Is there any movement to repress La Corrida in Spain?
Barcelona declared itself an anti-bullfighting zone in 2004 and 38 other Catalan towns have followed suit. Animal rights campaigners staged their first demonstration in Malaga, a traditional centre for the “sport” this month. The government has banned live bullfights from state television before the 8pm watershed, to protect children. The Prime Minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, is known to oppose bullfighting. Bullfighting fans, backed by writers such as Mario Vargas Llosa, are lobbying Unesco to declare La Corrida part of Spain’s national heritage. What about beyond Spain? Killing bulls in public is technically illegal in Portugal but has survived in some areas and is tending to gain ground. In Latin America, bullfighting remains popular in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. The latest trend is for child toreros, or bullfighters, some starting at the age of nine. What are the arguments for and against bullfighting? Aficionados say that bullfighting is a cele
