On the 23rd of September the bullfighting season finished in Barcelona with the sad and shameful result of 108 executed bulls in a city whose Town Hall has declared itself as “anti-bullfighting”., reflecting the feeling of the majority of citizens it represents. For this reason, several animal protection organisations have joined efforts to undertake the Day Against Bullfights through the streets of Barcelona, which took place on the 23rd of September, day before the Patron Saint Day of Barcelona, La Mercè, to demand a total ban of this activity in our city. Barcelona has always been a pioneer city in many aspects related to culture, and it has led many social and cultural movements. One of the changes that have taken place in the Catalan and Barcelona’s society in the last decade of the past century and beginning of this one is the adoption of a new path in the improvement of human and non-human animals’ rights. However, Barcelona continues to practice all sorts of abuses to sentient beings. One of these abuses, and the most merciless of all are bullfights, which have taken place in Barcelona for the last 80 years.

Last performances april 2008 - Demonstration in front of the Catalonia's Parliament

Long ago, Barcelona had three bullfighting rings, of which only one is left, La Monumental, where 6 bulls are killed every Sunday afternoon, from April to September (a total of 108 bulls are humiliated and tortured to death). But the lack of assistance to these anachronistic rituals has made tourists the only source of income of the company that manages the bullfighting ring. Every Sunday, thousands of tourists arrive to the bullfighting ring mislead, thinking it is a Catalan tradition. Many touristy packs take their customers to the bullfights.

The company that owns the bullring Grup Balaña Multicines (owned by the Balaña family) has handed over the management of the ring to Matilla company, abandoning a business that was not profitable to them.

2007 – Huge demonstration against bullfighting in Barcelona

5.000 people met last july 17th in Barcelona to show their opposition to the torture of bulls in corrida. The demonstration was the biggest ever in Spain. It was organized by FAADA, Libera! and Fundació Altarriba and with the support of other organizations like the SOS platform (Stop Our Shame) and ‘Plataforma Animalista de Manlleu’ and also, all of those who came from other places outside Spain.

The demonstration was a huge success and took place peacefully through several streets of the city till the final destination at Plaza de toros Monumental (the last bullring still standing in Barcelona). With the quote “Ni a Catalunya ni Enlloc” (“neither in Catalonia and nowhere”) the demonstrators were showing that the majority of citizens in the world feel ashamed with those other human beings that entertain (and enjoy) theirselves watching the torture of a non-human animal till death.

2004 - Barcelona declares itself as ‘against bullfighting’.

The declaration of the town council of Barcelona as a city against bullfighting became the point of no-return for the bullfighting abolition. Since then, 46 locations have declared itself as ‘against bullfighting and animal friend’ in Catalonia. Each month, at least one location declares itself as against bulltorture.

Each Sunday, in front of the bullring

What started as a little group of people in front of the bullring has become a tipical meeting to show the opposition to this bloody tradition in Barcelona.

The “Mossos d'Esquadra” (the police of Catalonia) don’t allow more than 20 people demonstrating in front of the bullring without permission, that's why the number of demonstrators are always a few (breaking the law is punisheable).

The sunday demonstrations won't stop till the closing of the bullring. The citizens will get together each sunday also to inform tourists about the torture of corrida in the Monumental bullring.

2006 - Closing and demolition of bullrings in Catalonia

The same year, the bullring of Olot was closed forever. The bullring of Girona was demolished. And the same thing occured to the bullring of Lloret. It left Barcelona as the last ring of torture in Catalonia.

2006 - Tarragona's resistance

The bullring of Tarragona is still being repaired. That's why no corrida took place in the last two years. The improvement of the building consists in covering the bullring completely and it's being subsided by the "Diputación de Tarragona" (government of Tarragona), with money of all contributors.
The cost is more than 17 milion euros.

El Parliament of Catalonia says "no more blood"

The Parliament council of Catalonia voted to eliminate a part of the animal protection law of 22/2003 that already allows bullfighting in Catalonia. The deputies (members of the Catalan Cortes) voted against the exceptional issue in the protection of animals: corrida.
The law was then waiting for being modified, but the president of Catalonia's government, Pascual Maragall, disolved the Parliament, and called for elections in advance. So, the process of the law was interrupted in the last step. And then, the bullfighting abolition sleeps again in the deputies agenda.
It's because of this, that bullfighting is still legal in Catalonia.



TOURISTS, only tourists

Considering all the public that assists to bullfighting in Barcelona, more than 75% are tourists. And all of them fill only a 35% of the ring's locations.
Furthermore, most of them go to corrida because the show is included in the travel pack by the travel operators.
Almost each sunday, 40 buses use to arrive at Monumental's building, carrying at least 3000 tourists. And the moajority of them went from countries of east Europe, Japan and Russia.
Travel agencies in locations like Pineda de Mar ("Perla Tours", "Serhs tourism"), Lloret de Mar ("Extensión Excursions", "Derramar Tours", "Alegret Serveis", "Tez Tours") and others like "Natalia Tours" and "Join Tours", include the visit of bullring in it's travel packs to Barcelona.

¿Es esta la imagen que queremos dar de Barcelona? La ciudad tienen innumerables monumentos, exposiciones y actividades para ofrecer a nuestros visitantes, que no implican ningún maltrato a un ser vivo.

44 Municipios declarados contrarios a la barbarie taurina

El último ayuntamiento de declararse contrario a la tortura taurina fue el de Fatarella (Tarragona) el 26 de Julio y por unanimidad. Con este, un total de 44 municipios han rechazado públicamente las corridas de toros. El numero de municipios contra-taurinos crece cada mes, abriendo así una puerta a la esperada declaración de Cataluña contraria a las corridas de toros.



ENCUESTAS

BARCELONA: Según una encuesta llevada a cabo por el Ayuntamiento de Barcelona a finales del 2006, la grandísima mayoría de los barceloneses, el 91,8% sienten simpatía hacia la defensa de los animales y el movimiento contra la tortura de toros. Sienten mucha simpatía el 10,7%, sienten bastante simpatía el 65,3% y poca simpatía el 15,8%. Sólo no tienen ninguna simpatía el 2,5% de los barceloneses.

CATALUNYA: Según una encuesta de GALLUP de enero del 2006, el 81% de los catalanes están en contra de las corridas de toros.

Los resultados de encuestas como estas, tanto a nivel de Cataluña como estatal , muestran la tendencia al descenso del interés de la sociedad por las carreras de toros.

BarcelonaMata es un entorno animalista, creado por asociaciones que luchan de forma activa contra la tauromaquia. Es un espacio de denuncia, conjunto y solidario, en el que tienen cabida todas aquellas personas y entidades que defienden el derecho más básico de los animales: su propia vida. BarcelonaMata entiende que la dignidad de las personas no puede estar sometida ni perforada por la crueldad hacia otros seres, y centra su trabajo en la abolición de los espectáculos taurinos, como ejemplo máximo de la tortura gratuita y de la decadencia ética de la sociedad española.