Animal-rights groups in the Balearics have welcomed the cancellation of the bullfight that had been scheduled to take place in Inca on 1 April. On Friday last week, the Constitutional Court lifted the suspension of Balearic legislation on bullfighting that had been appealed by the Madrid government.
A joint statement from five organisations expressed their hope that the court's decision will mean the end of bullfighting in the Balearics (specifically Majorca, as there are no bullfights on the other islands). The statement notes that the organiser of the Inca event has posted a message on social media which says that it has been cancelled because it does not comply with Balearic law.
The Constitutional Court decided that the Balearic legislation does not prohibit bullfighting but it does regulate it. This is a regional power, the court concluded, and it also determined that bullfighting in the Balearics is not a significant economic activity.
Activists maintain that the bullfighting sector had the opportunity to demonstrate that it can adapt to "new times and new sensibilities" by agreeing to legislation that outlaws, among other things, the killing of bulls. "They could have preserved the tradition and admiration for bulls, but they lost the opportunity for what was due to have been the start of the bullfighting season."
Aïda Gascon, the director AnimaNaturalis, said yesterday that the Balearics will be the "cradle for the most drastic reform of bullfighting". "If they (the bullfighting sector) do not want to adapt to the 21st century, then they will die."
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