The world of bullfighting once again feels threatened. In Montpellier, 13,000 people gathered on Saturday, February 11, on the Charles-de-Gaulle esplanade, at the call of defenders of bullfighting traditions, in response to the publication in The world from a forum entitled “Bullfighting: bullfighting must be reformed and certain archaic practices must be put to an end”.
Launched by Montpellier municipal councilor Eddine Ariztegui, a member of the Animalist Party, the text, published on January 7, opposes the inclusion of bouvine (the Camargue bullfighting traditions) in the intangible cultural heritage of Unesco and denounces the “animal suffering” generated by certain methods, such as ferrade (branding of animals with a hot iron), castration by “bistournage”, i.e. by torsion of the testicles, or even escoussure, cuts inflicted on the ears of bulls to identify them.
Among the 50 signatory personalities, we find the ecologist deputy Julien Bayou or Brigitte Gothière, director of the L214 association.
While the Montpellier event obviously mobilized many beef cattle players from several departments in the south of France, it extended to defending the rural world as a whole, attracting fishermen, hunters and herdsmen (breeders of bulls and horses).
“Rurality is not a geographical point, it is a way of lifeexplains the president of the national federation of hunters, Willy Schraen, present in the procession. Today, there is an accumulation of attacks carried out by a minority of people in the name of radical ecology against fishing, hunting, bullfighting and bouvine, which are nevertheless our French specificities. »
Local elected officials oppose “rurality” to “green dictatorship”
On the banners, slogans such as“Greens, we will have your skin! » don’t do half measures. At the opening of the event, 500 horses ridden by riders in the purest Camargue tradition – one hand on the staff, the other on the bridle – paraded along the esplanade.
“I am here for the preservation of traditions because that is what we pass on to our children”testifies, in the crowd, Isabelle Bakany, 45, follower of “votive festivals”, these village festivals during which Camargue races are organized. “During these festivals, all generations come together. It creates unity in the villages that we need. »
“We don’t need reform.gets angry Thomas Pagnon, president of the Union of young people of Provence and Languedoc. We are already evolving, in particular thanks to technology. Live castration is hardly practiced anymore. The manadiers are up to date on anesthesia. »
In orange jackets, the hunters are visible, alongside representatives of bullfighting cultures, including a few matadors. Local elected officials take turns speaking in front of the compact crowd.
“All aspects of rurality are present”
Laurent Jaoul, mayor of Saint-Brès, a village in the Montpellier metropolitan area, deplores “a green dictatorship” and accuse “these elected signatories of the platform to be the same ones who had hunting banned in Montpellier without any consultation of the hunters. Today, all aspects of rurality are present. We are united, and we are taking action before this becomes a bill”, worries the city councilor. On January 20, a petition to this effect was sent to the Senate by Eddine Aritzegui.
