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Home / Protests in Seville and Madrid against bullfighting

Protests in Seville and Madrid against bullfighting

16-05-2023

In April and May, CAS and AnimaNaturalis protested against bullfights in the Spanish cities of Seville and Madrid. A total of 300 bulls are killed: 90 in Sevilla, and 210 in Madrid.

Protest Madrid

© CAS & AnimaNaturalis

At both protests, activists lay on the ground, on a capote. The capote is an important part of the bullfight: it is a pink cloth that the bullfighter uses to lure the bull towards him. The animal then runs after the capote. The purpose of this is to tire and weaken the bull, which reduces the chances of the animal being able to injure the bullfighter. The activists lay half-naked on the capote in order to “get into the bull’s skin”. Behind them were activists with banners.

In the end, the bullfighters killed 90 bulls within 15 days during the so-called Feria de Abril (April festivities) in Seville. Bullfighting is an annual part of this spring festival. In Madrid, a total of 210 bulls will be killed between 10 May and 18 June, as part of the San Isidro festivities.

Majority Spaniards against bullfighting

According to official data from Spain’s Culture Ministry, there has been a sharp decline in the number of bullfights since 2015. Only 8 per cent of Spaniards went to a bullfight between 2018 and 2019. In addition, we know that 90.5 per cent of Spaniards did not attend a bullfight in 2018.

Even though more than 90 per cent of Spaniards do not go to bullfights, more than 9,000 bulls will be killed this year. More than 50,000 bulls will be hired and exploited during bull festivals.

80 per cent of Spain’s spectacles with bulls take place in the regions of Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, Ávila and Cuenca. In three federal states, bullfighting is banned or has disappeared: Catalonia, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

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