Barecelona’s 97-year-old Plaza de Toros Monumental arena has seen thousands of bull fights over the years and that tradition will come to an end today when the city’s final bullfights will be observed.
Officials in Barcelona voted last year to end the often brutal sport of bull fighting in the region. The ban is the first in mainland Spain although a similar ban went into effect in 1991 on the Canary Islands.
Speaking about the upcoming ban one matador told the BBC :
“This is such a beautiful arena, with a lot of tradition both for bullfighters and this national celebration.”
The decision was an easy one to make with attendance considered “very poor” in recent memory however the last day of matches at the 20,000-seat Monumental arena sold out quickly and in some cases they are fetching up to five times their original value on the black market.
While Barcelona officials are believed to have created the ban to distinguish their area from the rest of mainland Spain human rights groups hope they can ride the wave of support for the ban into other parts of the country.
Do you think the ban on bull fighting was the right decision made by Barcelona city officials?
