A sixteenth-century tradition causes a battle in Spain

USPA NEWS - A tradition dating back to the sixteenth century, called Toro de la Vega, sparking a battle Tuesday in Tordesillas, a town in the province of Valladolid in central Spain, between supporters of tradition and animal advocates.

On the feast of Toro de la Vega, a bull is released in the city of Tordesillas, whose streets makes a journey toward a field across the river, the field of honor, where participants chase him and try to spear to death. If the bull escapes the compound, it was pardoned but his physical condition is so bad that must be sacrificed later. According to the associations for the defense of animals, this is a clear case of animal abuse, while supporters argue that the party is a tradition of five centuries and as such must be respected. On Tuesday, when the celebration was held, both sides clashed verbally and physically despite the heavy deployment of Civil Guard, which had increased the number of its troops in anticipation of unrest.

Hunting bull, a bull from neighboring Extremadura, lasted fourteen minutes. The animal walked into a pine forest, trying to escape the spears, but participants at the party chased him and killed him. The tournament was declared void after the failure of three standards, including the animal was killed outside the enclosure so authorized. The show was followed by hundreds of people, while detractors of the party tried to stop hunting without success. One animal advocates chained to a traffic signal to prevent the passage of the lancers, but it was useless. The Civil Guard stopped a bullfighting activist.

The bull was called 'Rompesuelas' and livestock belonged to the frontier of the Brothers of the Count's Court. Supporters of the party argue that hunting the bull has been held in Tordesillas since the sixteenth century and emphasize that the 'hunting' the bull is not illegal. However, in recent years there have been clashes between animal advocates, requiring the application of the laws in Spain punish animal abuse, and the residents of Tordesillas, which are threatening a major source of tourism revenue. Clashes and demonstrations against the Toro de la Vega which this year were held in several Spanish cities, including Madrid.

The controversy has led the Socialist Party PSOE, which governs in Tordesillas, to announce that, if he wins the elections on December 20, prohibit by law the celebration of Toro de la Vega. The PSOE has on its agenda a law more restrictive than the existing animal protection. However, the socialists will not punish the Mayor of Tordesillas, which has the support of their neighbors.