INTERNATIONAL ANTI-BULLFIGHTING SUMMIT HUGE SUCCESS
Animals Count participated in a two day International Anti-Bullfighting Summit
in Lisbon, on 18-19th May. Animals Count Policy Advisor, veterinarian Andrew Knight,
joined representatives from 25 organisations from 10 countries within Europe,
Latin America and Australasia at the historic event organised by Animal, Portugal,
in conjunction with the UK League Against Cruel Sports and the Anti-Bullfighting
Committee of The Netherlands and Belgium. The World Society for the Protection
of Animals and SPEAK Political from the UK were also represented.
Andrew paid all costs associated with his attendance.
The program began with a large demonstration against a celebration bullfight at Lisbon's Campo Pequeno bullring-Portugal's largest-on the evening of 17th May, the first anniversary since the bullring was rebuilt. Several hundred demonstrators spent three hours peacefully but very strongly voicing their opposition at this demonstration, which was extensively covered in the Portugese media. The Animals Count banner was proudly displayed front and centre, close to the UK flag.
At the summit speakers described the status of campaigns against bullfighting in the bullfighting countries of Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, and even, surprisingly, the US, where a non-lethal form of bullfighting is practiced in a small region of the country.
Far-removed from its traditional roots, modern bullfighting is highly commercialised, with annual ticket sales estimated to exceed £500 million worldwide. However, the sport is extremely controversial, with bulls often injured and drugged prior to choreographed fights.
Concerns about extremecruelty have led to majority opposition in traditional
bullfighting countries such as Spain and bans in Canada, Cuba, Argentina,
Brazil, Chile and Morocco.
Additionally, several Spanish and Mexican cities have declared themselves
anti-bullfighting, of which Barcelona was the first within Spain. Despite this,
bullfights continue in some of these cities.
The European Parliament Written Declaration 0002/2007 (anti-bullfighting; similar to an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons) recently received 211 signatories, thus demonstrating broad support for a ban.
While no UK media coverage occurred, debates between bullfighters and Miguel Mountinho, the President of Animal, generated hours of prime time TV coverage in Portugal. Unsurprisingly, the arguments used by the bullfighters were unsophisticated (e.g. the bulls don't feel pain!), and we expect that the massive media coverage would have helped increase support for a nationwide ban.
19 June, 2007 
LARGEST ANTI-BULLFIGHTING DEMO IN LISBON
Sparks are set to fly when representatives from Animals Count
and animal protection organisations join a massive demonstration against an
historic bullfight at Lisbon's Campo Pequeno bullring-Portugal's largest-on
17th May 2007 at 19:00.
Far-removed from its traditional roots, modern bullfighting is highly commercialised, with annual ticket sales estimated to exceed £500 million worldwide. However, the sport is extremely controversial, with bulls often injured and drugged prior to choreographed fights.
Concerns about extreme cruelty have led to majority opposition in traditional bullfighting countries such as Spain, nationwide bans in Brazil and Morocco, and bans in several Spanish and Mexican cities, of which Barcelona was the first.
Yet elsewhere, new bullrings are under construction. Lisbon's Campo Pequeno bullring was rebuilt in 2006. On 17th May 2007, a celebration bullfight will be staged there to commemorate its first anniversary. On the same day, at 19:00, a large and vocal anti-bullfighting demonstration will be held there.
25 organisations from Europe and Latin America will join the protest, and will participate in an International Anti-Bullfighting Summit from 17-20 May in Lisbon. Animals Count will be actively participating and will join the call for an EU-wide ban on bullfighting. The European Parliament Written Declaration 0002/2007 (anti-bullfighting) received 211 signatories, thus demonstrating broad support for a ban.
Veterinarian Andrew Knight, who will be attending as the President of Animals Count, stated, "Matadors seek to demonstrate their bravery by inflicting severe wounds on drugged and mutilated animals. In truth, by doing so they display not only their cruelty and cowardice, but also a dearth of compassion and ethics rarely seen, without which they will never be more than grotesque caricatures of men of honour. Such men stain the character of Portugal and any other nation that harbours them."
The participation of 25 anti-bullfighting organisations from Portugal, Spain, France, UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Australia look set to make this the largest and liveliest anti-bullfighting demonstration in history.
The two-day International Anti-Bullfighting Summit will conclude with a press conference on Saturday, 19th May, at 7PM (Lisbon time), in the auditorium of the "Rainbow" Business Center, in Rua Amélia Rey Colaço, n.º 40, em Carnaxide (Oeiras) at which progress towards and strategies to further the achievement of a world free from bullfights will be discussed.