Catalonia bans bullfighting after close vote

Lawmakers dealt a death knell to bullfighting in Catalonia Wednesday, outlawing the centuries-old blood sport for the first time in a mainland region of Spain.

The result of 68 in favor and 55 against the ban was expected, since the Catalonian Parliament had cast preliminary votes in December accepting a citizens' petition to stop bullfighting on the grounds that it constituted cruelty to animals.

In the debate, some lawmakers cited the declining popularity of bullfighting in Spain, where fewer people go each year to arenas to watch toreros wield red capes and swords against angry bulls.

For bullfighters and aficionados, however, the ban damages Spanish culture.

"(Bullfighting) is not a cruel show - completely the opposite. It's a show that creates art," renowned bullfighter Serafin Marin told Reuters.

Reuters