Several local politicians have expressed their disappointment about the traditional bullfight in the Mexican city of Durango scheduled for early January 2023 going ahead. It was approved in an extraordinary session of Cabildo on Friday 16th December. Three councillors of the Citizen Movement (MC) and two of the Labour Party (PT) voted against the bullfights, but the cruel spectacle was approved with the votes of the councillors of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and National Action Party (PAN).
Martha Palencia, the Councillor for the Citizen Movement, said that the bullfight of the 1st of January normally organised to raise funds for the firefighter service should be cancelled because violence generates more violence. She said to El Sol de Durango, “Very bad omen for Durango that at this time that there is so much blood and tears, we have a bullfight for the first of January,” Referring to the president of the Fire Board Angelica Sariñana Galindo, she said, “it cannot be that they are profiting from animal abuse…we are against any mistreatment and torture of animals…animals are sentient beings and subjects of moral consideration, for which they should receive dignified treatment.”
The animal rights activist Jaqueline Carreón, talking about meetings she had with civil societies of Durango, said to Telediario, “For us, it was a total inconsistency and we have always told them, please! They have to do things that are in accordance with their professional ethics because firefighters cannot lend themselves to this, they have always supported us at all times and it is not possible that now we are going to have conflicts or confrontations over this activity that, I stress, is organised, solely and exclusively by the board of trustees.” It seems that, after such protests, the bullfight will no longer be staged to benefit the firefighters, but the local bullfighting club instead.
