The majority of Spaniards dislike bullfighting but say they do not want it banned

The majority of Spaniards do not like bullfighting but oppose the recent move by Catalonia to ban it, according to a new survey. The poll, commissioned by daily El Pais, showed 58 per cent of respondents believe the Catalan ban was more a rejection of a Spanish tradition than a desire to protect animal rights.

Catalonia, which prides itself on its distinct identity, became Spain’s first major region to prohibit bullfighting last week following a campaign by rights activists.

The poll indicated that 60 per cent of Spaniards do not like bullfighting, 37 per cent do, and three per cent did not answer.

However, 57 per cent of respondents said they opposed Catalonia’s prohibition, while only 30 per cent backed it. The Metroscopia firm questioned 500 people Wednesday and Thursday for the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 per cent.

On Sunday evening some 50 demonstrators for and against the ban chanted slogans and exchanged insults outside Barcelona’s Monumental bullring just moments before the arena was staging its first bullfight since the ban was approved by regional legislators on Wednesday. The ban comes into effect in 2012.

Police stood guard, but there were no incidents reported.

The ban will have more of a symbolic than practical effect, given that bullfighting is not a popular spectacle in Catalonia and the Monumental is the region’s last operating arena.

But the prohibition has irked the bullfighting sector and enraged the conservative opposition Popular Party.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he respected the regional parliament’s decision, but added that he did not think prohibition was a good policy.

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A 17-year-old British private schoolgirl has died 12 days after falling from the seventh floor window of a holiday apartment on the Spanish island of Majorca. Grace Ford was celebrating the end of her A-levels with a holiday in the Spanish party resort of Magaluf, when she plunged 90ft shortly before dawn on Saturday July 20.

The girl, a student at fee-paying Kirkham Grammar, fell while trying to sneak out of a male friend's room in an apartment where visitors were not allowed. It was the first night of her holiday with fellow six-formers.

Miss Ford, from Greenhalgh, near Kirkham, Lancs, had suffered multiple fractures of both legs and her pelvis and had been kept in a drug-induced coma with her parents at her bedside.

She had shown signs of improvement but died on Thursday night at the Son Dureta hospital in the island's capital Palma after reportedly developing an infection.

Friends paid tribute to a "great scholar, horsewoman and athlete".

"She was the most wonderful girl," said family friend Steve Hall. "She was a brilliant scholar, outstanding horsewoman and a fine athlete. Everyone is going to miss her terribly.

"She has fought like a tiger, she has fought it as hard as anyone could," he said.

Carl MacKenzie, joint owner of the Elswick Equestrian Centre near Preston, where Miss Preston stabled her horse, said: "She was a nice happy, friendly girl. She was friendly to everybody and spoke to everybody.

"We're all thinking of her family."

Miss Ford had met British holidaymaker Edward Soppet, 18, on the night of the accident and returned to Torrenova apartment in Punta Ballena where he was staying.

She tried to leave around 5.30am by climbing from the apartment window thinking it led to another part of the building but fell onto a courtyard below.

According to local reports paramedics spent 90 minutes trying to stabilise her at the apartment block before transferring her by ambulance to hospital.

Meanwhile Mr Soppet had gone to bed after helping her out of the window and slept through the incident.

He was later arrested and appeared in court accused of failing to help the victim of an accident but was released without charge.

 

 

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