Collapse in bullring in Colombia causes at least 4 dead 2:41
(CNN Spanish) --
Bullfighting is once again at the center of the debate after what happened in Colombia.
On Sunday, at least 4 people died and more than 300 were injured after eight boxes collapsed during a corraleja in a plaza in El Espinal, in the department of Tolima.
Colombia: at least 4 dead and 30 seriously injured after the collapse of boxes in the bullring of El Espinal, Tolima
After the incident, one of the public figures who spoke about the event was the elected president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who in a tweet asked "the mayors not to authorize more shows with the death of people or animals."
Animal defense organizations such as Animal Heroes echoed Petro's comments.
"President-elect @petrogustavo requested 'not to authorize any more shows with the death of people or animals'. Bullfighting must end!" Animal Heroes wrote on Twitter.
This is a highly controversial issue in Colombia, since bullfighting encompasses a culturally rooted practice.
The South American country, in fact, is one of the eight in the world in which bullfighting continues to be legal.
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Countries where bullfighting is still legal
According to the Humane Society International organization, in addition to Colombia, there are seven other countries where bullfighting is legal:
Ecuador
Spain
France
Mexico
Peru
Portugal
Venezuela
The legality in these countries is not total.
For example, the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Guerrero, Coahuila and Quintana Roo have prohibited bullfighting;
also, a few weeks ago, a federal judge permanently suspended them in the Monumental Plaza de Toros México (the largest in the world of its kind, with capacity for 40,000 spectators), a decision that can still be challenged, but for now the bullfighting is on pause in the Mexican capital.
Despite this, Mexico is made up of 32 states, so bullfighting is still widely available elsewhere.
The controversy caused by closing the Plaza de Toros México 2:55
The situation is even more entrenched in Spain, where bullfighting is regulated and protected by three ordinary laws and by two Constitutional Court rulings (one of them removed the ban on bullfighting in Catalonia), as shown by the media local El Pais.
Another example: in addition to Petro's comments on Sunday, in Colombia a few days ago the bill that sought to ban bullfighting throughout the country was scuttled due to lack of discussion in the Senate.
So, with or without restrictions, the outlook in these eight countries remains favorable for bullfighting.
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