The New Strategy to Create a New Generation of Bullfighting Fans:

Bullfighting at School

The bullfighting lobby, in their attempt to safeguard an activity that is everyday more rejected by

Spaniards have started to play their foul game: indoctrinate children at schools in bullfighting.

Children have a natural empathy towards animals, they are attracted by them and feel very

distressed when seeing them suffering. Teaching animal show to spear, stab and kill an animal for

mere entertainment is a denaturalization of this beneficial instinct and a threat to their moral and

emotional development, as many studies demonstrate (i.e. Dr. JP Richier, psychiatrist “Does

bullfighting represent a psychological danger for Young Spectators”).

What it is already taking place in this regard

BULLFIGHTING AT SCHOOLS

Different municipalities are taking children from school to bullfight arenas or fields where the bulls

are raised, where they are taught on the “art” “cultural” “tradition” of bullfights and where

toreros are presented to them as real heroes.

Only in the Autonomous Community of Madrid 13,000 students where taken to the Bullring of Las

Ventas, with public money. The opposition party PSM denounced that this was done with some

(350,000€) of the money supposedly allocated to create employment among the Youth.

Other activities done at school are drawing and writing contest around the subject of bullfighting,

awarding the winners with visits to bull raising farms or bullfights.

Students are also given free tickets, financed with public money or important discounts to attend

bullfighting.

In other occasions schoolchildren are taken to see bullfighters practice and “try” bulls to see which

one is more apt to be in a bullfight.

WEBSITE BULLFIGHTING FOR CHILDREN

One of the most important initiatives developed by the bullfighting lobby is the creation of the

website: http://www.torosparaniños.es There, it may be appreciated how much investment (both public

and private) is being put to lead children into bullfighting.

BULLFIGHTING SCHOOLS

More and more public and private funds are being put in giving children scholarships to attend

bullfighting schools. In these schools not only they practice with live calves but they also get often

seriously injured.

BULLFIGHTING ON PUBLIC TV FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

A key pillar of the Strategy to lead children into Bullfighting is the return of bullfighting to public

television during children audience time. This had been banned before but the current

government has brought it back. Having kids witnessing bullfighting, means that not only they will

be able to see and accept as normal the torture and killing of the bull, along with the accidents

with the horses:

But that they can also witness, at any moment terrible human injuries including the death of the

bullfighters. It is paradoxical that this same tv would protect children from viewing fake violence at

films.

This return of bullfighting to public TV has generated the largest number of complaints sent from

the public to the “TV audience ombudsman” ever, but they have been ignored.

Bullfighter Fernando Cruz at Plaza de Toros

de Las Ventas Bullfighter Padilla losing an eye. He is show in

the pictures above among children, with a

patch in his eye, portrayed as a hero to them.

OTHER SPECTACLES INVOLVING BULLFIGHTING CHILDREN MAY ATTEND TO

Bullfights are just part of the spectacle involving bulls that children may witness in Spain.

Unfortunately there are many others which are just as bloody or even more.

Toro de la Vega, Tordesillas, where the bull is killed with spears by hundreds of men on horses and

at foot.

Depending on the Autonomous Community of Spain, children are or are not allowed in

bullfight arenas. In Madrid, for example, children of any age may attend and witness

these images.

Toro de Jubilo

Capeas, amateur bullfights made in family or friends parties on little calves and where children are

invited to participate.

Becerradas, bullfights made by amateurs on little calves. This can also be witnessed by children

who often are invited to cut the calf ear as an award.

Running of bulls, running, on a horse, or even on tractors.

Young girl holding the bulls’ ears after the becerrada

Toro Ensogat: People hold the bulls with strings

AL AÏGUA Bulls are chased to the water

And many more.

What would take place if the Law proposed by the Popular Legislative Initiative passed.

This law previews reinforcement through subsidies to bullfighting to:

- General promotion: advertising, expositions, art related to bullfighting etc.

- Programs at schools: as a curricular activity in all schools.

Also it aims at cancelling all regionals laws that prohibit children to attend any kind of bullfighting.

Bullfighting is an atrocity which denaturalizes children natural empathy towards animals and

makes them lose their compassion to other beings. This cannot contribute to a less violent

society but all the contrary, to harden Spanish children hearts before the suffering of others,

with the only excuse of amusement.

The bullfighting lobby is making a great effort to export this activity, starting this year to be

running of bulls for the first time in Virginia, the USA.

It is the responsibility of any good citizen to try to stop this and aim, instead to a more empathic,

more compassionate world towards all sentient beings.

From the platform La Tortura No Es Cultura, we know of the importance of raising awareness

among Spanish families on the harmful effects of this New Strategy to Create a New Generation

of Bullfighting Fans.

The bullfighting lobby counts on great amounts of funds, both public and private. We don’t. But

we know that we count on the support of millions of citizens around the world who do not want

this to continue. We ask this citizens to contribute with anything they can for us to set the

necessary campaigns to stop this madness.

We are more, and together, we can make a difference.

This is our account:

LA CAIXA BANK (SPAIN)

ASOC PLATAFORMA ESTRATEGIA ANIMALISTA (our fiscal name)

Account: 2100 5526 59 21 00122581

IBAN in electronic format: ES672100552659210012258

IBAN in paper format:IBAN ES67 2100 5526 5921 0012 2581

BIC (International Bank Id. SWIFT Code): CAIXESBBXXX

Thank you for your attention,

www.latorturanoescultura.org

April 29th, 2012