Mexico City bullfighting resumes amid protests

Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) — Cheering spectators filled Mexico City’s massive bullfighting arena on Sunday, taking in the capital’s first bloody show since the Supreme Court last month overturned an earlier suspension, as protesters outside the stadium demanded a permanent ban.

Inscribed in the dirt of Mexico’s Monumental Plaza de Toros — the largest bullfighting stadium in the world, with seating for over 41,000 — was the phrase: “Freedom. Bulls, living culture.”

Trampled by the charging bulls and side-stepping matadors, the message slowly faded through the evening.

Sunday’s event, which featured famed Mexican bullfighter Joselito Adame, was the first since a judge in June 2022 ordered an indefinite suspension of the centuries-old practice in Mexico City, agreeing with animal rights activists who had filed suit.

The Supreme Court, however, revoked that decision last month, without a ruling on the merits. Anti-bullfighting groups are hoping for a final decision in their favor in the coming weeks.

“I’m very moved, it’s something I’ve been waiting a long time for,” spectator Alejandra Diaz, a 49-year-old educator, told AFP, stressing the “importance of bullfighting culture.”

Police outside the stadium blocked protesters, some wearing bull masks and covered in blood-red paint, from entering.