The summary judge of the administrative court of Montpellier suspended the deliberation of April 11 of the municipal council of Pérols. This authorized the holding of a bullfight on July 15, 2023. “A novillada (…) must be regarded (…) as constituting willful mistreatment of animals criminally punishable by article 521 of the Penal Code, except when there is an uninterrupted local tradition of bullfighting, recall the judges. When this tradition is not established, the organization of this type of event on the territory of a municipality is prohibited. In Pérols, the last bullfight dates back to 2003.
The lawyers of the Hérault commune, located in the metropolis of Montpellier, also evoked the proximity with other cities of bullfighting tradition, to justify this tradition. In Nîmes and Béziers, bullfights have been taking place, interrupted for decades, which attract thousands of aficionados each year. But the court again rejected these explanations. “The commune of Pérols should be regarded (…) as being attached to the demographic whole of Montpellier”, he specifies in his ordinance, rejecting the influence of the cities of Nîmes and Béziers.
“It was inconceivable for a municipality to decide on this step back”
“Given the absence of any uninterrupted local tradition, the municipal council of Pérols could not legally, without disregarding the provisions of article 521 of the Penal Code, authorize, by its deliberation, the holding (…) of a show bullfighting in the municipal bullring”, conclude the judges. The administrative court therefore suspended its holding. The case will be judged on the merits later, in many months. “Year after year, Spanish bullfighting is gradually disappearing from our southern regions, particularly in villages and small towns. It was inconceivable that a municipality decides on this step back after having stopped its Spanish tradition, welcomes the Crac Europe (Radically anti-bullfighting committee). We welcome this court decision, it should make other organizers, nostalgic for a time gone by, want to go back to killing animals for fun. »
If the anti-bullfights sign an important victory there, “the legal battle continues before the judicial court,” specifies the anti-bullfighting alliance, another association at the origin of this interim suspension before the administrative court. The association summoned the bullfighting club Lou Razet de Pérols and the Peliz organization company, before the Montpellier court. This new hearing is set for June 1.