by RITA SILVA, President of the ANIMAL Association
As late as 2010 it is high time to realise that that particular activity -*** BULL-FIGHTING *** is a tradition that should not be taken for granted as something good, defensible and everlasting. Simply put, fine traditions must be preserved, whereas the bad ones should be questioned and put to rest in history. Bull-fighting advocates claim that Spain is "the country of aficionados", yet the truth is that over the past few years in such Spain of "fans" several polls made revealed that increasingly less people are interested in that type of event *** BULL.-FIGHTS. Official figures tell that the Spain of "fans" has fewer public plazas de toros and ever more local and national associations and even international campaigns to make people aware of the horror of bull-fighting, so that less and less places include animals in their fiestas. These big little victories, combined with the pioneering ban on bull-fighting in the Canaries (1991), have shown the world of bull-fighting aficionados that Spain no longer is "the country of aficionados".
Showing that the days of the bull-fighting industry are numbered in Spain is the recent (July 30) prohibition of bull-fighting in Catalonia. Following the submission of a Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) which called for such a ban and many months of hard work by the abolitionist organizations working in Spain, the "yes" won. The "yes" to reason, civility, culture, on respect earned. And, he won the advocacy movement for animal rights, and most of all, gained the animals that will not be used for this macabre industry that breeds them only to humiliate, injure and kill them eventually, thus satisfying the lust for blood of an ever smaller group of people. Such decision is the beginning of the end of bull-fighting in Spain, we believe. It is indeed the first piece of a domino, the one that will make the others fall one by one. The other parts are the remaining eight countries (two of them in Europe) where bull-fight still exists. We can be sure that bull-fighting is beginning to end!
Groups from other Spanish regions are already moving forward with their own ILP, campaigns for the abolition of bull-fighting are and will be ever stronger and more supported by countries that, having a sense of civility that we lack, have their eyes set upon us and push every possible means for this grim side of our culture to end. In Portugal, for quite some time, the bull-fighting industry complains about the lack of public plazas and wants to take collapsible arenas in localities with no bull-fighting tradition. These are signs of decay of a business that is no longer what it used to be, increasingly unpopular as it is and yet not willing to understand that its time is over.
History has shown us that social movements in defense of minorities, ridiculed and attacked at first, are slowly winning the battle of justice against injustice, of reason against brutality. We can be sure the same will happen with the movement in defence of the rights of non-human animals. Respect for those who share the planet with us and the ability to accept such sharing without the prevailing specious prejudice are objectives that are vigorously up-held and pursued. For the organization I represent, I will again state our commitment to continue to develop the same struggle as ever in defence of animals, to keep working to put an end to bull-fighting. From the beginning of the next parliamentary session, ANIMAL plans to begin an unprecedented campaign for the abolition of bull-fighting in Portugal.
*Presidente da associação ANIMAL
dn.sapo.pt/inicio/opiniao/Convidados
