BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombian president Gustavo Pedro signed a bill Monday that bans bullfighting in the South American country, further narrowing the short list of nations around the world where the centuries-old tradition is still legal.
Petro signed it in front of hundreds of animal rights activists during a ceremony held in Bogotá’s bullring, after a supporter dressed as a bull handed him a copy of the legislation.
“We cannot tell the world that killing living and sentient beings for entertainment is culture,” Petro said in a speech after signing the bill. “This kind of culture of killing an animal for entertainment would also lead us to kill human beings for entertainment, because we are also animals.”
The ban on bullfighting was approved by Colombia’s Congress in May after months of heated debate.
The bill calls on the government to completely ban bullfighting nationwide by 2027 and orders the government to transform more than a dozen bullrings into cultural and sporting venues.
Bullfighting has been taking place in Colombia since Spanish colonial times. But the sport’s popularity has waned in recent years as views on animal rights have changed.
Bullfighting aficionados in Colombia argue that the ban violates the rights of minorities to express their cultural heritage. They add that it also puts at risk the livelihoods of those who make a living from bullfighting, such as matadors, event promoters, traders and livestock farmers who specialize in breeding the aggressive and muscular animals used in bullfighting.
On Monday, pro-bullfighting groups launched a social media campaign in support of the tradition, saying the bill was passed without support from Colombia’s Ministry of Labor. Supporters also said they will challenge the law in Colombia’s Constitutional Court.
Only seven countries now allow bullfighting: Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. However, some municipal and regional governments in these countries have imposed local bans.
Petro has been an opponent of bullfighting since he was mayor of Bogotá. In 2012, he revoked a city contract that allowed promoters of bullfighting events to use the city’s bullfighting arena.
Animal rights activists in Colombia have been lobbying Congress to ban bullfighting for two decades, often losing important votes by narrow margins. But in May, they finally carried out the ban with the help of lawmakers from Petro’s Historic Pact Party and votes from some members of centrist and conservative parties.
“For many years we have held protests, lobbied Congress and tried to win the hearts of the Colombian people,” said Chucho Merchan, a vegan activist and musician who spoke at Monday’s event. “So that in this country that has so much violence, we can set an example that it is possible to evolve towards a world with more justice, that is free from cruelty.”
