STABBED BY SPEARS: Spain’s Supreme Court puts end to torture of bulls at festival

By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 21 Mar 2019 • 17:15

AN ANIMAL welfare campaign group is claiming victory after Spain’s Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the torture of bulls during the “Toro de la Vega” festival, following years of pressure from local Spanish groups, including PACMA, and PETA.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals foundation said: “No young bull will ever again be stabbed to death by men with spears in the Castilla y Leon region of Spain.”

They went on: “Back in 2016, we celebrated as the regional government of Castilla y León outlawed the stabbing to death of bulls at the festival, but soon after this decision was made, the Tordesillas City Council filed an appeal in the Supreme Court arguing that there was no reason to prohibit the killing.

“Now, the Supreme Court has officially rejected this appeal, bringing an end to the nearly 500-year-old barbaric and inhumane “tradition” of tormenting and stabbing a young bull with darts and spears and cutting off his tail while still alive, after which the city council would award a ceremonial spear and medal to the person who ultimately killed the suffering animal.”

PETA said the victory is part of a wider movement in Spain, as more and more people are speaking out against festivals and other events in which bulls are tortured in the name of entertainment.

To date, over 100 towns have banned bullfighting, and according to an Ipsos MORI poll, over 80 per cent of Spanish people oppose the cruel event.

PETA say: “The tide is turning against this barbaric “tradition”.”

“It’s great news that some regions in Spain are banning cruelty to bulls, but thousands of bulls are still suffering and dying in bullrings across the country. Please sign the petition (text below) urging the Spanish Prime Minister to introduce a national ban on bullfights.”

To His Excellency Pedro Sánchez,

Bullfights are immensely cruel events in which thousands of animals are slowly and painfully killed across Spain every year. Attackers on horseback and on foot drive lances and sharp sticks into bulls’ necks and backs, and when the animals have become weakened by blood loss, a matador finally kills them with a sword. Bulls also suffer in bull runs, in which they’re forced to run through the streets while being harassed by a terrifying mob. The panicked animals often lose their footing and crash into walls, breaking bones and otherwise injuring themselves.

An overwhelming 81 per cent of Spaniards don’t support bullfighting, according to an Ipsos MORI poll released in 2016. That figure is even higher among 16 to 24-year-olds, rising to a whopping 93 per cent.

Please listen to the voices of people in Spain and across the world and ban bullfighting and bull runs now.