December, 2009

As a direct result of a citizens’ advocacy campaign in Catalonia, local politicians have approved a debate on changes to the Catalan Animal Protection Law that currently protects all animals except the bulls and horses used in bullfights.

Today’s result puts in motion a parliamentary process that will take place during the first half of 2010. Future votes could result in changes to existing animal protection laws which will effectively result in the enforcement of a ban on cruel bullfighting.

WSPA has supported Plataforma ‘Prou’ (‘Enough’ in English) who have campaigned for an end to the inhumane treatment of bulls and horses in bullfights. Prou is made up of Spanish citizens who have ‘had enough’ of the parliament’s refusal to acknowledge their wish for a ban.

Huge local support

The Prou campaign led a Popular Legislative Initiative (PLI) in favor of a ban on bullfights in Catalonia and, within the allotted time, collected 180,000 signatures from Catalonian citizens.

This is over three times the required number to force a vote in the regional parliament.

“By voting in the affirmative, members of the Catalonian parliament have acknowledged and respected the views of over 180,000 Catalonian citizens who have expressed their wish for bullfights to be banned.

“WSPA would also like to praise Catalonians for voicing their views and forcing their political representatives to act on an important issue like the protection of animals from cruel and inhumane practices,” said Alyx Dow, WSPA’s anti-bullfighting program manager.

An end in sight…

A successful PLI in Catalonia would not only lead to 100 less bulls being inhumanely slaughtered every year, it could also lead the way for the rest of Spain and other bullfighting countries to embrace culture without cruelty.

The anti-bullfighting movement is experiencing growing support throughout the world, with a surge of towns and regions across Europe and Latin America declaring themselves ‘anti-bullfighting’ in the last two years.

“WSPA has collected the signatures of over 85,000 concerned citizens from over 140 countries, all supporting Prou. With this added encouragement from the international community, WSPA hopes Catalonian MPs will feel confident in boldly speaking out against the cruelty displayed in bullfights in the next votes,” said Dow.