Protests over bullfights. Riots on streets. Sounds familiar?
‘Assassins, assassins’
Violent clashes broke out between animal rights activists and police in Bogota on Sunday as bullfighting returned to Colombia’s capital after four years. Shouting slogans like “Assassins, assassins!” and “No
more Ole Ole!”, the agitators clashed with the 1,200-strong police put in place to “guarantee the constitutional right of (bullfighting) fans”, according to the news website Colombia Reports
It’s different
There is a crucial difference between the Indian and Colombian bullfights. Here, no bulls have been killed
during the fights, though it is alleged they are subject to cruelty at times. Whereas, in Colombia, the matador in fact aims to kill the bull by piercing its heart with a sword thrust
Young animals in the fray
And there is another difference. In Colombia, the animal rights activists were mostly young. “Everyone
you see going (to the bullfight) are old, conservative elites,” ABC News quoted a 17-year-old protester, who was dressed in black to mourn what he considered the barbaric killing of the bulls, as saying
Banned in Bogota
Bogota’s leftist mayor outlawed the event in 2012. But the country’s constitutional court later overturned the ban, rulingit was part of Colombia’s cultural heritage. But on Wednesday, the sam ecourt will debate
whether the practiceviolates Colombian laws against mistreatment of animals, The Guardian reported