Gervais backs end bullfighting campaign
Sep 23, 2009
© Jill Furmanovsky
UK animal lovers are being urged to lobby Spanish politicians to ban bullfighting in Catalonia. International stars like British comedian Ricky Gervais, are backing the Prou (‘Enough’) campaign which saw hundreds of thousands of people call on the Catalan Parliament to end the cruel blood sport.
Now the legality of bullfighting will be debated and voted on during their autumn session of Parliament.
WSPA supporter Ricky Gervais has very publicly condemned bullfighting and says: "What is the pleasure in seeing an animal speared to death? Bullfighting needs to stop - it's so cruel. It's brilliant that animal lovers in Catalonia are speaking out against it, I completely back their campaign."
How you can help ban bullfighting in Catalonia
WSPA is calling on Brits to back the Catalonian citizens who have forced the vote in the parliament, which is due to take place in the next few weeks.
UK supporters are invited to sign a letter of support, asking members of the Catalonian Parliament to be bold and accept the Prou campaign’s – and their people’s – demands.
“While this historic decision ultimately rests in the hands of Catalonia's members of parliament, encouragement from around the world can give them a much-needed vote of confidence,” says Alyx Dow, manager of WSPA’s anti-bullfighting campaign.
“They must feel part of the global community that believes it is time for an end to bullfighting. Enough is enough. Let’s show the Catalonian Parliament that their citizens’ anti-cruelty campaign has worldwide backing.”
How will the Prou campaign end bullfighting?
© WSPA
This year, over 180,000 Catalonian citizens have united behind the Prou (‘Enough’) campaign, demanding an end to the bloody cruelty of bullfighting in their region.
The Prou campaign calls for a change in Catalonian animal protection law, which currently safeguards all animals except the bulls and horses used in bullfights.
The vast number of signatures means the Catalonian Parliament must vote soon on whether to do as the people ask.
This would mean removing an exemption that leaves the animals used in bullfights unprotected by otherwise good animal protection legislation.
Modifying the existing law to include horses and bulls used in bullfights would effectively mean a region-wide ban.
No more animals would go through the ordeal of the ring, where a bull can take 20 minutes to die from its wounds.
Already 69 Catalonian towns have declared themselves anti-bullfighting.
Multiple independent polls have shown that a majority of the Catalonian people feel no connection to the outdated practice of bullfighting, which sees a bull harassed and attacked by men, on foot and horseback, wielding spears and knives.