On 19th September 2025, PETA animal rights supporters from different countries jumped onto the bullring in Nîmes, France, during the opening bullfight of the Feria des Vendanges, staging a protest against bullfighting’s cruelty. Among those who took part was French content creator Jeremstar, who held a sign reading ‘F*ck the bullfight’. He was promptly pushed to the ground and dragged away by several men. Another activist from the UK suffered two broken feet during the jump on the corridor around the arena before being detained. The three activists were arrested and kept in custody before they were released 48 hours later pending legal proceedings from the French authorities. The protest was recorded on video and posted on social media.
Following the direct action (which has been part of the anti-bullfighting movement for decades and was first attempted in France), Jeremstar, whose commitment to animal rights has been widely recognised, said, “I wanted to take part in this action alongside PETA because watching images of bulls being tortured to death during bullfights shocked me and should chill the blood of anyone with a modicum of empathy… There is no justification for stabbing terrified animals or applauding as they slowly die in the ring. That’s torture, not culture!”
Bullfighting continues to claim the lives of thousands of bulls every year across Europe and America. In the Spanish-style bullfights (practised in France too), the bulls are chased, tormented, and stabbed with different weapons. When these animals are weakened through blood loss, the matador steps in, seeking to kill by plunging a sward into the animal’s lungs. If the bull does not die straight away, his spinal cord is severed using a dagger. His ears or tail are sometimes cut when the bull is still alive, and they are taken as trophies for the bullfighters. Public sentiment in France is increasingly hostile to this practice, with 75% of the population in favour of banning bullfighting altogether in 2024 (a 4-point increase compared to 2023), and this blood spectacle is already banned in most of the French territory. PETA France has consequently called on members of the public to write to the mayors of towns that still host these bloody events (all in the South of France), urging them to put an end to them.
