Yet another twist in Mexico in a legal battle that has lasted for almost two years. Bullfights will finally be able to take place on Sunday and Monday in the capital of Mexico after the invalidation of a suspension measure, a judgment which could however still be reversed in the coming days.
A Mexico court on Friday reauthorized bullfights, which had just been suspended by a judge on Wednesday, only three days after their official resumption, at the request of an animal rights association. The interruption of bullfights “negatively impacts a whole series of activities and rights which, at least until now, constitute a lawful activity,” said the court in its decision made public in a press release.
The company organizing bullfights in the capital welcomed this news, displaying its “commitment” to “the traditions and cultural richness” linked to bullfighting.
“The merits of the matter are not resolved”
This new turnaround may only be short-lived, since a hearing is scheduled for February 7 to decide on a possible ban on bullfighting in Mexico City. “The merits of the matter are not settled” and “we will exhaust all legal remedies in defense of animal welfare,” said Mexico City Congressman Jorge Gaviño, who supports an opposing association to bullfighting.
Hundreds of people demonstrated around the capital’s bullring against the return of bullfighting in the imposing “Monumental Plaza de Toros”.
Amid 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.