Barcelone, April, 5th, 2004

On March 25th 2004, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, WSPA (London), and the Association de Défense des Droits de l'Animal, ADDA, (Barcelona), organised, in front of the Town Hall of Barcelona, the official delivery of the 245 000 letters and signatures gathered from the whole world in favour of declaring Barcelona an anti-corrida city before the Forum Universel des Cultures that will begin next month.

Many associations from Spain and from other countries, including the French FLAC, which had actively collaborated with the campaign "Barcelona Ciudad Antitaurina 2004 ", came from their country of origin to encourage and support this important event.

The demonstration went very well. The many flags and streamers contributed to the cross-border, universal and peaceful feeling of this action, and raised even more interest among the politicians about our demand. The Mayor of Barcelona, M. Joan Clos, who could not be present himself, had delegated his deputee, M. Jordi Portabella, to receive, on his behalf, the letters and signatures from the ADDA and from the WSPA on the name of all the associations that collaborated to the movement, and on behalf of the thousands of citizens who are opposed to corridas and bull-fighting.

Furthermore, M. Jordi Portabella, representing the left-wing party ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya), has publicly declared his oppositon to the corrida during the demonstration. This position was also supported by the htree other political representatives: the ex -MP for Catalonia in Madrid, M. Jordi Marti, the Green Parry representative (ICV, Iniciativa para Catalunya als Verds), Ms Imma Mayol, and Ms Magda Oranich, representing the center-right party CiU (Convergéncia i Unió).

M. Jordi Portabella committed himself to defend the proposition of an anti-corrida Barcelona before the Forum. Let' hope that this day will become history in the anti-Corrida struggle and that Barcelona will be a role-model for cultural and peaceful city.

Barcelona is declared an "anti-corrida city".

Barcelona, April 7, 2004

Dear Friends,

Yesterday April 6, 2004, was a great day for the animals and for those who work for their welfare. Our association ADDA, in partnership with the WSPA, had launched, 2 years ago, a campaign in favour of a corrida-free Barcelona. The opportunity was unique, due to the next celebration (May 2004), in Barcelona of the "Forum Universel des Cultures " (Universal Forum of Cultures) which will last until September, and strives for cultural diversity, peace, sustainable development with the following slogan "Let's work together for the world that we want". Clearly all the people who defend animal rights want a world of peace and free of violence or torture against bulls, which means the abolition of all forms of corrida and bull-fighting.

In March 2002, Demoscopia (one of the biggest poll agency in Spain) did a poll in Calalonia, and one year after in March 2003, in Barcelona with almost identical results showing that a vast majority of Catalonians and Barcelona citizens were against the cruelty of corridas.

The collaboration of all the Catalonia, with help from of the rest of Spain, and from all around the world, in particular from Europe, was instrumental to gather the 245 000 signatures and letters personally addressed to the Mayor Joan Clos ; signatures and letters were publicly remitted in front of the Barcelona Town-hall, on March 25, 2004. And, yesterday, April 6th, 2004, the Barcelona Town-hall Committee created a historical event when the mayor allowed a secret ballot wo as to ensure that all the Town-hall elected representatives could express their opinion freely. The result was 21 votes in favour of an anti-corrida Barcelona, 15 votes against and 2 blank votes. This is a great step toward the abolition of corridas and bull-fighting in Spain, even if the Town-hall of Barcelona doe not have the actual power of banning the corrida in the city : but in effect, we have now enough political weight to demand this ban from the Catalonia Parliament, which is legally entitled to take such a decision. This way, corridas would not only be banned in Barcelona but in all Catalonia. Furthermore Spain being divided in 17 autonomous regions, one can legitimately hope that other regions would follow the same path.

On behalf of ADDA and WSPA, we wish to thank you for your support and help that you have provided to us, enabling us to reach this high number of signatures which has necessarily influenced the Barcelona Town-hall.

The news have rapidly broken out in the media, and lots of people are now aware of this decision.. We would like to ask you a favour now, which is to write a letter to the Mayor of Barcelona in order to congratulate him for this historical decision. You may choose to write, fax or email to
M. Joan Clos
Alcalde de Barcelona
Plaça Sant Jaume s/n
08002 BARCELONA
Espagne
Fax : (0034) 93 317 0139
E-mail : alcalde@bcn.es

Such vitories are so difficult to win that we have to celebrate this one with dignity.

Friendly regards,
Carmen Méndez
President ADDA

Après TOSSA de MAR en 1991
After TOSSA de MAR in 1991,
After BARCELONE on April 6, 2004 ,
Here is TORELLÓ! (12000 inhabitants.)...
The third most important town of the Community of OSONA (Barcelona) has declared itself anti-bullfightinig town by a democratic vote on April 27, 2004.

This follows the decision of the Barcelona Townhall to declare Barcelona an anti-bull-fighting city.

• considering that Torelló participates in the "Forum of the Cultures" 2004 that is held in Barcelona.
• considéring that a nation that welcomes the "Forum of the Cultures" cannot justify the incoherence of having torture and death as an entertainment (even if the "tradition" is several centuries old.)
• considéring that it is our duty to move froward for animal's rights so as to avoid useless suffering, most and ofremost for entertainment, reminding the quotation from Gandhi : " A nation, a civilisation can be assessed through the way they tret their animals. "

For all these reasons, the townhall group of ERC - AM (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya - Acord Municipal) proposes:

1. That the town of Torelló declares itself anti-bull-fight town and animal friendly,
2. That the Torelló townhall will not associate itself to a cruel activity such as bullfighting, or any other entertainment where animals are tortured,
3. That the townhall of Torelló forbids all publication of bullfighting in local official bulletins, as wella s all publication relting to an entertainment including the suffering and death of an animal.
   That this decision will also be respected for all public posting,
4. To invite the Generalitat de Catalogne to forbid bullfighting as well as all entertainment including suffering and death of an animal,
5. adresses this decision to the Barcelona townhall and to the supportive groups that were represented, and to the Government of the Généralitat, to the Catalan parlementary groups, to the FMC and to the ACM as well as to the "Forum des Cultures 2004",
6. so as to publish this agreement in local media.

Ajuntament de Torellò
At. Sr. Alcalde
c/Ges d'avall, 5
E - 08570 TORELLO' (Barcelona)
torello@torello.diba.es

1- Tossa de Mar (1989)
2- Vilamacolum (1991)
3- La Vajol (1991)
4- Calonge (1997)
5- Barcelona (2004)
6- Torelló (2004)
7- Calldetenes (2004)
8- Olot (2004)
9- Ripoll (2004)
10- Tavertet ( 2004)
11- Manlleu (2004)
12- Granollers (2004)
13- Molins de Rei (2004)
14- St Feliu de Llobregat (2004)
15- Badía (2004)
16- Coslada (Madrid)
17- Valis (2004)
18- Bellpuig (2005)
19- Abrera (2005)
20- Sitges (2005)
21- Sant Cugat (2005)
22- Banyoles (2005)
23- Cerdanyola (2006)