Bullfighting is now banned in many countries; Those who participate in such an activity would be punished with prison sentences for cruelty to animals. However, “bloodless” variations are often allowed and have attracted audiences in California, Texas and France. [94] In southern France, however, the traditional form of bullfighting still exists and is protected by French law. In June 2015, however, the Paris Court of Appeal removed bullfighting from the list of French cultural heritage. [95] [96] [97] Although not very popular in Texas, bloodless forms of bullfighting take place at rodeos in Texas small towns. [98] MEXICO CITY – The largest arenas in the world were full when the matador entered the ring. Forty thousand fans rose from their seats in Plaza Mexico and cheered on a show that has hardly changed since the city held its first bullfight in honor of Hernán Cortés in 1526. In 2001, matador Pedrito of Portugal killed a bull at the end of a fight after onlookers encouraged him to do so by shouting “Kill the bull! Kill the bull! [127] The crowd gave Pedrito a standing ovation, lifted him onto their shoulders and led him into the streets. [127] A few hours later, police arrested and fined him, but released him after masses of angry fans surrounded the police station.
[127] A lengthy trial followed, which eventually led to Pedrito`s €100,000 conviction in 2007. [127] In 2002, the Portuguese government granted Barrancos, a village near the Spanish border where bullfighting enthusiasts stubbornly insisted on encouraging the slaughter of bulls during fighting, an exemption from the 1928 ban. [127] Bullfighting depends largely on public funds from local councils and autonomous communities. Every year, Spanish regional governments provide subsidies to bullfighting clubs, associations, schools and festivals. In Spain and Latin America, opposition to bullfighting is known as the Antitaurino movement. [ref. needed] In a 2012 poll, 70% of Mexican respondents were in favor of banning bullfighting. [47] “The limitation of the rights and freedoms of those who organize bullfights ceases when they are confronted with other rights,” said Mariana Ruiz, a lawyer and member of Justicia Justa.
“In this case, it`s environmental law.” It turns out that the freedom to gather to celebrate a cultural event is the main argument of bullfighting advocates. Mario Zulaica, director of Mexico City`s Plaza de Toros, is optimistic about the appeal of the final ban decision: “We have never been outside the legal framework; There is no standard that prevents us from organizing this cultural and traditional festival. Despite the growing number of voices calling for regulation against animal cruelty, there is a powerful core that also supports traditional Spanish bullfighting. But efforts to keep the character of bullfights intact over time are losing strength every year. Government figures show how Spain`s bullfighting tradition is threatened with extinction due to lack of publicity and the growing trend towards animal welfare, both socially and politically. The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is attributed to Juan Belmonte, who is widely regarded as the greatest matador of all time. Belmonte introduced a bold and revolutionary style in which he stayed only a few centimeters away from the bull throughout the fight. Although extremely dangerous (Belmonte has been eaten many times), his style is still considered by most matadors to be the ideal to emulate. [ref. needed] When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Spain and the country went into lockdown in March 2020, all bullfighting events were cancelled indefinitely. In mid-May 2020, the bullfighting industry, like other sectors of the Spanish economy, called on the government to compensate them for their losses, estimated at 700 million euros. More than 100,000 people signed a petition launched by AnimaNaturalis urging the government not to bail out “animal abuse and mistreatment shows” with taxpayers` money, at a time when people were struggling to survive and public finances were already under pressure.
[51] A YouGov poll commissioned by HuffPost from May 29-31, 2020 found that 52% of the 1,001 Spaniards surveyed wanted to ban bullfighting, 35% opposed it, 10% didn`t know, and 2% refused to respond. A large majority of 78% responded that bullfights should no longer be partially subsidized by the government, with 12% in favor of subsidies and 10% undecided. When asked if bullfighting was culture or abuse, 40% said it was just abuse, 18% said it was culture alone, and 37% said it was both. Of the respondents, 53% had never visited a bullfight. [53] Comedy bullfighting shows called Espectáculos cómico-taurinos or Charlotadas are still popular in Spain and Mexico. Troops include El empastre or El bombero torero. [17] According to the government, only 8% of the population attended a bullfighting show last year. Of this percentage, 5.9% attended a bullfight or “bullfight”, while the rest went to other events such as the popular bull race. 1 Brook B. 2004.
The real Mexico. Mexican dance with death. www.therealmexico.com/bullfighting.htm. Retrieved 11 July 2008. For animal and progressive movements, killing an animal for recreational purposes is not meant to be a tradition. On the contrary, it is a practice that can be morally condemned, because animals also have rights and therefore the suffering to which they are subjected cannot be used as a means of celebration, even if there are nations where bullfighting is still protected. Spain`s neighbor has an intermediate solution based on non-lethal bullfighting shows, although there is a growing movement to ban bullfighting festivals once and for all to protect bullfighting from possible abuse. David Bowles, RSPCA`s deputy director of public affairs, said: “The RSPCA is strongly opposed to bullfighting.
It is an inhumane and outdated practice that continues to lose support, even from those who live in the countries where it occurs, such as Spain, Portugal and France. [54] Those who oppose bullfighting claim that the practice is a sadistic tradition of torturing and killing a bull amid pomp and pageantry. [40] Bullfighters, called “aficionados,” claim to respect bulls, that bulls live better than other cattle, and that bullfighting is a great tradition, an important art form for their culture. [41] Critics often claim that bullfighting is publicly funded. Although bullfighting attracts 25 million spectators per year, it accounts for only 0.01% of state subsidies for cultural activities and less than 3% of the cultural budget of regional, provincial and local authorities.
