The Japan Times - Mexico City bullfights hit with new suspension

The ruling published Wednesday prohibits organizers from staging bullfights until a hearing is held on February 7 on the fate of the centuries-old practice.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of spectators filled the massive Plaza de Toros -- the world's largest bullring -- to cheer on matadors after a 20-month absence.

Outside, protesters wearing bull masks and covered in blood-red paint demanded an end to what they called animal torture.

A judge in June 2022 ordered an indefinite suspension of bullfighting in Mexico City, but the Supreme Court revoked that decision last December, without ruling on the merits.

The latest injunction -- in response to a petition from an animal rights group -- requires organizers to "immediately suspend bullfighting shows" until the February 7 hearing.

Mexico City's next bullfight had been scheduled to take place on Sunday.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has proposed a referendum on the future of bullfighting in the Mexican capital.

So far, only a handful of the country's 32 states have banned the practice, which was brought by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

Y.Ishikawa--JT