Stop glorifying bullfights, Maneka tells Alonso

Animal rights activist and MP Maneka Gandhi has, on behalf of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA, fired off a letter to Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso of Spain, urging him to stop mimicking the motions of a matador confronting a bull while at the podium.

Gandhi points out that bullfighting is a 8216;crude, cruel and cowardly spectacle8217; and attempting to glorify it offends millions of opponents of animal abuse, including people who hold cows in high esteem for religious reasons, around the world.

8216;8216;The torment of a living being and his subsequent stabbing and often slow death, as well as the removal of his ears, is barbaric and no longer acceptable by any humane standards,8217;8217; writes Gandhi. 8216;8216;Even in Spain, awareness is growing fast, and some towns have already banned this crude, cruel and cowardly spectacle.8217;8217;

Bullfights involve deliberate torture and a bloody, painful death for bulls, who are often physically debilitated prior to the fight.