Spanish court overturns bullfighting ban in Catalonia

Spain’s constitutional court has overturned a ban on bullfighting that has been in place in Catalonia for nearly five years, outraging both animal rights campaigners and nationalists in the region.

In 2010, the Catalan regional parliament took up an initiative presented by a grass roots group and narrowly voted to prohibit bullfighting in the northeastern region. The ban came into effect in January 2012.

On Thursday, the constitutional court, responding to an appeal lodged by the conservative Popular Party (PP), revealed it had ruled against the ban by eight votes to three. In making its decision, the court referred to a 2013 law presented by the PP to enshrine bullfighting as part of the country’s “cultural heritage”. The Catalan prohibition, it argued, had “undermined” the Spanish state’s competencies.

The court underlined “the impossibility of banning, in one area of Spanish territory, a celebration, festival, or generally speaking, an expression of a deeply rooted cultural tradition – if its content is legal and does not violate other fundamental rights.”

“I’m very excited!!!!” tweeted Barcelona-born bullfighter Serafín Marín when the decision was announced. He posted that the Catalan capital “never stopped being a bullfighting city and now it is more than ever”.

However, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, of the leftist En Comú coalition, announced her intention to defy the court and maintain the ban.

“We will work to ensure the ruling has no effect, we’ll do everything possible,” she said, speaking alongside politicians from parties which had voted against bullfighting in 2010. “Not only do we reject this politically and socially, but Catalan municipal regulations back us in prohibiting any mistreatment of animals.”

Leonardo Anselmi, of the PROU anti-bullfighting platform, described the ruling as “a conspiracy on the part of a group of judges who go to bullfights.”

The ruling is a boost for a sector which has been struggling for years with economic crisis, flagging interest and increasing political opposition.

The ban and its overturning have an overtly political dimension, due to Catalonia's on-going efforts to break away from Spain. Many criticised the 2010 motion as being driven not by animal rights, but by Catalan nationalists' desire to distance their region from a traditional Spanish pastime.

The unionist PP has therefore welcomed the ruling. But many nationalists will see it as further proof of the Spanish state’s meddling in Catalan affairs. Ferran Civit, of the Junts pel Sí coalition which is leading the Catalan independence drive, said “there is no going back” on the bullfighting ban.