bulls I do not and many many people I know who object to brutalizing animals also object to the abbatoirs where animals are brutally slaughtered for food. I personally sign petitions and write letters and post comments and make donations to stop factory farms so don’t make such an assumption. These poor bulls do not “die like Gods” if by that you mean nobly. They are stripped of every shred of dignity and die agonizing confusing slow and unimaginably painful deaths. I really wonder what kind of people are the Spainish. In addtion to this horrible cultural tradition of bullfighting Spain promotes the Burning Bull Fiesta where bulls horns are set on fire and the “manly” men chase it and harrass it and cause it unimaginable suffering. I know plenty of real men who do not feel the need to torture and slaughter animals in order to feel like a man. WTF???

  • george says:

    there is simply no excuse for this savage cruelty i dont care how long they have been doing this for it should be stopped and this is to sheri smith i dont care how good the bulls had previoulsy been kept im sure you have a good life so how would you like to be infront of a huge croud screaming with you not knowing what is happening then a man runs up to you and stabs you with a spear over and over again the pain getting worse then you feel dizzy and collapse you wouldent think of how you were before surly if a bull had been kept in nice conditions and dropped straight into a croud and then killed in the most painful slow way must entensefy how this bull is feeling its people like you that need to empathise humans and animals are equals and should be treated with respect if you disagree i would be happy if people were to vote to legalise cannibalism and torture yummmm and oooooo.

  • Seyda Bolkan says:

    Just stop ths volence! We can’t stand it! No earthling deserves such a death it’s also unbeleivable people watch it just for fun.

  • Annette says:

    Im not a religious person but I will actually pray for this bill to pass. It’s too important.

  • JAcob says:

    I hope bull fighting stops world wide. Anyone who likes to see this is sick

  • Ricky says:

    This cruel tradition should be banned. I cannot believe this cruelty is even allowed to exist in the 21st century.

  • Lize Muller says:

    In this day and age how is such cruelty still justified in the name of anything?? Be it sports culture or tradition? Anyone “entertained” by something as abhorrent as this has no place in society. This practice should’ve been banned already the sooner the better.

  • carla says:

    Rob screw tradition! Do not compare a bull or cow being slaughtered to a bull who dies while fighting they are BOTH wrong!!!!!!!

  • John Carmody says:

    This is remarkable trend setting news lets hope it spurs other cities and countries to adopt similar measures.

  • NT says:

    matadors and all who watch this sadistic spectacle truly need psychological evaluation. This goes against everything that is good in human nature.

  • Didi An. AnudhyanÃ says:

    Old traditions which should not define our mental progress and not contradict deeper humane values that harm fellow beings must go go forever guided by our awakening rational and humanity. This bullfighting is all false pride and false prestige. Kill a bull to feel brave? proud? How about killing that blinding arrogance itself a more difficult job really. Leave the gorgeous bull alone to rightfully enjoy his life on earth like you and me who claim it as a human right to life. Animals have that same right too. Let us make life be better for everyone! And bonus benefit for kindness in action.

  • Rad_Rosa89 says:

    It is just horrible to consider stabbing a bulls so it bleeds to death and suffers to it’s last breathe a.k.a. bullfighting a “sport” I hope this sad sad excuse for a “sport” ends soon for the bulls sake!!

  • cristina says:

    i am portugues and the bull fights are very popular in portugal. I do not agree with this i think it is so wrong and the poor bull is in pain i bet. I don’t thing that if it was done the other way around that people would not like it.So with that said I HOPE ALL ANIMAL CRULTY IS BANNED. The poor bulls do not deserve this no animal deserve this. Hope this goes through and all this stops….

  • sigh... says:

