In the south of France bullfights have a long tradition and many supporters – in the parliament in Paris an attempt is now being made to ban the bloody custom.
Next Thursday, the motion to remove an exemption for bullfights from the Animal Welfare Act will be discussed. Although according to a survey on Thursday 74 percent of the people in France want such a ban, in a survey in the summer in the bullfighting cities 71 percent of the residents spoke out in favor of preserving the tradition.
After a deliberation in Parliament’s committee this week, it does not appear that the third attempt at a bullfighting ban after 2013 and 2021 will succeed. In any case, a heated debate is expected in parliament between opponents and supporters of the so-called corrida, which is also a sporting and economic factor in the affected region. Both camps are planning numerous demonstrations over the weekend – the opponents want to form up in Paris, while the supporters are mobilizing in around a dozen cities with bullfights.
In the French Basque Country and in Spain, the bullfighting tradition has been disputed for years. For many it is a national symbol and art. Opponents of the custom consider the controversial spectacle to be brutal animal cruelty, which the bulls often did not survive.
