After 20 Months Since Injunction Dismissal
Mexican President Proposes National Referendum
The bullfighting event resumed at Plaza Mexico, the world's largest bullring located in Mexico City. Previously, the venue had suspended events for about 20 months due to a court ruling.
According to local media reports, Plaza Mexico held a total of six bullfighting events on the afternoon of the 28th (local time). The event featured a match between Joselito Adame (34), a famous bullfighter from Aguascalientes, Mexico, and a 589kg bull named "Aceituno."
In December last year, the Mexican Supreme Court dismissed an injunction request against bullfighting, which led to the suspension of operations at Plaza Mexico for about 20 months. The last bullfight before the suspension took place on May 15, 2022.
Bullfighting has long been a contentious issue in Mexico. Due to its inherent cruelty, it has sparked debates over animal abuse. Earlier, a local first-instance court accepted an injunction request filed by the social group "Justicia Justa," which campaigns to ban bullfighting, in June 2022.
Bullfighting has already become a cultural tradition in Latin American regions that were former colonies of Spain and Portugal. However, the practice of agitating the bull and then slowly killing it has drawn criticism, intensifying debates over its continuation or abolition.
On the 28th (local time), activists from animal protection groups and protesters are marching in the streets in front of Plaza Mexico, a bullring in Mexico City, to protest the resumption of bullfighting. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Among Latin American countries, bullfighting has been abolished in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Within Mexico, it has been banned in Sinaloa, Coahuila, Quintana Roo, and Guadalajara.
However, bullfighting-related entrepreneurs, ranchers, and fans have opposed the ban, calling it an "excessive infringement of rights." Local media such as El Universal estimated that the total revenue from the bullfighting industry reaches 6.8 billion pesos (approximately 530 billion KRW).
The Mexican government proposed deciding the issue through a national referendum. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador said at a regular press conference, "Apart from legal procedures, the option I can suggest is a national referendum," adding, "Let's decide together whether to allow bullfighting in Mexico City."
Meanwhile, Plaza Mexico, with a seating capacity of 42,000, is the world's largest bullring and a historic venue officially opened on February 5, 1946. Along with Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain, and Maestranza bullring in Seville, it is considered one of the world's three major bullrings.
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