Mallorca, 2019. After two years, bullfights have returned to the Balearic Islands' capital, Palma de Mallorca, sparking opposition protests. Fans of the tradition reportedly responded by playings songs including the Spanish anthem and giving the fascist salute. The video below appears to show a loudspeaker playing Cara al Sol, a Franco-era anthem, outside the stadium.
In 2017, the Parliament of the Balearic Islands had passed a "law on the regulation of bullfights and the protection of the animals of the Balearic Islands". Last December, however, the Constitutional Court struck down the articles which banned harming or killing bulls for entertainment.
At least 300 animal rights protesters opposed yesterday's first fight of the return; pro-bullfight protesters defended them as part of Spain's culture and a "national festival".
The first place in Spain bullfights were de facto banned was on the Canary Islands in 1991. A ban came into force in Catalonia in 2012; it was overturned by the Constitutional Court in 2016, but no new fights have yet been held. The running of the bulls (correbous), in which the animals are not killed, remains legal and common, however.
Unidas Podemos protests
Following reports about yesterday's event, left-wing party Unidas Podemos has criticised the "disgraceful public spectacle of glorifying and apologism for Francoism". Referring to the playing of Cara al sol, they have urged the relevant authorities to take the appropriate action in response to this "insult towards the victims of the dictatorship and their families".