Morrissey Urges Spain’s Prime Minister to End Bullfighting
Days before performances in Barcelona and Madrid, musician and longtime animal advocate Morrissey has joined forces with PETA to urge Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to ban bullfighting.
In a letter sent ahead of his concerts on 25 and 29 July, Morrissey calls on Sánchez to end the bloody spectacle, arguing that it “continues to tarnish” Spain’s international reputation and has no place in our society.
Spain Must End Bullfighting
The appeal comes at a significant moment for the anti-bullfighting movement in Spain. Fifty-two members of parliament have reintroduced the No Es Mi Cultura (“It’s Not My Culture”) citizens’ initiative to Congress, giving lawmakers another opportunity to remove bullfighting’s protected cultural heritage status. The proposal attracted more public support than any other citizens’ legislative initiative in Spain over the past decade but failed to pass in 2025 after Sánchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) abstained from the vote.
Morrissey, who recorded the song “The Bullfighter Dies” and has campaigned against bullfighting for years, argues that deliberately tormenting and killing an animal cannot be justified as culture or tradition. The singer has previously worked with PETA to urge Pope Francis to end the Catholic Church’s blessing of bullfighting events.
Stabbed, Tormented, and Killed
Despite declining public support, bullfights continue to take place across Spain. During these events, men on horseback drive lances into a bull’s back and neck before others stab him with barbed sticks known as banderillas.
After losing large amounts of blood, the exhausted animal is targeted by a matador wielding a sword. A knife is then used in an attempt to sever the spinal cord. Bulls may remain conscious while paralysed before parts of their bodies are removed as trophies and they are dragged from the arena.
Help End Bullfighting!
We are calling on Pope Leo to end the Catholic Church’s support for bullfights. Sign the petition by clicking the link below:
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