Bullfighter, 16, Calls for a “Cultural Come‑Back” in France’s Bull‑Ring Debate
St. Louis‑style or just good ol’ Arles? The 16‑year‑old’s take
Meet Baptiste, a graduate of the Arles bull‑fighting school with a front‑row seat to tradition. He swears that corrida isn’t a “fight” but a dance full of pageantry and grace.
- “It’s a tradition, an art, a dance with the bull,” he says, swaying the crimson muleta like a seasoned symphony conductor.
- He’s among the ~12 students in France who tend to wield the same red cloth while their future matador mentors demonstrate precise moves.
- To Baptiste, the bull’s death is the culmination of a ritual—an “execution” that qualifies as the finale of an ancient performance.
The Politician Who’s Ready to Rewrite the Bill
Enter Aymeric Caron, a left‑wing lawmaker who’s filed a bill to ban bullfighting nationwide. He’s got a firm plan:
- Eliminate the regional exceptions that let Arles and a handful of other cities keep their 1,000‑bull‑a‑year cap.
- Assert that no centuries of history can justify a cruelty that many consider barbaric.
- He’s quoted in the Journal du Dimanche “ A tradition cannot morally justify a practice.”
Public Reaction: A Red‑clad Showdown
Last weekend saw barrios flood into streets across southern France. On one side, the crowds chanting for protection of the art, on the other side, banners proclaiming “Corrida is the execution of a tortured innocent.”
Among the critics, Tiphanie Senmartin Laurent patted her hands and told her listeners, “A large majority of us say halt—torture is no show.”
Pro‑fire‑eaters, like Frédéric Pastor, denied any moral displacement. “It’s 2,000 years of history,” he boasts.
Even the bosses behind the circus: the Arles school president, Yves Lebas, says the prohibition never came close. “People said ‘no.’ Because we’ve never been silenced.”
Money Matters: Booming Bulls or a Curse on Cash?
Nimes—the traditional base of French bullfighting—hosts 14 fireworks‑filled performances annually.
According to the municipality, those events pack in ≈60 million euros per year: money that invests back into the city’s historique heart and gives the bull‑fighters practice funded.
Is Spain Hearing the Same Scream?
Spain, the birthplace of bullfighting, has its own hot‑debate. Catalonia banned it in 2010, only for the Constitutional Court to reverse the ban later, labeling it a “cultural asset.”
Now a new animal‑welfare bill is on the table in the country, but, as the legislators admit, “Bullfighting” isn’t being tackled head‑on. The debate there continues in a vacuum where some say that the bull’s fate should not be pinned to conventional morality.
The proposed bill, coming into debate on Thursday, November 24, signals a turbulent divide in France, with politicians and citizens alike clashing eggs‑hells over whether a 2,000‑year tradition can coexist with modern senses of compassion.
