2024-02-01 01:52:37
The legal battle continues around bullfighting in Mexico. Bullfights are once again suspended in Mexico City by a judge’s decision on Wednesday, three days after their official resumption.
Tens of thousands of “aficionados” attended the resumption of bullfights on Sunday in the capital’s arenas, the largest in the world with a capacity of 42,000 seats.
A new stage on February 7
In December, the Supreme Court overturned a first judicial decision of June 2022 which prevented bullfighting shows from being held. But there was a twist on Wednesday: a judge once again suspended bullfighting shows in Mexico.
This new measure, adopted at the request of an animal rights association, will remain in force until February 7, when a hearing is scheduled to decide on a possible ban on bullfighting in the capital. “The provisional suspension is granted so that the responsible authorities refrain from carrying out the acts in question, immediately suspending the bullfighting shows,” the decision states.
For its part, the company that manages the Plaza Mexico bullring reacted by filing a complaint with the federal judiciary, believing that the decision ignores the Supreme Court ruling which authorized the return of bullfights. This appeal must be processed on Friday at the latest, added the company, which is planning the second bullfight of the season next Sunday.
The president wants a referendum
The court’s decision on Wednesday also invites the authorities not to grant new authorizations for the rest of the season, which provided for the arrival of stars of the industry such as the French matador Sebastian Castella and the Spaniards Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza and Andy Cartagena. On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators protested around the capital’s arena against the return of bullfighting in the imposing “plaza”.
Amid the legal controversy, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, who opposes bullfighting, proposed a referendum in the city to decide the future of bullfighting. Four of Mexico’s 32 states have already banned bullfighting. Other Latin American countries have also debated the issue. Colombia and Ecuador have banned the killing of bulls, Venezuela has canceled some bullfights and in Peru the courts have ruled against the ban.
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