PETA MEMBERS GO NAKED AT SPANISH EMBASSY IN WARMUP FOR NUDE ‘RUNNING OF THE BULLS’ PROTEST IN PAMPLONA
PETA Hopes Its ‘Running of the Nudes’ Rally Will Replace Spain’s Cruel Bull Run
For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2006
Contact:
Brandi Valladolid 757-622-7382
Washington
— Waving signs that read, "Stop the Bloody Bullfights!" and wearing nothing but sneakers, undies, plastic bull horns, and red scarves worn during the traditional "Running of the Bulls," PETA members will converge on the Spanish Embassy in Washington on Tuesday in a warmup for PETA’s fifth annual "Running of the Nudes" in Pamplona, Spain, to protest the cruelty of the bull run:Date: Tuesday, June 6
Time: 1-2 p.m.
Place: Outside the Spanish Embassy, 2375 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
With opposition to the annual "Running of the Bulls" and the ensuing killing of the bulls in bullfights mounting throughout Spain and around the world, PETA is pulling out all the stops to recruit nude runners for its humane alternative run, the "Human Race," and the group expects more than 1,000 runners in Pamplona
—double the number of people who participated in last year’s event, which grabbed headlines around the world. Vendors are selling Running of the Nudes T-shirts, and Pamplona bars have snatched up special matchbooks that read, "Run FOR the Bulls!" on the outside and have a sketch of a topless woman on the inside. The naked runners will shower the crowds of spectators with thousands of beads attached to medallions that read, "Join the Human Race—Pamplona 2006."PETA’s festive event promotes a humane alternative to the cruel Running of the Bulls, where the bulls are riled into a frenzy prior to the run, using electric prods and sharp sticks, and tortured and slaughtered in the bullring afterward
—every single day during the weeklong event. In bullfights, bulls are often debilitated with tranquilizers or beatings and blinded by having petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes. Spanish opposition to bullfighting is mounting. After the Barcelona City Council declared Barcelona an anti-bullfighting city in April 2004 in an effort to eventually ban this primitive blood sport, seen by many as a shameful part of Spain’s past and not reflective of a progressive European country, other Spanish towns, including Torello, Calldetenes, and Olot—which has the second-oldest bullring in Spain—followed suit."Tormenting and butchering animals for entertainment is something straight out of the Dark Ages," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Tourists flocking to Pamplona are looking for a thrill, and our Running of the Nudes aims to give them just that
—without harming a hair on a bull’s back."For more information and to view video footage of last year’s Running of the Nudes, please visit RunningOfTheNudes.com.
