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Some Spaniards fear tourism drop in Catalonia's bullfighting ban
An anti-bullfight protestor holds up a sign that reads "Bullfight abolition" in Madrid.
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TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: The Spanish province of Catalonia has voted
to ban bull fighting, saying its barbaric and dangerous. It's become the first region of mainland Spain to do so. But bullfight supporters say the sport is a vital tourist attraction and moneymaker. From Barcelona, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports.
Sarah Rainsford: Barcelona's main bullring is one of the oldest in Spain. But support for the bullfight, or Corrida, has waned. Now the regional parliament has decided to ban the practice. Supporters say the Corrida is an art form and that its ban could threaten the livelihood of thousands of people. But activists argue the practice is cruel and unacceptable and say most spectators in Catalonia these days are tourists.
This animal rights activist says bullfighting is outdated and will eventually disappear altogether:
Animal Rights Activist: Ii think we will see it. We will see it within our lifetime. One community after another will accept that bullfights are barbaric and have no place in a moral and ethical society.
Whilst the official debate is over animal rights, many see this as a political move by Catalan nationalists to reject one of Spain's best-known traditions
And pro-bullfighting groups fear that a ban here could spark a wave of similar campaigns across the country.
In Barcelona, I'm the BBC's Sarah Rainsford for Marketplace.
Of course Bullfighting is an art form but then again anything is...skinning your murder victims is an art form but it's certainly not right. Anything can become an art form if given enough time by society to develop a level of acceptance towards it. So, yes it's an art form. But is it right? No. Try to keep tradition out of the argument for a moment and you'll see that it is an unnecessary sport which serves no purpose than to sell keyrings. If the locals are afraid of losing this "vital" economy then maybe they should consider capitalising on the HISTORY OF BULLFIGHTING in their region. Sell key rings that celebrate that, in the same way that museums capitalise on the fact that hangings once took place in their basements. The locals in these area are purely concerns with the impact of the loss of tourism. Well, they need to adapt. Nothing more. Either that or continue hauling out these beasts and slashing their throats for the baying crowds of neanderthal tourists...
Fantastic!!!We need to protect animals!! These animal organizations are getting very smart. There is a new pro-animal site geared towards the media and press--totally free--that is massively distributing their pro-animal video. The video is showing up on MTV, NBC, etc. A CNN story that just aired is at http://freeanimalvideo.org/about
In the 21st century, this bloodsport must be examined rationally, ethically and morally. I don't care how strongly a country's people may claim it is tradition or culture, viciously torturing an animal, causing it extreme pain and suffering, is NOT not civilized! It is not an acceptable tradition and should, along with other mindless human traditions and behaviors such as slavery,cannabalism and denying women the right to vote, be banished forever from our consciousness. Humans are supposedly the "elevated" species. It's time we actually live that claim!
