Published on
23/07/2026 - 18:35 GMT+2
Few performing artists have made animal-rights activism such an inseparable extension of their career as Morrissey. Even before setting foot on stage, the former Smiths frontman is already making waves in Spain. Just days before shows in Barcelona and Madrid, the British musician has sent a letter to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urging him to push for an end to bullfighting.
The singer, a vegetarian since his teenage years and one of the most outspoken voices for animals over several decades, calls on the head of government to use his "influence" to end a tradition which, in his view, "continues to tarnish" Spain's international image. "Please", he writes in the letter, "do something the whole world will love: bring this barbarity to an end".
The letter, circulated with the backing of animal-rights group PETA, comes at a time when bullfighting has returned to the heart of the political debate. On 15 July, a group of 52 MPs once again lodged in Congress the citizens' initiative (source in Spanish) "No es mi cultura", which calls for bullfighting to be stripped of its status as protected cultural heritage. The proposal had already amassed the support of more than 715,000 signatures.
