Spain's Catalonia Region Considering Bullfighting Ban

Catalonia, a region of Northeastern Spain where there has long been a sizable part of the population who would prefer to be independent of Madrid, looks set to become the first region on the Spanish mainland to outlaw bullfighting.

In the Catalan regional parliament on Friday a vote was taken on a proposal to draw up a bill which would see bulls that are destined for the ring granted the same rights as all other animals. And as the Daily Mail reports a vote of 67 to 59 in favor of the proposal, with five abstentions, means that a further vote will take place in the parliament in April when a ban on bullfighting is expected to be approved. The Canary Islands, a region of Spain found in the Atlantic Ocean off the Northwest Coast of the African mainland, banned bullfighting in 1991 but it has taken another 18 years before a mainland region of Spain has looked set to introduce a similar ban. Whilst the likely introduction of the ban owes much to the dedication of grassroots animal rights activists, who collected a petition with 180,000 signatures supporting a ban, the Associated Press notes that the thought of banning an iconic Spanish sport appeals to many Catalans who want independence for their region. Catalan nationalist politicians in the regional parliament and those representing environmentalist parties were seemingly unanimous in their support of a ban which the London Times says has also enjoyed the support of British comedian Ricky Gervais and Canadian/American actress Pamela Anderson. French actress Brigitte Bardot is another advocate for the ban. The right-wing Populist Party opposes the ban, with other parties allowing their representatives to vote with their conscience. According to the Associated Press Socialist Party representative David Perez, a supporter of bullfighting, has said that the sport, although many contend bullfighting is not deserving of that description, should be tolerated. He observed that banning bullfighting will not make the Catalan people less Spanish. As animal rights activists voice their support for a ban on what Pamela Anderson called "“The most appalling kind of cruelty......perpetuated in the name of mere entertainment.", Joan Puigcerdos of the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia has emphasized that his backing for the ban is based on stopping cruelty to animals and is not about the rejection of a Spanish tradition. Speaking on behalf of the Association for the Defense of the Bullfight Luis Corrales said that animals do not have rights, even if humans have obligations towards them, adding:

This is an attack on liberty. It will be the first time in history the (Spanish) democracy has banned culture

Another defender of bullfighting is Salvador Boix, manager of José Tomás, a man the London Times describes as the "David Beckham of bullfighting". He said that those who vote to ban bullfighting but still enjoy eating meat were hypocrites. Artists, writers and theater directors have spoken up too in defense of the "sport". The London Times goes on to explain how the matadors taking part in the corrida de toros ( "race of bulls") or la fiesta ("the festival") are as popular as footballers or pop stars are in Spain, although their popularity is said to be waning as bullfighting apparently holds little appeal for the younger generations in Spain. Yet, despite the vote in the Catalan parliament on Friday appearing to pave the way for a ban on bullfighting in the Northeast of Spain, a pollster from Barcelona, capital of Catalonia and home to the only bullring in the region where fights are still held, ironically the city declared itself an anti-bullfighting city in 1994, believes the proposed ban will be rejected when the next vote on it takes place. Citing politicians who wanted to be provocative, but will ultimately vote for the status quo, and the knowledge that tourists to the region, though not of all them, want to see bullfights, Josefina Elias is of the opinion that a ban will not come in to effect. If the proposed ban does become law street fiestas, during which bulls may be tormented with such as balls of fire attached to their horns, will not be affected. .