On Monday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed a bill banning bullfights, marking a significant shift in the nation's cultural landscape. This legislation, backed by animal rights activists, aims to end the practice entirely by 2027. Petro signed the bill during a ceremony in Bogota's bullring, where a supporter in a bull costume handed him a copy of the legislation.
"We cannot tell the world that killing living and sentient beings for entertainment is culture," Petro stated in his speech. He argued that such a culture of violence towards animals could extend to humans, as both are sentient beings. The bill, which was approved by Colombia’s Congress in May after extensive debates, requires the government to ban bullfights nationwide by 2027 and repurpose over a dozen bullrings into cultural and sporting venues.
Bullfighting, a tradition in Colombia since Spanish colonial times, has seen a decline in popularity as attitudes towards animal rights have evolved. However, bullfighting enthusiasts argue that the ban infringes on the cultural rights of minorities and threatens the livelihoods of those involved in the industry, such as matadors, event promoters, merchants, and ranchers specializing in breeding the bulls used in the fights. Pro-bullfighting groups have initiated a social media campaign, claiming the bill was passed without the support of Colombia’s labor ministry and plan to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.
With this ban, only seven countries—Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru—still allow bullfights, though some regions within these countries have imposed local bans. President Petro, who has long opposed bullfighting, previously repealed a city contract for bullfighting events during his tenure as Bogota’s mayor in 2012.
Animal rights activists in Colombia have lobbied Congress for two decades to ban bullfights, often facing narrow defeats. Their persistence paid off in May with the support of legislators from Petro’s Historical Pact Party and members of centrist and conservative parties. Chucho Merchan, a vegan activist and musician who spoke at the event, expressed hope that this ban would set an example of evolving towards a more just and cruelty-free world.
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