Protest against the return of bullfighting to Majorca, Spain

27-07-2021

CAS International and AnimaNaturalis protested against the return of bullfighting to the Balearic Islands on Saturday 24 July. The protest took place in the Mediterranean city of Palma de Mallorca, capital of the autonomous region of the Balearic Islands. After the relaxation of the measures against the spread of COVID-19, bullfighting is allowed again.

On Friday 30 July, a bullfight will take place in the city of Inca. At the moment, a lot of money is invested in saving the bullfighting sector. The sector suffered huge financial losses in recent years due to a lack of interest in bullfighting from the public. The pandemic has further worsened the financial situation of the bullfighting sector. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis have collected 190,000 signatures against the financial compensation of the bullfighting sector.

Years of struggle on the Balearic Islands

CAS International has been fighting for years, together with local organizations, for the end of bullfighting on the Balearic Islands. After years of political lobbying, the autonomous region banned several elements of the bullfight in 2017, such as killing and wounding the bull and the use of horses. Unfortunately, in December 2018, the Spanish Constitutional Court declared several articles within this law unconstitutional. This meant that bullfighting was once again permitted, despite the desire of local authorities and people to ban it. CAS remains committed to achieve the end of bullfighting once and for all in the Balearic Islands.

Strong decrease

According to figures from Spain’s Ministry of Culture, the number of bullfights decreased by 58.4 percent in the country between 2007 and 2017. In addition, only 9.5 percent of the population went to at least one bullfight between 2014 and 2015 (of these, 2 out of every 10 visitors had a free ticket). This also means that 90.5 percent of Spaniards did not go to a bullfight. Animal welfare is a reason not to go to a bullfight. For 40 percent, there is a lack of interest in bullfighting. 20 percent does not visit bullfights because of a lack of knowledge about the content, which makes it impossible to follow it. About 80 percent of the bullfights in Spain take place in the regions of Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, Ávila and Cuenca.

We continue to put pressure on the authorities. In the coming months, we will protest in even more Spanish cities – when the Spanish corona measures allow it. Keep an eye on our website for more news. We will also publish new results of our in-depth research.

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