Target: Bas Eickhout, Dutch Member of European Parliament who tabled for the end of bullfighting funds
Goal: Praise the European Parliament for voting to end subsidies used for bullfighting.
Bullfighting is a practice that has been around for centuries. It started to become popular in Spain in the 1700s but there are records that show this practice was around as far back as the Roman Empire. Thankfully, as time passes, bullfighting has become less popular with fewer people attending the shows each year. One of the main things keeping bullfighting alive has been EU subsidies that fund bullfighting. Thanks to public outcry and petitions like this one on ForceChange, courageous leaders in the European Parliament have voted to end subsidies used for bullfighting.
Bullfighting causes suffering to bulls and can endanger citizens. Nearly 40,000 bulls are killed each year in bullfights, simply in the name of entertainment. Four hundred and thirty-eight members of the European Parliament out of the 687 members voted to end the subsidies. Dutch Parliament member, Bas Eickhout, was the leader in this fight. This is a huge victory, considering just last year a similar amendment was rejected.
Now, for the funding to truly stop, the amendment must be approved by EU finance ministers. Once they approve this and the amendment becomes a law, bullfighting will lose £100 million in funds annually. Sign this petition and thank Bas Eickhout for all his hard work in the fight against bullfighting.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Bas Eickhout,
Recently, members of the European Parliament met to discuss a number of things, one of them being bullfighting. Bullfighting has been around for quite some time. However, attendance has been dwindling in recent years. One of the main things that keep bullfighting alive are the funds bullfighting receives from the EU. The EU provides about £100 million annually to bullfighting, which is a substantial amount.
Thanks to your hard work and public outcry, 438 members of the European Parliament out of the 687 members voted to end the subsidies. This is a huge victory, especially since a similar amendment was rejected just last year.
I encourage you to keep fighting the good fight and I want to thank you for all your hard work in helping this amendment pass. The bulls and I are very appreciative of the time and effort you have put into this.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Fernando Vergara
Dear Mr. Eickhart, you are an answer to a prayer. Thankyou for all your hard work to get bullfighting on the junk pile where it belongs. There are million things that subsidy money could go to besides torturing living creatures for the “entertainment” of some sick individuals. Keep up your fight, there are many millions of us behind you.
It looks as though this comment is going in as a “reply”, so I should thank Ms. McDonald for her beautiful comment. This is a good start, but we need governments around the world to outlaw bullfighting, with severe penalties involved. (Also dog fighting, cock fighting, etc.)
Please, help European countries to abolish this awful entertainment. THANKS!!!
Animal cruelty is so often about money; I hope this is the beginning of the end of bullfighting. Vielen Danke, merci bien!
YOU ARE A REAL MAN, THANK-YOU!
NEVER MIND CUTTING FUNDS FOR BULL FIGHTING…..STOP GIVING SPAIN ANY MONEY AT ALL FOR THIS BARBARIC ACT OF TORTURE!!!!, ALONG WITH ANY BULL FIGHTERS,THIS IS DIABOLICAL THAT OUR TAXES ARE PAYING FOR THIS HEINOUS ACT OF CRUELTY, CAN YOU IMAGINE THE OUT CRY IF THIS WAS THE U.K?….STOP GIVING THESE MORONS ANY MONEY AT ALL, IT’S OUT RAGES WE ARE PAYING FOR THIS…..WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS AND PAST GOVERNMENTS THAT HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH, MAKE THE SPANISH SEE THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND ONLY THE BLOOD THIRSTY FEW ARE FOR IT, WHEN THE MONEY STOPS SO WILL BULL FIGHTING, A TOTAL BAN HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING THAT’S WHAT THE WORLD WANTS, STOP AND STOP IT NOW ONCE AND FOR ALL.
NOTE: The EU has voted against funding bullfighting. It has NOT banned bullfighting.
It is not clear how it will stop the specific funding for that specific actvity because funding is based on the acreage of the country, not what the land is used for.
The vote could just end up being symbolic.
Thank you deeply for your clear-headed, rational, wise & compassionate decision — this, clearly, is the right thing to do.