Platform ´Prou´

Barcelona.- The Platform ´Prou´, created for those who fight for the suppression of bullfighting in Catalunya, has begun a campaign that could bring about the definitive end of bullfights in Catalunya. Prou has collected 50.000 signatures over a period of 120 days, aimed at persuading the Parliament of Catalunya to allow a Popular Legislative Initiative that will modify the existing Animal Protection Law to prohibit these types of shows. This popular legislative initiative voices the purposes of Prou in respect of a spectacle that it considers a relic from the past. The Parliament has already accredited 880 persons who will gather and stand witness to the authenticity of these signatures. After the period of collection, counting and validation the proposal will have to continue through several parliamentary steps before coming to the final stage of voting for approval or rejection. Catalan Law prohibits the death of animals in public spectacles, but it makes an exception in case of the bulls. Prou proposes a removal of this incomprehensible exception. The issue is that of modifying Article 6 of the recast text of the Catalan Animal Protection Law, prohibiting bullfights and spectacles that include the death of an animal by spears and the sword, as well as bullfighting spectacles of any form that are celebrated in the bullrings or out of them. As an exception, the proposal accepts those spectacles involving oxen where the animal is not killed or harmed, such as ´bull running,´ that are traditional and very popular in parts of Spain. The debate in the plenary meeting of the Catalan Parliament would begin with the presentation of the initiative by a member of a member of the Prou commission. If, after full debate, the proposition succeeds, it would continue through a committee of the Catalan Parliament before returning to the plenary meeting for the final debate and voting.