Catalan Parliament says “yes” to ban bullfighting (so far)

Last week the PLI to ban bullfigthing in Catalonia went over its first serious obstacle when the global ammendments to text were rejected in the Catalan Parliament. The amendments, introduced by the PSC, PP and Ciutadants, were rejected by 67 votes against 59. Now, the Catalan Parliament will debate the measures contained within the PLI, draft a law, debate it, and, eventually, the law will be voted upon and enacted by summer 2010.

The fact that the PLI has been approved is, indeed, a major step towards the final banning of bullfighting. However -and I wouldn’t like to be a wet blanket- this will be nothing more than an anecdote if the final vote is won by the pro-bullfighting sectors. And, to my mind, they have far more power and resources to have a majority in the Catalan Parliament when the right time arrives than those who seek to stop this cruel practice in Catalonia. They will have the support from Spain, its government, its main parties, its media and an endless flux of money to campaign, lobby and, if its necessary, coerce or blackmail members of the Catalan Parliament. It may sound exaggerated, and I hope I’m wrong, but to think the battle is won or that we are half-way through is plain and simple ingenuousness.