San Fermin Festival, Renowned for the "Running of the Bulls," Kicks Off
Animal Rights Activists Stage Performance Opposing Bullfighting and the Encierro
The San Fermin Festival, one of Spain's three major festivals and famous for the encierro (running of the bulls) where people flee from charging bulls, kicked off on the 6th (local time) for a nine-day run. On the opening day, dozens of men and women gathered in their underwear, having removed their tops, to stage a performance protesting both the encierro and bullfighting.
Participants in the "Chupinazo" (firecracker launch) event, marking the official start of the San Fermin Festival, are cheering outside the Plaza Consistorial at Pamplona City Hall in northern Spain on the 6th. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
According to international media such as Euronews, tens of thousands of people gathered in the central square of Pamplona in northern Spain to celebrate the start of the festival. Notably, this year, before the traditional "Chupinazo" firecracker launch that marks the beginning of the festivities, the slogan "Long live free Palestine" resonated throughout the crowd. Regarding this, Pamplona Mayor Joseba Asiron stated, "Pamplona is experiencing the sweetest time of the year, but we do not forget that true massacres are taking place in other parts of the world."
Euronews reported that more than 14,000 people gathered in front of Pamplona City Hall, and over 25,000 people participated in the first day's events throughout the city. Continuing tradition, participants wore white tops and bottoms with red sashes. Immediately after the Chupinazo, they waved red scarves in unison, creating a spectacular wave-like scene. The highlight of the nine-day festival, the encierro, begins on the 7th. During this running of the bulls, thousands of people sprint at full speed to avoid six bulls charging through winding cobblestone streets.
On the 7th (local time), participants are running in the San Fermin Festival encierro (running of the bulls) held in Pamplona, Spain. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
While Pamplona was filled with a festive atmosphere, animal rights activists staged protests criticizing the encierro and bullfighting.
On the 5th, the day before the start of San Fermin, dozens of activists from international animal rights organizations PETA and AnimaNaturalis gathered in their underwear, having removed their tops, to stage a performance representing dying bulls and to protest. Wearing bull horn-shaped headpieces and covering their bodies with red paint to resemble flowing blood, they commemorated the bulls sacrificed for human pleasure. Although bullfighting is illegal in most countries, it remains legal in Spain.
Despite the controversy surrounding bullfighting and protests from animal rights activists, the San Fermin Festival remains a popular event that attracts people from around the world. Approximately one million participants from more than 80 countries gather for this festival.
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