Santafermines, the annual town festival in honor of Saint Firmin the Elder, is currently taking place again. The most famous part is the bullfight through the streets of Pamplona. A number of runners have been injured this year, with seven men injured on Monday morning alone. A fighting bull took one of the men by the horns. He and the others who suffered bruises were taken to a hospital, state TV broadcaster RTVE reported. Since Friday, a total of 22 runners have been injured in the event, which is as famous as it is controversial. Dozens of runners are injured every year in the courage tests of the predominantly young men over the 825-meter-long route. There have been 16 fatalities since 1924, the last in 2009. There are eight runs in total.
Animal rights activists complain that for the animals the bull hunt is actually nothing more than a panic flight through the crowds, which are completely unfamiliar to them. Like bullfighting, it is animal cruelty that must end.