5 July 2007

PAMPLONA - Hundreds of animal rights activists, many wearing red scarves and plastic horns, bared almost all in a march through the streets of Pamplona on Thursday to protest the annual running of bulls fiesta.

Chanting such slogans as ''Torture isn't culture,'' and ''Bulls yes! Bullfighters no!'' the protesters attracted the attention of a couple of hundred curious onlookers.

The protest, organized annually by the U.S. animal defense organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or Peta, was held a day before the start of the nine-day San Fermin festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the world.

In the early morning bullruns, which begin Saturday, six bulls are released from a corral and race along a 800-meter (875-yard) route to Pamplona's bullring where they will be challenged by professional bullfighters in the afternoon. The runners dash in front of them in a frenzied race

Protest organizers said 1,000 activists from as many as 30 countries took part in Thursday's demonstration.

Although it is billed as a nude protest, Peta supporters have begun to wear more clothes, so as not to upset some locals or attract too much unwanted attention.

Many of the women participants wore underwear and held round signs with the word bullfighting crossed out to cover their top half.

Noemi Ventura, 28, from Orleans, France, led the march. She wore white underwear and was covered on top by a yellow Peta banner reading ''The Naked Truth: Bullfighting is Cruel.'' She was accompanied by Aida Abas, a 24-year-old dentist from Madrid who said she had recently entered the ''Sexiest Vegetarian in Europe'' competition. They were flanked by muscular blond men.

Belgian Jos Bruynoogha, 55, said the number of topless women definitely made being passionate about animal rights more attractive.

''I like the animals, but I like the people, too,'' he said.

[Copyright AP with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news