A petition calling for a ban on bullfighting has been signed by 35 parliamentarians. Among these deputies and senators who condemn “a barbaric practice” are two elected officials from Alpes-Maritimes and three from Bouches-du-Rhône.
“Let’s ban bullfighting, and quickly!” is the name given by 35 parliamentarians to this opinion piece published in the Journal du Dimanche. It follows the release of shocking and bloody images by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. For them, “bullfighting is a barbaric practice that is not worthy of the civilized country which we are elected to represent.”
Through this text, these elected officials are calling for the prohibition of bullfighting and shows that portray the torture and killing of animals.
“We are calling for the prohibition of shows that portray the torture and killing of animals, without any exception. We therefore wish for the repeal of paragraph 7 of article 521-1 of the Penal Code, which excludes the penalties intended for acts of cruelty and severe abuse when bullfighting is conducted in the name of an uninterrupted local tradition.”
Among the parliamentarians who signed this petition are the Alpes-Maritimes deputies Loïc Dombreval (LREM and president of the study group on animal conditions in the National Assembly), who originated the project, and Eric Pauget (LR). Also included are deputies Mohamed Laqhila (Modem), Eric Diard (LR), and Anne-Laurence Petel (LREM) from Bouches-du-Rhône.
In response to this petition condemning bullfighting and calling for its immediate cessation, defenders of this tradition did not hesitate to deliver a strong response to these parliamentarians. The Observatoire National des Cultures Taurines (ONCT) published a statement on their Twitter account:
“The ONCT uses strong language to describe this campaign, speaking of anti-speciesism and anti-humanism. The ONCT president, former bullfighter André Viard, also reacted on France Bleue Gard-Lozère’s microphone by criticizing the aim of this campaign and its signatories: “What’s annoying about the publication of this petition is that, once again, we see parliamentarians from non-bullfighting regions seizing the opportunity provided by the Brigitte Bardot campaign to try to cultivate their own notoriety. They want to ban cultures they do not share.”
