Barcelona is against bullfighting

Barcelona City Council took a historic vote when, on April 6 2004, it officially declared the Catalonian capital an anti-bullfight city by 21 votes to 15, with two abstentions.
Two weeks before that resolution was passed, the city's Deputy Mayor, Jordi Portabella, had declared his opposition to bullfighting in front of hundreds of protesters, saying: 'Barcelona must act like a capital and be a pioneer in the abolition of bullfighting.'

Although the resolution does not ban bullfighting in Barcelona, it is nevertheless a landmark precedent, because Barcelona had historically been one of bullfighting's capitals, with 100 bulls being tortured and slaughtered every year in the city's bullrings in the bad old days, watched mainly by curious tourists.
However, a city council spokesman told the BBC that there has not been a large bullfighting following in the region since the 1960s.

Before the vote, nearly 250,000 people had signed a petition to ban bullfighting in the Catalonia region, of which Barcelona is the capital.

The majority of people in Barcelona are opposed to bullfighting and agree with Barcelona City Council's decision to declare the city an anti-bullfighting city, according to surveys.

The majority of those surveyed in Barcelona (63%) do not want bullfights to continue in their city, with more than half (55%) agreeing that Barcelona should declare itself an anti-bullfighting city.

Bullfights are viewed as cruel and non-educational by more than three quarters (76%) of those surveyed in Barcelona. In addition, the majority of the people in the city have never been to a bullfight (59%) and, of those that have, only 12.6% have been to one in the last 3 years. Overall, just 7% of all those surveyed see bullfights as being positive for Barcelona's reputation.

Of those surveyed in Barcelona, 98% agreed that animals suffer when mistreated and an overwhelming 96% thought that the suffering of animals for entertainment should be banned. These attitudes are similar to those revealed in previous surveys of people in Catalonia, the region of Barcelona.

Since Barcelona declared itself an anti-bullfight city in April 2004, other Spanish towns have followed suit, including Torello, Calldetenes, and Olot, which has the second oldest bullring in Spain.
Some Spanish cities, among which Calonge, Tossa de Mar, Vilamacolum, and La Vajol, have outlawed all bullfighting and bull runs. In Mexico, bullfights have been banned in Jalopa.

La Monumental, once Barcelona's main bullring, now houses a bullfighting museum, and Las Arenas de Barcelona, another bullfighting venue, is being redeveloped as a leisure and shopping centre.

Catalonia has banned bullfights for kids

The Spanish region of Catalonia, which encompasses Barcelona, has banned children under 14 years old from attending bullfights in this region. This is the only region in Spain with a law in place to keep kids out of arenas.

The law approved by the Parliament of Catalonia has been welcomed by animal welfarists. Catalonia is the first region in Spain to ban children from bullfights.

The same animal rights law has a more general scope beyond bullfights, and also extends more protection to dogs and cats.
The law, which acknowledges that animals can suffer physically and psychologically and accepts that animals have rights, also bans the killing of abandoned pets and puts an end to the existence of primate farms, live pony carousels and pigeon shooting, as well as regulating the use of animals in shows, pictures and videos. Abandoning a pet could also result in a fine of 20,000 euros (Ł13,800), the proceeds of which fund the enforcement of the new law.

The change in law is encouraging news in light of a recent survey, which showed that the majority of people in Barcelona are opposed to bullfighting and want the city to be declared an anti-bullfight city. Of those surveyed in Barcelona, 98% agreed that animals suffer when mistreated and an overwhelming 96% thought that the suffering of animals for entertainment should be banned. These attitudes are similar to those revealed in previous surveys of people in Catalonia, the region of Barcelona.

In 1988, Catalonia was the first local government in Spain to approve an animal protection law. Now with this law, Catalonia has once again been a forerunner in advancing animal welfare legislation. There's hope that the other Spanish regions will follow suit.

Hotels & travels