EGP News

EUROPEAN GREENS WELCOME CATALAN PARLIAMENT’S BULLFIGHTING BAN

Wednesday July 28 2010 03:02:00 PM

The European Green Party applauds today’s vote in the Catalan Parliament banning bullfighting in Catalonia as of 1st January 2012.

Monica Frassoni, the Co-Spokesperson of the European Green Party, says:

“This ban is extremely good news for everyone who is opposed to the mistreatment of animals. Bullfighting is a barbaric and unacceptably cruel practice which cannot be justified by any reference to tradition, culture or art. This ban is about putting an end to animal cruelty: we completely reject the claims of pro-bullfighting organisations that the primary motivation of those proposing the ban is anti-Spanish or Catalan nationalist sentiment.”

“I personally took part in a debate on this subject in the Catalan Parliament in March of this year and we European Greens congratulate or member party in Catalonia, ICV, for the important role they have played in campaigning for this ban. We very much hope that this ban, the first in Mainland Spain ( bullfighting has already been banned in the Canary Islands) will be followed by similar bans in other parts of the country. We look forward to the day when bullfighting has been outlawed throughout Spain.”

The Press Release (in Catalan)) from ICV can be found here: www.iniciativa.cat/icv/news/27966