Spanish Activists are Taking on Bullfighting

An important anti-bullfighting movement is gaining traction across Spain, as animal rights activists have launched a campaign called No Es Mi Cultura (“It’s Not My Culture”). The campaign aims to pass a popular legislative initiative to revoke bullfighting’s designation as “Cultural Heritage.”

Bullfighting has held the status of “Cultural Heritage” in Spain since 2013. Animal rights activists argue that this designation has created significant legal barriers, making it nearly impossible for cities or regions to pass laws restricting or banning bullfighting. Despite this, bullfighting has become increasingly unpopular, with recent surveys showing that over 50% of Spaniards support limiting or banning the practice entirely.

Due to its status as cultural heritage a law that prohibited bullfighting in the state of Catalonia was thrown out by the Spanish Constitutional Court in 2016 and similar efforts to limit the blood sport in other regions have faced comparable challenges.

At the beginning of 2024, the group behind the It’s Not My Culture campaign secured legislative approval to begin collecting signatures in support of their initiative to revoke bullfighting’s cultural heritage status. They now have until January 19th, 2025 to gather 500,000 signatures. If successful, their proposal will be debated by the Spanish Congress within six months.

The campaign has events scheduled nationwide over the coming weeks, with signature-gathering initiatives in major Spanish cities as well as in the Canary and Balearic Islands.
Earlier this month, the campaign received a significant boost when music legend and animal rights advocate Sir Paul McCartney publicly expressed his opposition to bullfighting. His message, “I am Paul McCartney, and I oppose bullfighting,” was displayed on large screens along Madrid’s iconic Gran Vía ahead of his performances in the Spanish capital.

If the campaign succeeds and the Spanish Congress votes to revoke bullfighting’s 2013 Cultural Heritage designation, it will mark a significant step forward in the effort to ban bullfighting in Spain once and for all.

You can help by signing our petition opposing bullfighting in Spain in solidarity with the determined Spanish animal activists who are working hard to build a more compassionate future for bulls in Spain.