The Bull Tribune

Bullfights are not cool

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:12:48 +0000

Madrid. – February 2012. – The campaign to promote bullfighting driven by Esperanza Aguirre, The President of the Community of Madrid, with the help of the Office for Bullfighting Affairs, include guided tours of the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas for groups of high school students. The Director General of Youth of the CAM, Guadalupe Bragado believes these viewings – or as she calls it these “paseíllos”, “may help to recruit new fans” from among the young. Nothing is further from reality. The blog ‘La Trinchera” published in the online newspaper el Mundo.es’, collected the impressions of a group of boys and girls from a school of Alcorcón, near Madrid, who had been taken on the visit. Their comments included the word “murder” many more times than they did the word “art”. Many described the visit as “boring” and, according to their teacher, the only part the students enjoyed was the escape from the routine of the classroom to visit Madrid.

For these young people, bullfighting is cruel and only “a tradition of ancient Spain and rich men.” Young people today do not aspire to be bullfighters and have other concerns and interests, such as modern music and football. In contrast, the Director of Studies of the Marcet Foundation, which is dedicated to the training of football players, told the media that, no doubt due to the economic crisis, in the last year they have seen the number of their students triple.

Successful demonstration in Paris

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:06:31 +0000

Paris, February 11th, 2012. – More than 4,000 people have participated in a demonstration against bullfights in France. The demonstration was organised jointly by animal welfare associations: Animals in Peril, CRAC Europe, Rights of the Animals and a collective of a further 188 associations grouped under “No to French shame, ” of which Ong ADDA is a partner. The demonstration passed from the National Assembly to the Trocadero, passing the headquarters of the Socialist candidate François Hollande. This event called for: the withdrawal of the registration of bullfight as part of the intangible cultural heritage of France, justice for anti-bullfighting campaigners who were attacked in the bullring of Rodilhan in October 2011, that candidates for the upcoming presidential elections in April include in their election manifestos the abolition of bullfighting in France.

This demonstration was also supported by Senator Marie-Christine Blandin, Europe Ecology Green party, who also is President of the Committee on Culture of the French Senate. Source: CRAC Europe

Regarding registration the Minister of Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, excused himself by saying that it is merely an entry in the “inventory of cultural heritage”. He adds that “the French government does not intend to support the process of the registration of bullfighting in the Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.” The message is clear, nonetheless the supporters of bullfighting in Spain are spreading just the opposite.

Culture Cuts

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:21:23 +0000

Madrid, February 15, 2012. – The program on radio channel Cadena Ser “Hoy por Hoy” (or Today for Today) led by Carles Francino has taken a few minutes to highlight new government cuts in the arena of culture – which represents 4% of GDP. Included within this are museums, cinemas, theaters, auditoriums, books, music, etc. Several film festivals have been suspended as well as, musical and theatre events and literary awards. In addition, many theatre and ballet companies and orchestras are still awaiting payments due from communities and municipalities.
This program of cuts was not mentioned in the statements of Minister of Culture, José Ignacio Wert, when he spoke about the government’s intention to encourage, promote and economically support bullfighting as a “cultural” event. The budget for Culture for 2012 is 13 million Euros. After this announcement of overall cuts we should be told just how much of this money will be allocated to the promotion of animal cruelty in the form of bullfights and bullfighting.

Parliamentary question from Deputy Nuet

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:16:45 +0000

Madrid, February 8th, 2012. – Joan Josep Nuet ICV-EUiA, deputy and member of the Plural Left parliamentary group, has put a question to the table of the House of Representatives. Deputy Nuet asks for a written response from the government, following the appearance of the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, José Ignacio Wert, before the Committee on Culture of the Congress of Deputies, on February 2. In this appearance the minister said that the promotion of bullfighting is to be included among the priorities of government. Government support, according to Wert is to include the adoption of measures to promote bullfighting as something of cultural value and implies a level of financial support.

Following this statement Deputy Nuet asks:

- Do you believe that the Ministry should continue to subsidise bullfighting while other areas of government are suffering cuts to basic services?

- Does the government need to divert even more public funds toward an activity that is based upon cruelty to animals? Does it not already receive a great deal of money from each citizen?

- What do you think small business owners think when you put money into a spectacle of death rather than promoting economic recovery?

