Portugal

[PT] Bullfighting Excluded from Daytime TV

IRIS 2008-7:1/29

Helena Sousa

Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho

On the 30 May 2008, the 12º Vara Cível de Lisboa , a Portuguese Court, prohibited the exhibition of the programme “44.ª Corrida TV” (44^th TV bullfighting), scheduled by the Public Service Broadcaster, Rádiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP), for Sunday afternoon (8 June) at 17h00. The Court decided that bullfighting could not be broadcast before 22h30 and without an identifying symbol advising viewers of the violent nature of the programme's content.

In a country with a long tradition of bullfighting, this landmark decision was taken following a complaint of the animal rights association Animal, Associação Nortenha de Intervenção no Mundo Animal . The judicial deliberation has concurred with the Association’s view that bullfighting is a “violent” demonstration and “might negatively influence the development of the personalities of children and young adults”.

The court argued that watching bullfighting on television might lead children and young adults to accept violence against animals as natural and entertaining. Furthermore, making bullfighting available to children on daytime TV goes against the state's educational objectives. The court stated that the protection of animals is a structural value in modern societies and pointed out that the Portuguese state's compulsory children textbooks defend the protection of animals and, in some case, include the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights.

Following the court's decision, the RTP programme “44^th TV bullfighting” was removed from the programming schedule.