THOUSANDS of demonstrators have called for 'political bravery' on the part of governments to pass a law banning bull-fighting once and for all across Spain.
The pro-animal party PACMA took over the streets of Madrid last night (Saturday) clamouring for politicians to 'have the courage' to scrap the 'sport' and allow Spain to 'evolve and modernise as it deserves to'.
Chairwoman of PACMA Silvia Barquero spoke of the 'total inconsistency' of the fact that the Spanish Penal Code provides for up to two years in jail for ill-treating animals, whilst laws permitting bull-fighting allow for these animals to be ill-treated 'to the point of an atrocious death'.
“We can't understand how the law only protects certain species of animals and does not respond to the social outcry which recognises that bull-fighting is an example of animal cruelty,” Sra Barquero argues.
As well as bulls – and also cows, during local fiesta bull-runs – fights in the arena can lead to extreme pain and serious or even fatal injuries to horses used by picadores.
Under the slogan 'Mission abolition', PACMA and those who joined them in the march started out from Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square in a peaceful process which ended in front of the Parliament building, taking in the Paseo del Prado and C/ Alcalá, then returned to the Puerta del Sol where a manifesto was read to 'demand a political response to the public's requests'.
They wore green scarves and carried banners reading 'torture is not culture', 'if bull-fighting is an art, then cannibalism is cuisine', and 'where there's blood, pain and torture, there will never be art, morals and culture'.
Back in May, PACMA presented a 'Zero Cruelty Law' to guarantee animal protection in Parliament, urging the powers that be to put together a law applying to and codifying legislation for all 17 autonomously-governed regions.
Over 150,000 people had signed a petition in support of the legislative proposal, but 'there has not been the political courage' by any Parliamentary group to 'put a legal end' to bull-fighting, Sra Barquero laments.
She recalls that PACMA spent 11 years battling to end the cruel bull-torturing 'festival' in Tordesillas, Valladolid province, known as El Toro de la Vega, but that 'we cannot go from region to region'; rather, 'we need a State-wide law'.
“Tordesillas represents the dark ages of our country, a past we want to shake off,” Barquero said.
“We dream of a country where animals are treated properly, and we know that we have to carry on fighting – but using another strategy.”
At least 60 animal welfare organisations have joined in PACMA's initiative, as well as various national celebrities including the actors Dani Rovira, Sara Sálamo, Clara Lago and Alexandra Jiménez, and the prolific author Rosa Montero.
Sara Sálamo says: “There are gradually more and more of us out there who cannot understand how any type of torture can be allowed to happen – and torture is not culture, as statistics for tourism involving other types of culture as opposed to bull-fighting clearly show.”
Silvia Barquero says it is 'great to see well-known faces' joining the anti-bullfight movement, because this shows that its wishes have 'gone beyond just animal rights' activism' and 'entered every walk of culture and society'.
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