Bildu mayor of San Sebastián moots bullfighting ban in northern city
Bildu politician announces he is not planning on renewing license for bullring operator
Moves are being made in San Sebastián City Hall to prevent bullfights being held in the Basque city on ethical grounds.
The municipal council is controlled by the radical left-wing, pro-independence abertzale Bildu group, which is opposed to what is known as la fiesta nacional. "There is an anti-bullfighting argument that this council subscribes to 100 percent, which says the death and suffering of an animal should not be made into a spectacle," city mayor Juan Karlos Izagirre said Monday.
Izagirre said the city does not plan to renew the license of the company that has the right to exploit San Sebastián's bullring when it expires this year.
Bildu will need the support of other parties to force a ban. The Socialist Party and the Popular Party have indicated support for continuing bullfights, while the center-right PNV nationalist group has given its members in the city assembly a free vote on the issue.
