BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombian president Gustavo Petro signed a bill Monday banning bullfighting in the South American country, shortening the list of countries where the centuries-old tradition is still legal.
Petro signed the bill in front of hundreds of animal rights activists at a ceremony in Bogota’s bullring after a supporter in a bull costume presented him with a copy of the legislation.
“We cannot tell the world that killing living, sentient beings for entertainment is culture,” Petro said in a speech after signing the bill. “That kind of culture of killing an animal for entertainment would also lead us to kill people for entertainment, because we are animals too.”
The ban on bullfighting was approved by the Colombian Congress in May, after months of heated debate.
The bill calls on the government to completely ban bullfights across the country by 2027 and instructs the government to convert more than a dozen bullrings into cultural and sports venues.
Bullfighting has been held in Colombia since Spanish colonial times, but the sport’s popularity has declined in recent years as attitudes toward animal rights have changed.
Bullfighting enthusiasts in Colombia say the ban violates the rights of minorities to express their cultural heritage. They add that it also jeopardizes the livelihoods of those who make a living from bullfighting, such as matadors, event organizers, traders and ranchers who specialize in breeding the aggressive, 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 the backing of Colombia’s Labor Ministry. Supporters have 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 within those countries have imposed local bans.
Petro has been an opponent of bullfighting since he was mayor of Bogota. In 2012, he revoked a city contract that allowed bullfighting promoters to use the city’s bullring.
Animal rights activists in Colombia had been lobbying Congress to ban bullfighting for two decades, often losing key votes by narrow margins. But in May, they finally pushed through the ban with the help of lawmakers from Petro’s Historic Pact party and votes from some members of centrist and conservative parties.
“For years we have been organizing protests, lobbying Congress, trying 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 with so much violence we can give an example that it is possible to evolve towards a world with more justice, free from cruelty.”
