Morrissey urges Sánchez to end bullfighting on return to Spain

Morrissey's Latest Spanish Campaign Targets Bullfighting Tradition

A Letter to the Prime Minister

Usagevpn.com – Among the most recognizable faces in contemporary music, Morrissey has consistently integrated his passion for animal welfare into both his public persona and artistic output. The former frontman of The Smiths has once again captured attention in Spain, this time through a formal appeal directed at the nation's leadership. With performances scheduled in Barcelona and Madrid just days away, the British singer-songwriter has dispatched a written message to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, requesting governmental intervention to abolish the centuries-old practice of bullfighting.

The vocalist, who has maintained a vegetarian diet since his teenage years, has spent decades as one of the most vocal advocates for animal rights. In his correspondence, he encourages the Spanish premier to leverage his political "influence" to conclude what he considers a tradition that continues to "tarnish" Spain's reputation on the global stage. The emotional appeal within the letter is clear and direct.

"Please," he writes in the letter, "do something the whole world will love: end this barbarity"

Political Momentum for Change

This personal appeal arrives during a period when bullfighting has re-emerged as a significant topic within Spanish politics. On July 15, a coalition of fifty-two members of parliament formally submitted the citizens' initiative known as "Not My Culture" to the Congress of Deputies. This legislative effort seeks to remove bullfights from their current designation as protected cultural heritage, a status that has shielded the practice from certain regulatory changes.

The initiative has already garnered substantial public support, accumulating more than 715,000 signatures from citizens across the country. PETA, the prominent animal-rights organization, is backing this campaign through an international petition directed specifically at Prime Minister Sánchez. According to the organization, thousands of bulls endure what they describe as "a slow and painful death" within Spanish arenas each year, and they maintain that growing opposition to these spectacles exists both domestically and internationally.

Deep Roots in Morrissey's Artistry

While this current campaign coincides with his Spanish tour, the musician's opposition to bullfighting extends far beyond a temporary promotional gesture. It represents a fundamental element of his creative identity. In 2014, Morrissey released "The Bullfighter Dies," a track that generated considerable discussion among fans and critics alike as part of his album "World Peace Is None of Your Business." The song employs irony to depict the matador, featuring a recurring line that evolved into a personal manifesto: "The bullfighter dies and nobody cries" (in Spanish, 'El torero muere y nadie le llora').

Throughout his extensive career, the artist has utilized numerous platforms—interviews, live performances, and public statements—to criticize meat consumption, industrial farming practices, animal testing, and the spectacle of bullfighting. Demonstrating the depth of his commitment, he even approached the late Pope Francis, requesting a formal public condemnation of bullfighting, a gesture that mirrored actions taken by PETA itself.

A Complex Reputation

For his devoted followers, this unwavering dedication to animal causes forms an inseparable component of his identity. Conversely, his critics view it as further evidence of his propensity to transform ordinary public engagements into sources of controversy. Morrissey's presence in Spain has rarely gone without generating discussion.

Last March, he unexpectedly withdrew from a planned concert in Valencia, attributing his decision to a "catatonic" condition caused by sleep deprivation due to the persistent noise from preparations for the Fallas festival. This explanation reinforced a long-standing perception of him as an artist whose brilliance is matched by his unpredictability. Such incidents are not uncommon; in 2025, he similarly cancelled his appearance at Madrid's Las Noches del Botánico at the eleventh hour for health-related reasons.

According to the specialized platform Muzikalia, Morrissey has accumulated over 350 concert cancellations throughout his decades-long career. Now, even before his latest Spanish performances commence, he has once again succeeded in capturing public attention—not merely for his musical contributions, but for his continued willingness to speak out on matters close to his heart.