3/29/2012

Protest against cruelty to animals throughout Spain on Sunday, March 25th 2012

Last sunday, 25 March 2012, there were organized demonstrations throughout Spain against animal cruelty and for the strengthening of the penalties imposed on the perpetrators. In Valladolid as well and in the evening between 7 and 8.30 so with the new summertime it was good that it was still light for an hour more.
Last year the interest had not been that big and people were a little nervous, or better tense, to see if it was going to be a bit better this year.
And fortunately it was better. Last year the turnout was about 50 people, but this year the newspaper said about 250 people showed up, so that is a decent increase in numbers.
And that is a good thing because about the mistreatment of animals they can tell you a lot in Spain. Just think about the hunting dogs, galgos for example and the bullruns and if nothing is being done about it, it will probably go on for centuries more.
There were several animal welfare organizations who read manifestos, slogans were chanted and everybody participated, there was an altar with lighted candles in memory of all the innocent animals who died by mistreatment, and it was very emotional to see.




There were a lot of people with protest signs, including a very large one on Tordesillas, a village where because of a "party", a bull is being slaughtered alive by throwing lances into him, gruesome and too horrible for words that people seem to enjoy doing this. But even if we are living in the 21th century, this is still going on with the Spanish government consent. The Spanish government does little to nothing about cruelty to animals so it is often more dangerous to try and help the animals in need, than it is to torture and/or kill them, because then nobody knows about it and nobody will tell.
The press also paid attention and since these protests were throughout Spain, we might hope that we have raised the awareness and we have let those, who have no voice, be heard. But just let us hope that there will be someone listening because for them that is the most important.
But without doubt: till next year!