Mexico City bullfights hit with new suspension days after resumption

A judge has ordered another suspension of bullfighting in Mexico City, days after the controversial tradition resumed amid protests from animal rights activists. 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.