Campaigners in Spain have called for a tourism award bestowed on the Toro de la Vega bull fiesta in 1980 to be removed.

The event, which sees a bull chased, tormented and stabbed to death as part of an annual celebration, is listed as a “Fiesta de Interés Turístico” (Fiesta of Tourist Interest).

An official request to revoke such status has been submitted to the Council of Culture and Tourism in the autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain, by the Animalista Party (PACMA).

Cruelty is not entertainment, nor should it be promoted as a tourist attraction. Events such as the Toro de la Vega should not be rewarded for allowing cruelty to be inflicted on animals.

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The request follows a demonstration held earlier this month calling for an end to the bull fiesta, part of the “Break a Spear” campaign supported by HSI, held in central Madrid and attended by more than 15,000 people.

The 2013 Toro de la Vega fiesta took place on Tuesday, 17 September. The bull, Vulcan, was chased out of the town and into the surrounding countryside, where men on foot and horseback, including 50 officially registered “spearmen”, hunted him down. The cornered animal was then stabbed to death. Press reports claimed the chasing and killing took 18 minutes.

Find out more about our campaign to end cruel bull fiestas.