What is the reason for Spanish region Catalans mull bill to ban bullfighting?”
By DANIEL WOOLLS, Associated Press Writer Daniel Woolls, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 18, 9:37 am ET MADRID – A bill to ban bullfighting in the Spanish region of Catalonia cleared its first hurdle Friday as legislators mulled a measure to reject a cultural pillar of traditional Spain. Catalans and their regional capital, Barcelona, consider themselves a country within a country, with their own language and substantial self-rule. Analysts agree that the bill to ban bullfighting is winning support, in part, because of the appeal of outlawing an iconic Spanish sport. The bill began as a petition by grassroots activists who collected 180,000 signatures against the bloodshed and killing of bullfighting. Lawmakers in the Catalan regional parliament voted 67-59 Friday to elevate the bill for debate in few months’ time. If approved, Catalonia would become the second Spanish region to ban bullfighting. The Canary Islands, off Morocco’s coast, did so in 1991. Before Friday’s vote, lawmakers
