Colombia lawmakers pass bullfighting ban
Al Jazeera
Blood sport a ‘symbol of identity’ for many, but was losing spectators in recent years amid animal welfare concerns.
Colombia’s Congress has passed legislation banning bullfighting.
Lawmakers passed the bill 93-2 on Tuesday. Activists have spent many years seeking to prohibit the controversial blood sport, which is a centuries-old colonial tradition in the country.
The ban will be phased in over a three-year period, during which the state would be required to help find alternative employment options for the tens of thousands of people directly or indirectly dependent on the sector.
Reporting from Bogota, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said the bill had been greenlighted after “years of strenuous political battles”.
The once popular tradition, introduced by Spanish colonisers, had been “losing fans in recent years” and had turned into a “pastime for a small elite”, he said.
