Latin America: Congresses in Ecuador and Mexico

20-03-2019

In March CAS International and Animal Guardians organized congresses in Ecuador and Mexico in order to end bullfighting. In both countries we visited parliaments to speak with politicians and parliamentary groups. Both in Mexico and Ecuador we were assisted by local groups. In Mexico by Movimiento Consciencia and in Ecuador by our sister-organization FATA.

Mexico and Ecuador

At the congress in Mexico, which took place first, in March 2019, almost all Mexican states were represented. All together we had 40 participants. Important has been the presence of prominent politicians. Aïda Cantú, MP from Coahuila, and initiator of the abolition of bullfighting in that state, joined for a greater part. Very special has been the participation of Cristian H. Teczon Viccon, the courageous mayor who managed to get his municipality, Teocelo in Veracruz, to be the first bullfighting free town in Mexico. Cristian is no longer mayor but still very active for a better and especially for a more just world.

At the congress in Ecuador, on the 9th and 10th of March, 2019, a number of politicians spoke who are not only committed to maintain the current restrictions of bullfighting but also want to end these cruelties all together. In this country the bullfighting lobby is very active, behind the scenes, to get rid of any limitations and to get bullfighting back and accessible for everybody, even for children. Thanks to this congress we have been able to mobilize groups and people. Together we will take up the battle against the bullfighting lobby. We had lots of registered participants, almost 150, but at the congress itself there have been some 80 participants.

Cristian H. Teczon Viccon and Marius Kolff © CAS International

Abolition of bullfighting good for the bulls and for society

Marius Kolff (director CAS) spoke on both congresses on the importance of cooperation and the international movement and how this can help in the local struggle. CAS International has been organizing international congresses with the aim of ending bullfighting for over twelve years. We do this for the International Network against Bullfighting. CAS tried to get groups to work together. As may be expected this does not always work. Groups sometimes prefer to go their own way. Our idea is that all road lead to Rome and that the result, all together, will be the desired one.

The result of an end to bullfighting is not only good for the horses and the bulls. On both congresses we managed to prove with figures how much aggression goes down when bullfighting ends. The number of murders in Coahuila went down by a factor 10! Violence in the streets in the neighbourhoods of Quito, Ecuador, closest to the bullfighting ring that was closed, went down just as much. We already knew that bullfighting leads to aggressive behaviour. Comparations can be made in connection to women’s rights (emancipation), children’s rights (confrontation with physical abuse), physical abuse within families and in residential areas, as well as cruelties to pets and other animals. CAS hopes that by sharing this information with the general public and with politicians to come to a general rejection of bullfighting in society, for now and in the future. Congresses as we have organized now in Ecuador and Mexico are important tools to achieve this.