The blood sport is a “symbol of identity” for many, but it has been losing spectators in recent years due to animal welfare concerns.
Colombia’s Congress passed legislation banning bullfighting.
Lawmakers approved the bill 93-2 on Tuesday. Activists spent many years trying to ban the controversial blood sport, which is a centuries-old colonial tradition in the country.
The ban will be implemented gradually over a three-year period, during which the State will be required to help find alternative employment options for the tens of thousands of people directly or indirectly dependent on the sector.
Reporting from Bogotá, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said the bill had been given the green light after “years of arduous political battles”.
The once popular tradition, introduced by Spanish colonizers, had been “losing followers in recent years” and had become a “pastime for a small elite,” he said.
Juan Carlos Losada, a Liberal Party lawmaker, told Al Jazeera that the ban would allow the country to reassess the “culture of violence” it inherited.
“The next generations will grow up in a country where the culture will define things much more creatively than torturing animals for the amusement of a few insensitive people,” he said.
However, bullfighting aficionados described the ban as an attack on the freedoms of minorities, as well as a problem for cities where bullfighting events attract thousands of visitors.
Matador Johan Andres Paloma said his vocation was “a symbol of identity” for many Colombians.
Bullfighting was once a popular event in Colombia, broadcast live on several television networks. But the tradition has come under increasing scrutiny as opinions on animal welfare change, and many consider it unacceptable to see an animal suffer for fun.
In 2018, the Constitutional Court recognized bullfighting as part of Colombia’s cultural tradition. But the capital Bogotá – one of the oldest bullfighting cities in the Americas – has since banned the harming or killing of bulls. The city of Medellín also imposed restrictions.
Even so, the practice remains popular in cities like Cali and Manizales. According to Paloma, around 300 events are held annually in around 70 locations in Colombia.
Bullfighting originated in the Iberian Peninsula and is still legal in seven other countries – Ecuador, France, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and Venezuela.
Other countries in the region, including Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala, have banned the blood sport.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
