Portuguese Anti-Bullfighting City Forced to Host Bullfight

As a Portuguese-American, I find this just revolting.

For the whole story, go to Portugal News On-Line.

Prótoiro, the Portuguese Federation of Bullfighting Associations, placed an injunction again Viana do Castelo Town Hall this month after their refusal to allow the event to go ahead on municipal land.

Speaking to Lusa News Agency, Prótoiro President, Diogo Costa Monteiro said that the court “decided that the right to exercise a cultural right was being infringed” and therefore “allowed for the bullfighting ring to be set up.”

The event had also already been authorised last week by the Cultural Events Authority.

For Prótoiro, this ruling “has put an end to the illegal decisions made by town halls in what concerns bull fighting.”

Bullfighting to Appear on Spanish TV Again

From the Telegraph...

State-financed broadcaster RTVE said it would screen a bullfight from the city of Valladolid on September 5, overturning a ban imposed under the previous socialist government.  

In 2006, guidelines prohibited the showing of live bullfights because the "violent images" were unsuitable to be broadcast between 6 and 8 pm, during hours when children were most likely to be watching.

The policy change comes under the new conservative Popular Party government of Mariano Rajoy which is widely seen as opposed to all attempts to curtail the national fiesta in Spain. 

The move immediately provoked anger from animal rights activists, who felt they were making headway against the spectacle after Catalonia banned bullfighting within its region last year on animal welfare grounds. 

"It is clearly a backward step for the welfare of animals in this country," said Silvia Barquero, spokesman for the animal defence lobby group

Mexican Town Opposes Bullfighting

From Latino Fox News......

Mexico's first "anti-bullfighting" town has signed a petition calling on the United Nations to approve a universal declaration on animal welfare.


More than 220 organizations, headed by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, are collecting signatures worldwide to petition the United Nations to adopt the proposed Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.

Teocelo, a town of 15,000 inhabitants, last month became the first Mexican municipality to ban bullfighting and other events that involve animal mistreatment or cruelty.

The town on Thursday was honored by the London-based WSPA, one of the organizations most involved in efforts to abolish bullfighting worldwide

Four Paws Urges an End to Pamplona Bull Run

Unfortunately, though, it brings in the tourists.

Supporters Still Trying to Keep Bullfighting in Spain

I was disappointed that Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa was one of those that signed a petition to keep this cruel and unnecessary torture of animals around. I guess I won't be reading his books!

For the full story, go here to latino.foxnews.

Another Anti-Bullfighting Protest in Mexico City

Yay!!!!! It happened last Saturday the 4th of February.

Mexico often has such an abominable attitude towards animals that it's easy to paint all citizens that way. I'm glad there are exceptions like these protesters.

Stupid Bull Tradition Catches Someone By Surprise

The title says it all....."Bull rampaging in Mexican streets gores man right in the crotch."

Maybe they should BAN this practice......

Full article in the Mirror.

Matt Damon at a Bullfight? Say It Isn't So!

It's true! He attended a bullfight in Mexico City. That sucks!

Last Bullfight Finally Held in Catalonia, Spain

Good.

Bull Gets Gored to Death in Spanish Festival

I've read some pretty disgusting stuff in writing this blog, but this just pisses me off. As a Portuguese-American, I hate bullfights...and they even have the stupid things in California.

Townspeople in Tordesillas spear a bull to death in some festival tradition dating back to medieval times. It's a "cultural asset." Disgusting.

Excerpted from the Montreal Gazette....

Lance-wielding Spanish townspeople speared a huge fighting bull to the death Tuesday, defying a lone protester who sprayed some of them with an irritant.

Hundreds of people, many on horseback, turned out for the combat with a 608-kilogram (1,338-pound) black bull named Afligido — Spanish for Sorrowful — in the centuries-old "Toro de la Vega" festival.