    Well bullfighting is the LEAST harmful out of every animal suffering there’s outta there by far. Most people who talk about it really have no idea what they’re talking about. Do you people have any idea how these bulls live? They have the most wonderful happy free and loving life imaginable. They live out in the country in huge acres and acres and acres of nature with other bulls and cows completely free and happy for many years. They are worshipped and treated like gods almost by their owners and caretakers who cherish them and are amazed by their unique in the animal realm beauty in every aspect. They have the most amazing happy free life unlike the farm animals people eat all the time. These bulls are as well a unique breed in the world Spanish brave bulls they are not born in the wild far away from men nor do they live by themselves neither are they born in farms. They only are born in the huge spaces of country and nature that belong to their owners and while they live free in huge spaces in nature they are always supervised by their owners and caretakers. These bulls are really different to any other bulls they are incredibly brave and incredibly smart and agressive in personality very special besides their unique look. They define Spanish personality they are the “symbol” of Spain just like the maple leaf is the symbol of Canada. These bulls are only breed for bullfighting they are not breed for their meat or fur and they don’t exist in the wild. If bullfights were “banned” and dissapeared this unique and special breed of bulls would as well disappear and become extinct because they would stop being breed and like I said they don’t live in the wild by themselves only under man’s supervision. Bullfighting is definitely NOT a sport AT ALL and nobody in Spain would think such thing. Bullfighting is considered an art. Nobody who likes bullfighting likes or enjoys any suffering at all. People who like bullfighting admire the bulls and are amazed by them they consider bulls almost gods. They are in love with the bulls and their magic. What they like about the bullfights is seeing how a man only with his intelect is able to control such an incredibly smart aggresive animal like a Spanish brave bull who could just kill him in a second if he wanted it’s a mind “battle” between a man and such a magic creature and it’s art for those who love it and can appreciate it and see the beauty in it. And in fact many bullfighters have died during a bullfight and many have been seriously injured and disabled for life. It’s very few people those who could stand a second in front of a Spanish brave bull and end up alive. The bullfighters are truly risking their lives and they don’t appreciate any suffering and BTW many of them are incredibly good incredibly bighearted and amazing people. They say the animal is so incredibly brave and aggresive that he doesn’t even feel pain because of his adrenaline and because he’s so incredibly brave and set into the “fight”. It’s a few minutes of a battle before the animal dies right there and is considered a hero and a god and a wonder of nature and of mesmerizing beauty. I personally don’t like it but there’s a lot of people in Spain who do and that’s how they feel. And that these bulls would become extinct if bullfights ended is a fact. And that these animals live like gods and have amazing lives for many years is another fact. You cannot mistake the running of the bulls for bullfighting or with other abusive bull practices which have nothing to do with bullfighting other than the fact there’s bulls involved. People from outside Spain have a hard time understanding this and even many people from Spain do but those who love bullfighting usually hate those other bull practices because they consider them abusive. And the funny thing is most people who say “ohh bullfights are so horrible stop bullfights” eat their fair share of meat every week and they don’t mind when the animals they are eating have suffered their whole lives and have had a tragic horrible death treated like scum unlike the bulls in the bullfights they claim to be so horrible and cruel. These bulls live like gods and die like gods. The poor animals they eat live like scumslaves and die like scumslaves and that’s another fact. And just so you know bullfighting has never been banned in the Canary Islands it just has never ever been practiced there ever. And another fact just so you know some parts of Catalonia are very well known for its disliking and hate for the rest of Spain and for all things considered typically Spanish or that represent Spain some catalonians want to separate from Spain and create their own nation and there’s a few political parties who support that and that’s their mission suprisingly those are the only ones who voted to ban bullfighting in Catalonia. And just another fact do you know what these guys wanna do with Catalonia’s bullfighting “plazas” where the bullfights are practiced in bullfighting gets banned there?? They wanna turn them into CIRCUSES. Yup CIRCUSES with lots of tortured and slaved animals. Talk about their love for animals!! Funny huh!!

  • Sheri Smith says:

    I feel sick. This still goes on? What year is it again? OMG. Make it stop. NOW!

  • Marea Gray.. Australia.. says:

    Such a medieval outdated disgusting blood sport… Should be banned throughout the world…Matadors are just gutless wimps… I really dont know who they think they are strutting around like bloody kings!! Poor excuses for men i say… Here here for Peta once again…

  • Christine Ko says:

    Glad to learn that people in Spain hate bullfights too. If this socalled tradition doesn’t goes with humanity and civilization why bother preserving it with blood fear and agony of innocent animals? We human beings are the real animals in fact.

  • Kalyan Chatterjee says:

    Most people don’t know that the bull is usually drugged and petroleum jelly something like vaseline is applied on its back so that the spears can go in easily. I think the matadors are more sadistic than anything else definitely not daredevils!

  • Kari says:

    I really hope this ban passes! Such a cruel and horrible way to die for any animal. What sickens me the most is how the human race enjoys such tortue at the expense of an animals life that is “trained” not to hurt the ones who are slowly killing them. Shame on you!

  • Rob says:

    it is a very difficult subject.. kiling and violence .. NO WAY .. this is absolutely clear. and on the other side the culture of the matadors has to be respected … i saw an article about the matadors .. they admire their bulls and respect and honor them … each bull is a personality… maybe we can find a solution where the bulls are not killed and dont suffer … AND… would a ban drive the situation into illegal bullfights that will happen somewhere else under really bad bad conditions for the animals in the underground? and what about the millions of bulls and cows killed everyday for “food”? they are even killed under worse conditions….. i’d rather die fighting than being shoved through a tunnel and hung on my heels .. bleeding to death …

  • Sy says:

    this needs to be put to an end

  • Brien Comerford says:

    Matadors are a disgrace to the already morally challenged human race. Bullfighting is an atrocity exhibition.

  • Rainbow Warrior says:

    it is really high noon for putting an end to this criminal shame!

  • charlie says:

    You are a sad person if you are entertained by suffering!

  • Michele Glascott says:

    i support the ban on the running of the bulls

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