- Title: Protest in Barcelona after court overturns Catalonian bull fighting ban
- Date: 22nd October 2016
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 22, 2016) (REUTERS) PEOPLE GATHERING IN CITY SQUARE PROTESTER WITH BANNER READING (Spanish): "NO TO ANIMAL MISTREATMENT" DOG WITH SIGN ON ITS BACK READING (Spanish): "WE ARE DOMESTIC ANIMALS, NOT FOR HUNTING" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING AND SHOUTING SLOGANS AGAINST ANIMAL MISTREATMENT PEOPLE WALKING WITH LARGE BANNER READING (Spanish): "INTERNATIONAL REJECTION OF ANIMAL ABUSE" DRUMMERS BEATING DRUMS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING AND SHOUTING SLOGANS AGAINST ANIMAL MISTREATMENT PACMA (PARTY AGAINST ANIMAL ABUSE) BOARD MEMBER, ANA BAYLE, PROTESTING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PACMA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, ANA BAYLE, SAYING: "This is a political ruling. Once again, they are attacking the Catalonian people's decision because we must remember the law was passed by the popular will and this shows how politicised the Constitutional Court is." PROTESTER WITH BANNER READING (Spanish): "TOTAL ABOLITION OF BULL FIGHTING" PROTESTER WITH BANNER READING (Spanish): "STOP THE BLOODLETTING" PROTESTER WITH BANNER READING (Spanish): "IT'S NOT ABOUT POLITICS, IT'S ABOUT THE HEART" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTESTER, JAUME MONTMAINS, SAYING: "This is imposed by the Constitutional Court, this has a political background. Spain's government is very fascist." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTESTER, MIGUEL GARCIA, SAYING: "Bull fighting will not return to Barcelona, we are not worried about it. But we will try to ridicule the Constitutional Court's ruling. There's no legal basis for this imposition, we don't think laws can be backdated." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WATCHING DRUMMERS
- Embargoed: 6th November 2016 15:28
- Keywords: Catalonia bull fighting protest Barcelona
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA0015535OW7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of people took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday (October 22) to protest against the overturning of a bull fighting ban in Catalonia.
Spain's Constitutional Court passed the ruling on Thursday, calling bull fighting a cultural asset protected under national law.
But the ruling is likely to fuel political tensions between the region and Madrid.
Bull fighting, a bloody ritual intended to ennoble both the 'torero' and his victim, has been popular in Spain for generations.
But its appeal has waned as animal rights activists and a generation of Spaniards exposed to less traditional values question the legitimacy of an activity they say is barbaric and archaic.
Catalonia, a wealthy region in the country's north east with its own language and customs and a strong and active independence movement, became the first part of mainland Spain to outlaw the spectacle in 2012.
Protesters on Saturday said the Constitutional Court's ruling was a political decision, aimed at thwarting Catalonia's independence movement.
Having already refused to accept a ruling from the same court invalidating Catalonia's pursuit of independence, authorities in the region indicated they would ignore Thursday's verdict too. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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