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ARCHIVED - Several people gored in controversial Spanish bull run
Running of the bulls chaos sees seven fighters hospitalised in Pamplona
Bullfighting is an age-old tradition as synonymous with Spain as paella or tapas, and after a two-year pandemic hiatus, the controversial San Fermin bull run has returned to the streets of Pamplona.
By far the most popular event of the northern Spanish week-long festival, thousands of people line the town’s 875-metre course along cobbled streets, where six bulls are released daily to dash to the bullring behind the daredevil fighters.
Once they reach their destination, the animals are then killed by professional bullfighters.
The event has garnered countless detractors, who slam the ‘tradition’ for its cruelty, with PETA describing the fighters as a “terrifying mob” who repeatedly taunt the bulls, forcing them to run to the point of exhaustion before they are eventually “stabbed with multiple weapons.”
The bull run has a notoriously bloody history and since 2016, 16 people have been killed in the name of the sport. On the fifth day of the 2022 festival, the bulls, which were delivered from the Cebada Gago ranch in Cadiz, gored at least three people and since the celebrations began, seven men have been raced to hospital with serious injuries.
Swarms of tourists descend on the streets of Pamplona for the event and while experienced runners try to sprint in front of the furious bulls and keep out of harm’s way, hundreds of novices routinely storm the course, often resulting in horrific injuries.
The controversial tradition dates back to as early as the 13th century and Spanish national TV stations have been televising the event for more than 30 years.
2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Pamplona’s bull ring.
Read also: Man gored to death during bull run in Spain
Images: Archive
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