Thousands in Madrid demand end to bullfighting in Spain
Source: Associated Press
Thousands in Madrid demand end to bullfighting in Spain
Updated 2:18 pm, Saturday, May 13, 2017
MADRID (AP) Thousands of animal rights activists protested Saturday in Madrid to demand an end to Spain's long tradition of bullfighting.
The march went through the Spanish capital's city center, with several groups united under one clear-cut message: "Bullfighting is violence and you can stop it."
Animal rights activists say the gory fights are among the planet's most blatant forms of animal cruelty, with bulls lanced and finally stabbed through the heart. Matadors are praised for killing with a single stab, though some don't succeed in finishing off the animal with repeated thrusts.
The march, scheduled during the famed San Isidro weeklong fair featuring numerous bullfights in Madrid's famous Las Ventas bullring, is part of a growing divide between those who see bullfighting as a blatant form of animal cruelty and others who defend it as part of Spain's traditional culture.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/living/article/Thousands-in-Madrid-demand-end-to-bullfighting-in-11143948.php
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)spiderpig
(10,419 posts)One reason I've avoided Spain.
BTW, one of my friends with relatives in Portugal says they don't kill the bulls there. True?
tenorly
(2,037 posts)It's a little like our Rodeo in that men on horseback maneuver around the bulls. They aim javelin-like banderillas at the poor animals though, and there's usually a lot of blood.
The bulls, at least, get out with their lives.
spiderpig
(10,419 posts)Let alone entertainment.
Thanks for the info tenorly.
Would that the part of our brains that makes us sadistic could be magically disactivated.
There'd be a lot fewer right-wingers, that's for sure.
spiderpig
(10,419 posts)But I remember her saying "I believe animals are here to teach us".
She's right. Still beautiful at 95.
tenorly
(2,037 posts)I can't claim to have met her; but I once stayed at her very pet-friendly hotel, the Cypress Inn, in Carmel - where "people are also welcome." Very quaint, well-run, and quite reasonable, considering it's in downtown Carmel.
Unfortunately, her son, Terry Melcher, had just passed away at the time, and she was, understandably, away.
The world is blessed to have had her - and you as well, if I may be so bold.
spiderpig
(10,419 posts)It's people like you who are the candle in the wind.
We have to rejoice for what we have in the world, choose our battles, and be there to support one another.
Peace.
tenorly
(2,037 posts)Here's to better days:
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)It's basically Nerf bullfighting.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/california-has-the-most-peaceful-bull-fights-on-earth-511
edit: more local story with many photos http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/California-s-bloodless-bullfights-keep-2511124.php#photo-2686148
tenorly
(2,037 posts)Would that be around Modesto? One of my good friends is half-Portuguese on his mother's side, and is originally from there. I've always admired that tidiness and quiet determination of theirs - a virtue I myself lack, sloppy complainik that I am.
Of course, Devin Nunes is also of Portuguese descent. But oh, well; every culture has its bad elements.
Thank you for those links. Great photos!
tenorly
(2,037 posts)It seems that now that they're killing fewer people there these days, they're turning their violent impulses back to the hapless bulls.
Oh, well.
retrowire
(10,345 posts)Bullfighting is as barbaric as gladiator games. It needs to stop.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)Jack-o-Lantern
(970 posts)7962
(11,841 posts)Erick the Read
(55 posts)It's torture, murder and appeals to our worst instincts. Time to send this "tradition" to the ash heap of history.
ailsagirl
(22,899 posts)Horrifying and violent
dhill926
(16,364 posts)blitzen
(4,572 posts)DFW
(54,445 posts)I used to live and go to school there once upon a time. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities, and I still go down there once a month or so.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Factory farms are unmatched in their cruelty.
tblue37
(65,490 posts)DFW
(54,445 posts)I always used to look away, as I hated the sight of it. The family I was living with took it in stride, as they had seen it their whole lives, but they never went to one themselves, and neither did I.
Doremus
(7,261 posts)Same with the faux bullfights which are still terrorizing innocent creatures.
Let those who still want to see bloody slaughter go into the ring themselves.