France Takes Bullfighting Off Cultural Heritage List

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Thanks to pressure from animals rights activists, France has removed bullfighting from its cultural heritage list.

Usually it is Spain that comes to mind when the subject of bullfighting is brought up but in southern France, the events, called ‘La Corrida’ are also popular.

In 2011, France even added bullfighting to a list that considered it an “intangible heritage”, which meant it would be protected by UNESCO. Fortunately, however, after animal rights groups protested the protection of the cruel sport, the country has removed it from its website.

According to The Local, a court has ruled that the decision of omitting it from the website means the country has effectively dropped it from its cultural heritage list.

“It is one more step towards the abolition of a barbarism that belongs to another age,” said Roger Lahaha of anti-bullfighting group CRAC Europe who also called the decision “an immense victory.”

CRAC tried to get bullfighting completely banned in France back in 2012 and failed. It plans to continue trying but the main resistance comes from French government Prime Minister Manuel Valls who was born in Spain and has stated he is an avid fan of the sport.

“It’s something I love, it’s part of my family’s culture,” he’s said in the past. “It’s a culture that we have to preserve. We need these roots, we should not tear them out.”

In France, animals are protected from cruelty by law but bullfighting is considered an exception. The local court ruled that this exception still stands even if the sport is not considered a cultural heritage anymore.

Via Breitbart

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