Anti-bullfighting Ad Sparks Controversy in Seville

PETA and the Animalist Party (PACMA) took a new anti-bullfighting campaign to the streets of a packed Seville, which hosted the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, 26 April. The action involved an LED truck with a video showing a dog being stabbed by a matador alongside a bull suffering the same fate, with the message, “If this is a crime, then this should be too.”

Torturing dogs to death is rightly condemned and illegal, so this campaign questions why it is still legal to stab bulls to death for entertainment. The law should protect all animals from cruelty – bulls feel pain and fear just like dogs do, and they deserve the same legal protection.

PACMA

Bulls Tortured and Killed

Every year, tens of thousands of bulls are killed in bullfighting events in Spain alone. In the bullring, assailants on horses drive lances into a bull’s back and neck before others plunge banderillas into his back, inflicting acute pain whenever he turns his head and impairing his range of motion. Eventually, when the bull becomes weak from blood loss, a matador appears and attempts to kill the animal by plunging a sword into his lungs. A knife is used to cut his spinal cord.

Spanish Citizens Oppose Bullfighting

Research shows that nearly 8 out of 10 Spaniards oppose the use of animals in bullfights. More than 125 Spanish towns and cities have declared themselves against bullfighting. Spain’s largest newspaper, El País, and TV channel Canal Toros have ended their coverage due to the change in public sentiment and a general lack of interest.

Cruelty not Culture

The “No Es Mi Cultura” (It Is Not My Culture) citizens’ initiative, which seeks to repeal a 2013 law designating bullfighting as “cultural heritage” has far exceeded the minimum threshold of 500,000 signatures, which means that the Spanish Congress must officially consider repealing the law.

Tras Los Muros

Take Action Against Cruelty to Bulls

In nature, bulls are calm, social individuals who are protective of their fellow herd members. But in bullfights, they are mercilessly tormented and killed. Tens of thousands are slaughtered this way annually in bullfighting festivals around the world.

More than 100,000 PETA supporters have called for an end to this cruelty. Join them in urging Spain’s prime minister to ban bullfighting!

Sign the Petition