The bull fighting ring in Barcelona, the capital of the Catalan autonomous region. Today, the Catalonian parliament voted to outlaw bull fighting. The parliament of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, today voted to outlaw bullfighting – an iconic sport in much of the country. The vote was held after animal rights activists, led by Catalonian animal rights group Prou! (Catalan for "Enough!"), who claim the practice is "barbaric", collected 180,000 signatures to a petition. Both the main parties in the Catalan parliament took the unusual step of allowing their members a free vote in the debate, which saw high emotions on both sides. The debate was officially over the animal welfare concerns; however, many believe that the underlying issue of Catalan nationalism played a significant part in the outcome. Some expressed the opinion that Catalonia, which, while officially part of Spain, has its own language and flag, was attempting to distinguish itself from the rest of Spain by outlawing one of its most famous traditions.
The bull fighting ring in Barcelona, the capital of the Catalan autonomous region. Today, the Catalonian parliament voted to outlaw bull fighting. The parliament of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, today voted to outlaw – an iconic sport in much of the country. The vote was held after animal rights activists, led by Catalonian animal rights group Prou! (Catalan for "Enough!"), who claim the practice is "barbaric", collected 180,000 signatures to a petition. Both the main parties in the Catalan parliament took the unusual step of allowing their members a in the debate, which saw high emotions on both sides. The debate was officially over the animal welfare concerns; however, many believe that the underlying issue of played a significant part in the outcome. Some expressed the opinion that Catalonia, which, while officially part of Spain, has its own language and flag, was attempting to distinguish itself from the rest of Spain by outlawing one of its most famous traditions.
D
bullfighting
D
free vote
D
Catalan nationalism