Mexico City (AFP) – Legislators in Mexico City, home to the world’s largest bullring, voted Tuesday to ban bullfights where the animals are killed or wounded, as opponents and supporters staged rival protests.

The initiative, which was promoted by the capital city’s mayor Clara Brugada, aims to move toward “violence-free” bullfighting events.

Mexico City cannot allow “cruelty as a spectacle, much less the long pain and death of an animal for entertainment,” Brugada said last week.

The vote also bans using sharp objects such as swords, but matadors can use capes and muletas – sticks with red cloth hanging from them.

The ban, which also limits bullfights to 15 minutes for each animal, was approved by 61 votes in favor and one against, the capital’s legislature announced.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum last week threw her support behind the initiative, calling it a “good solution” to maintain jobs in the bullfighting industry while respecting a constitutional reform prohibiting animal abuse.

Bullfighting promoters, however, opposed the ban, saying it threatens a deeply rooted cultural tradition.

Scuffles involving rival demonstrators broke out near the legislature before riot police intervened.

Mexico City is a bastion of bullfighting, and at its heart sits the Plaza de Toros, which has the capacity for more than 40,000 people.

But the capital is also considered a progressive stronghold, and there have been years of legal battles between bullfighting supporters and animal rights activists, who welcomed the ban on wounding the animals.

Anton Aguilar, executive director of Humane World for Animals Mexico, called it “an important step toward eradicating the torment and killing of animals for entertainment.”

At the same time, “it’s important also to acknowledge that a bull event without violence does not mean one without suffering, as bulls will still be subjected to significant and completely unnecessary stress,” he added.

Several of Mexico’s 32 states have banned bullfighting, which was brought by the Spanish conquistadors centuries ago.

Bullfighters point to the economic value of the industry, which generated 80,000 jobs and around $50 million in revenue in 2023, according to figures from the Mexico City legislature.

Among other countries, Ecuador, Spain, France, Mexico, Peru, Portugal and Venezuela still hold bullfighting events.

Colombia last year approved a ban on bullfights starting in 2027, while the killing of animals has been banned in the Ecuadoran capital Quito.