Mexico City: Protesters outside the stadium urged a permanent ban as cheering spectators packed Mexico City’s vast bullfighting arena on Sunday, witnessing the capital’s first bloody spectacle since the Supreme Court overturned an earlier injunction last month.
“Freedom. Bulls, living culture.” is written in the ground at Mexico’s Monumental Plaza de Toros, the biggest bullfighting arena in the world, with more than 41,000 seats.
As the matadors sidestepped and the bulls charged, the message gradually vanished into the night.
The event on Sunday, which included renowned Mexican bullfighter Joselito Adame, was the first since the centuries-old ritual in Mexico City was ordered to be suspended indefinitely by a judge in June 2022. The judge’s decision was made in accordance with the lawsuit filed by animal rights activists.
But without making a determination on the merits, the Supreme Court reversed that decision this month. In the upcoming weeks, anti-bullfighting organizations hope to receive a final ruling in their favor.
A 49-year-old teacher witness named Alejandra Diaz told AFP, “I’m very moved, it’s something I’ve been waiting a long time for,” highlighting the “importance of bullfighting culture.”
Protesters, some donning bull masks and daubed in blood-red paint, were barred from entering the stadium by police stationed outside.
Before arriving at the bullring, dozens of people had gathered in the Glorieta de Insurgentes roundabout in the center. They were carrying the banner, “Torture is neither art nor culture.”
“They will restart their brutality, cruelty, and massacre, thus it is crucial that we are here. With tears in her eyes, 62-year-old protester Gabriela Martinez told AFP, “It can’t happen, and we need to give them a very clear message.”
The director of the NGO Animal Heroes, Jeronimo Sanchez, stated, “We are completely against the fact that bullfights have returned and that these events continue to be held where only pleasure is sought through the torture of an animal.”
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the prospect of a vote on the future of bullfighting in Mexico City following the ruling of the high court. The practice, which, according to its proponents, brought in millions of dollars and employed about 80,000 people, has already been outlawed in four of Mexico’s 32 states.
