Catalonia To Abolish Bullfighting
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Bullfighting, cockfighting and dogfighting are all terrible, cruel and senseless public spectacles that should be banned in every country where they are popular and legal. Pitting animal against animal or man against animal just isn't very civilized, no matter how you spin it. There are other sports that don't involve blood and guts (and more often than not, death), which should satisfy those who desire to witness aggressive behaviour. So I will be glad when they are all banned outright.
And it looks like Catalonia, in northern Spain is on their way to curtailing the blood sport after parliament voted to ban it.
Already faced with a rapidly ageing fanbase at home and widespread incomprehension and rejection abroad, Spanish bullfighting has suffered another major setback after the Catalan parliament voted to outlaw it completely across the region.
The vote wasn't without controversy, however, which isn't surprising since there has always been controversy surrounding the sport- between those who consider it animal abuse and those who believe it to be a cultural tradition.
The decision was so controversial that some deputies hunched over their desks to hide their fingers from photographers as they punched in their votes. After a narrow initial victory for the abolitionists – 67 in favour and 59 against – the law could become effective as soon as May
It seems that some believe the reason it's being banned is the ongoing rivalry between Catalonians and Spaniards, since bullfighting is considered typically Spanish and the Catalonians pride themselves on being different from the Spaniards, including having a different language. Others seem to think it was just a dying sport, and destined to die out. Many bullfighting rings have been closed down over the years in the region. And anti-bullfighting activism dates back to the early 1990s.
As far back as 1909, Barcelona hosted Spain's first anti-bullfighting protest, and by 2004 more than 80 per cent of Catalans were opposed to the practice. "Banning the bulls in Catalonia would be like drawing up a death certificate for a long-dead corpse," said Juan Ilian, a leading Spanish bullfighting correspondent for nearly five decades. "And even if they don't, it'll remain on its deathbed."
Even though the vote in parliament was very close, 180,000 people signed a petition sponsored by an animal rights group, which was apparently more than 3 times the amount of signatures needed., though what will happen to bullfighting in Spain proper, is another story. Although over 70% of the Spanish population are against bullfighting, only half of those actually want it to be banned.
Although the interest is still high with the middle-aged crowd, the younger generation seems to have no interest, so it's more than likely that as the older generation start to die off, the sport might die with them. And that's one cultural tradition that won't be missed.
