June 2, 2010
Supporting an End to Bullfighting in Catalonia
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Cruelty is not entertainment. absolut 100/iStockphoto
Update: In July 2010, the Catalonian Parliament banned bullfighting.
In a show of international support for the Initiative Legislative Popular (ILP) to end bullfighting in Catalonia, HSI EU Director Joanna Swabe met with Ernest Benach, the President of the Catalan Parliament, together with representatives from CAS International and WSPA on 17th May 2010.
During this private audience at the Catalonian Parliament in Barcelona, the international animal protection groups presented the President with a letter of support signed by anti-bullfighting organisations from across the globe, plus an extensive collection of articles on the proposed Catalonian ban published in international news media.
The message to the President was that the eyes of the international community are now firmly focused on Catalonia since it has the opportunity to become the first region in Spain to prohibit the cruel and outdated tradition of bullfighting.
“A ban would demonstrate to the rest of the world that Catalonia is a progressive region with modern attitudes towards the good treatment of animals. At present, only one active bullring remains in Catalonia and this is often three-quarters empty at each bullfight”, commented Dr Swabe, Humane Society International’s EU Director, adding, “This very fact indicates that bullfighting is no longer a tradition that Catalonian citizens cherish or wish to protect.”
In December 2009, the Parliament voted in favour considering a legislative proposal to ban bullfighting in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia following the collection of more than 180,000 signatures from Catalonian citizens. The final vote on the ban is expected to take place before the Parliament’s summer recess.
President Benach agreed to convey the message that the world’s attention will be focused on the Catalonian Parliament’s decision to his fellow parliamentarians, concurring that a negative outcome could be damaging to Catalonia’s standing internationally.
One hundred bulls are slaughtered in the ring in Catalonia each year, dying a slow, painful and terrifying death. But in the last two years, Catalan local authorities including Barcelona have declared their support for the ban, along with many other towns and regions across Europe and Latin America.
Recent polls have shown 80 per cent of Catalonia’s 7 million citizens have no interest in bullfighting (Gallup poll, 2007).
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