The massive beast charged through the fortified town of Tordesillas, central Spain, crossing a bridge over the River Duero and into a plain in a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Before the lancing began, a female protester sprayed an irritant at some of those taking part before being taken away by police, a witness to the event said.

Indian Government to Protect Bulls from Entertainment Use

The Indian government has decided to add bulls to the list of animals protected from entertainment uses. This prevents them from being exploited in Goa, an Indian state that had considered reviving the tradition. (Goa was once part of the Portuguese empire which is where the bullfighting ridiculousness comes from....as a Portuguese-American, I can say that.) There are still illegal events though.

Mexican Senators Look at Banning Bullfights

I'm very, very surprised. And not very optimistic. Mexico is notorious for its bullfights and lack of animal rights. But, still, I can't dismiss it.

From Fox News (blech)...

Senators from the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, are working on legislation to ban bullfights and guarantee animal rights in Mexico, a lawmaker said.

The legislation, which will be introduced in the next session, would impose fines and jail time on violators, Sen. Maria de los Angeles Moreno, who is sponsoring the bill, said.

"Bullfights seem really thoughtless and savage to me," the senator said in a press conference on Monday.

Several groups, including Spain's Plataforma Prou, the Mexican Association for Animal Rights, or Amedea, and the Proyecto Proteccion Animal, have been consulted on the bill, Moreno said.

The legislation provides for the punishment of those who abuse animals, including pets, and it would create incentives for people to adopt pets instead of purchasing them.

Catalonia is First Region to Ban Bullfighting

Yay! I hope it withstands any challenges. This is really big news.

The independence-minded region of Catalonia on Wednesday became the first on the Spanish mainland to outlaw bullfighting, a move some say is as much about nationalist politics as animal rights.

Lawmakers in Catalonia's regional parliament approved the controversial ban, 68-55, with nine abstentions, after emotional speeches that mixed expressions of support for preserving tradition with denunciations of bullfighting as institutionalized cruelty. The ban will take effect in the region, of which Barcelona is the capital, in 2012.

New Film About Bullfighting Stars Adrian Brody

Too bad. I really liked Adrian Brody, but here he is showing up in a movie about a Spanish bullfighter. To the film's credit, though, it did spend a lot of money to avoid using real bulls.

Big Ol' Protest In Madrid Against Bullfighting

Thousands marched on Madrid to protest bullfighting and push for a ban.

I wish the Portuguese were this passionate about protesting bullfighting.

Campaign Launched to End Bullfighting in Madrid

It's been banned in Catalonia. Now activists are trying for the big time...the regional government of Madrid. That will be even tougher.

Irish Travel Agency Removes Matador from Advertising

The move was in response from pressure from an animal rights group. It's a small step, but every one counts.

From the Irish Times...

THE MATADOR – one of the most abiding and traditional images of Spain – has been removed from advertising by a leading Irish travel company following a protest by animal rights activists.

The Travel Department confirmed that it had used a photograph of a bullfighter in a newspaper advertisement for a holiday in Spain. The ad was seen by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports which contacted the company to object and the company agreed to withdraw the image from its marketing material.

A spokesman for the tour operator said that the image was “part of a library of stock images” of Spain that were used for print and online media advertising. He said it had not “consciously” used “the iconic image” and stressed that visits to bullfights were not included in its itineraries.

Mexican Activists Protest Bullfighting

Good.

Teenage Matador Kills Six Bulls in a Day

I just find this culturally backwards and disgusting. It's a total embarrassment.

"Bloodless" Bullfighting in San Joaquin Valley May Not be so Bloodless

An animal cruelty investigator from Animal Cruelty Investigations and sheriff deputy were injured at a bullfight in Thornton CA. Though the bulls were supposed to be hit with velcro darts, these ones were allegedly stabbed with nails. From the Sacramento Bee:

When the animal cruelty investigator attempted to grab the bandoleras, he was put in a chokehold by Darren Nunes, 24, and almost lost consciousness, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.