USA Today and Spanish pro bullfighting offensive

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:58:07 +0000

February 2012. – USA Today, the second best selling daily in the United States, has interviewed Marta Esteban, president of the Platform “Torture is not Culture”. The interview discussed the appearance of the Minister of Culture before the Culture Committee of the Congress where he announced that the government will promote and encourage bullfighting as part of the cultural heritage of Spain. This support includes governmental financial subsidies. In the interview Marta Esteban pointed out that the government are supporting an activity based upon cruelty to animals at a time when Spain is experiencing a serious economic crisis, with an unemployment rate above 20%. It also emphasizes that bullfights are banned in Catalonia and the majority of Spanish citizens are opposed to the funding of bullfighting events with public money.
Marta Esteban also commented that what was very difficult in Spain was getting balanced reports in a media that is, on the whole, on the side of the pro bullfighting lobby. Following the publication of the interview in USA Today, the Spanish digital newspaper “The Economist” has reported the article.

Huge March on behalf animals in Nîmes

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:44:34 +0000

Nimes, December 2011.- On the occasion of the upcoming legislative elections and the presidency of the French government, several animal protection organizations have called for, a large demonstration against animal abuse in Nîmes (France) . The demonstration is to be held on Saturday, March 24, 2012. The aim is to mobilize the public and present a manifesto to the presidential election candidates under a single motto “In April 2012, we will give our vote to the candidates that take into account the protection of animals.”
Source: Alliance Anticorrida

United Demonstration in Paris

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:43:31 +0000

Nimes, December 2011.-The collective association “no to the French shame” has called for, a large demonstration in Paris at the headquarters of the National Assembly. The demonstration is to followed by a march in central Paris to protest against the registration of bullfighting in France as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The demonstration is to be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012, at 15:00. The goal is to bring pressure to bear on the candidates to the presidential elections to be held in April 2012, and in particular the Minister of the “In” Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, who is responsible for the registration. Source: CRAC Europe

Bullfighter’s puzzling statements

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:42:35 +0000

France, December 2011 .- The French killer of bulls Sebastien Castella, declared to the Ecuadorian newspaper “Hoy”, that he hates hunting and fishing and “does not like seeing animals suffer.” In addition he states that while he likes the” art “of bullfighting, and the bull’s death in his opinion is ” necessary “, he hates to kill the bull. His idea is of art is a strange one to most people, one that involves the torture of a bull with horrible instruments such as the goad, the barbed darts called banderillas and the sword Each of these weapons are capable of causing deep wounds, enormous blood loss, pain and suffering until in the end death is a blessed release for the unfortunate animal.

Differences between entrepreneurs and bullfighters

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:39:13 +0000

November 2011. – The relentless decline of bullfighting in France has led to the creation of the “G7″, a group that brings together the seven main organizers of bullfights in France, to “perpetuate the art of bullfighting in the context of the crisis.” They have proposed to that the fees of the most sought after bull killers should be lowered by 20%. The payments made, of between 100,000 and 140,000 Euros, are considered by these businessmen as not “reasonable”, because bullfighting is no longer profitable and the arenas are increasingly empty. However the bullfighters have accused the G7 of being demagogic and have formed in response their own “G10″. The confrontation in France between those who employ the bullfighters and those who they employ to torture and kill bulls has only just begun.
Source: Midi Libre

Bulls of fire (embolados) in Camarles

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:24:32 +0000

Camarles (Tarragona, Spain), December 2011. Under the provisions of law 34/2010 of correbous (festivals where, among other practices, bulls have flaming torches attached to their horns), adopted in September 2010, the Catalan government has authorized the the staging of another two bulls of fire, – the most cruel form of correbous- and two encierrros (running of the bulls) events, on the 6th and December 7, 2011.

The authorization to hold the correbous in Camarles outside the agreed timetable in the annex to the law, is in addition to other authorizations already granted under this law. The village of Camarles is already notorious as the site of a breeding centre of Macaques for experimentation. With the staging of the correbous Camarles once again demonstrates its lack of sensitivity to the proper treatment of animals instead fostering practices that are cruel to animals. In this behaviour it proves itself a place unworthy of belonging to Catalonia , which claims to be progressive in the field of animal protection. As in other towns, the voice of inhabitants who disagree with this cruel spectacle will be silent in fear that they will suffer discrimination if they voice their opinions.