recent news relation:
Barcelona bans bullfightingBARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Barcelona became the first city in Spain to ban bullfighting after a massive campaign by animal rights activists against the "cruel practice".
Protests were held in the Catalan capital as councillors took the vote at city hall, with demonstrators waving placards declaring "Barcelona against bullfighting."
Animal rights groups had collected 250,000 signatures from around Europe which they handed in to Barcelona's city hall last month.
The petition was an initiative by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and Spanish animal rights groups, appalled at the killing of dozens of bulls each year at Barcelona's La Monumental bull ring.
While the bullfighting tradition remains popular in major Spanish cities, including the capital Madrid, it raises relatively scant interest in Catalonia, the region covering northeast Spain.
Campaigners are hoping now to convince the regional government in Catalonia to follow Barcelona's move.
