(Mexico City) Bullfights are once again suspended in Mexico City three days after their official resumption, by a judge’s decision on Wednesday marking a new stage in a legal battle that has lasted for almost two years.
Tens of thousands of “aficionados” attended the resumption of bullfights on Sunday in the Mexico City bullring, the largest in the world with a capacity of 42,000 seats.
In December, the Supreme Court overturned a first judicial decision of June 2022 which prevented bullfighting shows from being held.
Development on Wednesday: a judge once again suspended bullfighting shows in the Mexican capital.
This new measure, adopted at the request of an animal rights association, will remain in force until February 7, when a hearing is scheduled to decide on a possible ban on bullfighting in Mexico City.
“The provisional suspension is granted so that the responsible authorities refrain from carrying out the acts in question, immediately suspending the bullfighting shows,” the decision states.
The second bullfight of the season was scheduled for next Sunday. Organizers could try to challenge the new blockade.
The court decision also invites the authorities not to grant new authorizations for the rest of the season, which provided for the arrival of stars of the industry such as the French matador Sebastian Castella and the Spaniards Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza and Andy Cartagena.
On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators protested around the capital’s arena against the return of bullfighting in the imposing “plaza”.
Amid the legal controversy, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, who opposes bullfighting, proposed a referendum in the city to decide the future of bullfighting.
Four of Mexico’s 32 states have already banned bullfighting. Other Latin American countries have also debated the issue. Colombia and Ecuador banned the killing of bulls, Venezuela canceled some bullfights, and in Peru the courts ruled against the ban.