On January 7th, I read that nine animal rights organizations have formed a united front to end the "corrillos" (animal circling) in Catalonia, citing, they say, the abuse and cruelty to which these animals are exposed. Furthermore, these "tortures" are carried out with subsidies from the Catalan government.
Beyond assessing the limits of animal use (humans are shepherds and farmers, and this fact has been decisive in laying the foundations of our civilization), we can provide data: in the case of fighting bulls in Catalonia, we're talking about animals that perform a maximum of ten times a year, at a rate of fifteen minutes per performance, that is, two and a half hours a year. In Terres de l'Ebre, some 1,200 head of cattle have been kept in semi-freedom for at least three hundred documented years. These 1,200 heads graze extensively on approximately 4,000 hectares in a Biosphere Reserve with two natural parks within it. This is because their farmers have earned their living through a well-regulated economic activity for years: the corrals. But what species do we have in Catalonia under extensive grazing? Of the L'Hostoles cow, there are about 300 heads left, and of the cows, there are fewer than 100 heads. The same is true of the white goat of Solivella, to give a few examples.
Furthermore, the government is accused of subsidizing animal abuse, even though city councils and organizations that hire groups are paying for a service, just as they do with orchestras, garbage collection, and other services.
More details: between Aragon, Valencia, and the Camargue, the three territories closest to Catalonia, there are a total of 36,000 bulls and 20,000 shows, including bullfights, embolados (bullfighting events), bull runs, bullfighting events, cow afternoons, ring-riding competitions, Camargue races, and artistic bullfighting.
Attacking bullfighting in Catalonia is, firstly, very profitable financially for the movement's leaders, since everything they do here is magnified. Secondly, it appeals to a segment of Catalan society that mistakenly sees it as a national symbol while native breeds are disappearing due to a lack of sustainability.
Even today, I read in a pro-animal rights article that a poll had overwhelmingly voted for banning bullfighting rings in Catalonia by 90%. Not only that, but, using absurd clichés, the data showed that those who voted against banning them were people over sixty, all of whom were Vox, PP, and C's voters. If these numbers were real, Barcelona would have hosted a massive presentation of the organization on January 15th, enough bulls, and there wouldn't have been even 80 or 90 people. I suppose this game goes with the country's idiosyncrasy, or with the media's need to sell headlines, but the fact that a movement without parliamentary representation here or in Europe finds itself empowered by its desire to impose one way of understanding life over another is a bad indicator.
Don't be fooled, talking about bullfighting is talking about freedom. In France, they understand and respect it. Talking about bullfighting is talking about ecology, the ecosystem, the economy in rural areas, and stopping depopulation. Talking about bullfighting is talking about Catalan and American identity. We are people with courage, a love for our land, and a jewel in our hearts, and we will fight to defend this way of life, that of the people who have managed to resist thirty years of absurdity against the bull in Catalonia because of the little flag it carries behind it. We want to be able to educate our children in the humanistic values that the world of bullfighting represents.
