Riot police on Sunday forcefully dispersed some 750 animal-rights activists attempting to prevent spectators from attending a bullfight in southern France. The protesters had blocked the entrance to the bullfighting arena in Rodhilan, a town near Nimes, carrying banners reading "Bullfighting - Not Art or Culture/Sadism and Torture" and pictures of bloodied bulls.
Several protesters were detained as they were cleared by police but there were no reports of major injuries.
Bullfighting is banned in most of France but is allowed in some southern regions where it is protected as part of local traditions. In a statement on Twitter, one of the groups organising the protest, CRAC Europe, called for local referendums and a vote in France's National Assembly on banning bullfighting throughout the country.
"If nothing happens because of a lack of political will, we will go all the way to stop the massacre of innocents," the group said.
Serious clashes between animal-rights activists and bullfighting fans broke out during a similar protest in Rodhilan in October 2011, when about 60 protesters ran into the ring during a bullfight. Animal-rights groups have long campaigned to have the practice banned throughout the country but last year France's top court ruled that a ban would be unconstitutional.
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