Why Is This Tiny Theme Park Using a Medieval Bloodsport to Represent Spain?

Mini-Europe is a tourist attraction in Brussels featuring miniature versions of famous European monuments. You may be wondering why we’ve just fired off a letter to the theme park about a burning animal rights issue.

If you check out the exhibit for Spain, you’ll see that the country is represented by a bullring – a place where frightened animals are chased and stabbed to death by armed people. And it’s a place where the majority of modern Spaniards would never venture – a recent survey revealed that 76 per cent of Spaniards show no interest in bullfights. In fact, the region of Catalonia has banned bullfights, as have multiple towns throughout the rest of Spain.

By propping up the notion that bullfighting somehow “represents” Spain, Mini-Europe is doing the Spanish people a grave injustice by tacitly supporting an archaic, bloodthirsty industry. There’s nothing quintessentially Spanish about tormenting animals for entertainment. The country has a rich and varied history, with plenty to celebrate.

In our letter, we ask Mini-Europe to replace the bullring with a monument that would more accurately reflect modern Spain and that all Spanish people could get behind, such as the spectacular Plaza de España in Seville.

If you ever visit Spain, please be sure never to attend a bullfight or bull race. You can also speak out against the EU subsidies that prop up this barbaric industry by sending a message to the European Commission:

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© Lisa Markulla