The legal battles over holding bullfights in the largest bullfighting venue in the world: Plaza México, do not end. This Friday afternoon, a collegiate court in Mexico City has finally revoked the provisional suspension that prevented the shows at the Monumental, so the events next Sunday, February 4 and Monday, February 5 will take place. This decision was announced only a couple of hours after a judge admitted the complaint from the company that manages the place, given the provisional suspension promoted by a group of activists. This decision settles, for now, the controversy regarding the two next anniversary dates of the square.
It has been unanimous. The thirteenth Collegiate Circuit Court, in Mexico City, has ruled in favor of bullfights being held on the indicated dates. The same company that manages Plaza México has communicated this in a statement: “These resolutions confirm that the will of a few cannot be imposed on third parties, taking precedence over the applicable rules and rights. In a democratic regime, we all have the right to enjoy and work in an activity that is lawful in the full exercise of our freedoms,” they write.
“We are waiting for you this February 4th and 5th!!! FREEDOM!!!”, the company has published along with the statement of the judicial decision that has admitted its complaint as valid. “Olé. The freedom of the bullfight won, at a good time for all bullfighting fans,” dozens of like-minded users have written in the same tone in response.
This Friday a judge had admitted the complaint of the company – Espectáculos de Monterrey Sociedad Anónima (EMSA) – against the provisional cancellation of the bullfights that federal judge Sandra de Jesús Zúñiga dictated on January 31. The decision added to the history of legal appeals, confrontations and controversy over whether or not spectacles such as bullfighting should continue to exist in Mexico. The claim made by the company was first accepted and then turned over to Judge Gaspar Paulín Mendoza, who had a maximum of 48 hours to present a draft resolution in said case.
The celebrations for the return of bullfighting to the Plaza México, after 20 months of closure, have ended in a tug-of-war between activists, businessmen, detractors and a host of legal resources surrounding the spectacle in the largest plaza in the world. for these types of shows.
On January 11, with a resolution in its favor, the company in charge of the venue presented to the press and fans the posters that make up the reopening season: nine bullfights that will be held between January 28 and March 24, including an anniversary poster and another made only with matadoras. However, on January 31, federal judge Sandra de Jesús Zúñiga suspended the bullfights after accepting an injunction presented by the animal association Todos y Todos por Amor a los Toros and ordered the “immediate suspension” of the bullfighting shows in the Benito Juárez mayor's office.
The judge's ruling appears based on the Animal Protection Law of Mexico City. Article seven of the law does not specifically prohibit bullfighting; except when a complaint is filed, which will leave the decision of whether there is animal abuse in the hands of a court. Zúñiga had postponed until February 7 the ruling on whether there will be a definitive suspension of the bullfights.
Only 24 hours after this decision, the company in charge of the plaza issued a statement in which it reported that it had filed a complaint with the Judiciary for the provisional suspension and mentions “the historic full house last Sunday” as a clear example of that “bullfighting shows are a living manifestation of our traditions,” they said in a statement. “Our team of lawyers will evaluate all possible legal actions so that the company is compensated for the damages that this arbitrary determination causes.”
The legal appeal of complaint that the company issued is the one that has been accepted and on which the decision of the Collegiate Court to give the green light to this weekend's celebrations also weighs.
A long legal road
The suspension of bullfighting in Plaza México had been achieved in 2022, under a protection promoted by the Just Justice civil association. It was until December 6, 2023, when the Supreme Court authorized bullfighting shows again after a year and a half of suspension.
The only show that has been held since the bullfights were authorized was on January 28 — with an attendance of 42,000 people — an event that also brought together protesters who protested against animal abuse on the outskirts of the Monumental.
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