While you are unlikely to find any public objection to attending a flamenco show or admiring Gaudi’s architecture, you may find yourself the subject of criticism if you attend a bullfight.
Without a doubt, the bullfighting industry in Spain is one of the most controversial. Sports fans and animal rights activists continue to dispute its legality as a sport against the welfare of the animals that participate in it.
Supporters of the sport argue that bullfighting is an art with deep cultural roots in Spanish history that must be preserved in support of Spanish traditions. Opponents of bullfighting argue that the sport is cruel and that torturing and subjecting an angry bull to physical torture is a violation of animal rights and should be banned as a barbaric tradition.
Barcelona is one of three Spanish cities that still witness bullfighting, along with Madrid and Seville, mainly between April and September. While the city has been home to three separate bullfighting arenas, only one is still in operation today: El Placa del Toros, Monumental, which was built in 1914.
In April 2004, a petition was submitted to the Barcelona City Council, with over 250,000 signatures protesting the sport as an act of brutality and brutality. The deputy mayor, Jordi Portabella, also supported the ban saying “The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, ​​must act like a capital and pioneer the abolition of bullfighting.”
To some extent, the petition was successful. The city declared itself an “Anti-Bullfighting City” and children under the age of 14 were forbidden to attend, but the fights themselves did not stop.
Cruelty to animals is not the only argument raised against bullfighting. In Barcelona, ​​Catalan locals also argue that the reason the sport is banned is because it is a “Spanish” tradition, not a Catalan one, and the Catalan capital should not support a traditional Spanish pastime.
About 100 bulls are killed in Barcelona each year. Bullfighting, or “corrida de toros” is a three-part process, with each part indicated by a horn. In the first round, two picadores entered the ring on horseback. The horses are blindfolded, and run the risk of being seriously injured if the bull catches them. The goal of the Picadores is to stab the bull in the neck, causing blood loss and weakening the enraged bull.
In the second phase, two Banderilleros enter the arena on foot, aiming to pierce the strong flanks of the bull with sharp spines known as banderillos.
Finally, the matador, the human star of the show, enters with the muletta (Kip), aiming to stay out of the way of the bulls’ horns through a series of quick maneuvers, turning the head in a kind of dance. Finally, the matador will attempt to kill the bull by stabbing it between its shoulder blades, where the heart is located. If he made a mistake, he had to retrieve the sword and try again.
A bull’s death is seldom quick and often takes several stabbing attempts before the killing blow is struck. Sometimes a bull is too weak from blood loss and injury to put up much of a fight, which makes his death somewhat quicker, though less exciting for the crowd.
Although spectator numbers for bullfighting have declined, there is still a market for curious tourists and eager Spaniards keeping the industry alive, but recent reports in the local press indicate that due to financial difficulties, Bala, the company with an existing lease on Monumental Plaza, will be forced to close operations by 2008.
If that happens, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to revive the sport in Barcelona, ​​as the construction of rings has been ruled out by the council since then. Meanwhile, Monumental’s future remains uncertain. Talks are underway and with significant support from Deputy Mayor Portobello to convert the historic building into an outdoor flea market. No agreement has been signed yet, but local support could see the place become a quieter place for tourists and locals to enjoy, no matter where they stand on the issue.
