Victory in the case of the bullfight in La Brède: Press release
One Voice had brought legal proceedings against the holding of a bullfight on 20 June in La Brède. In an order dated 18 May, the Administrative Court of Bordeaux suspended the authorisation for this bullfight. This is an important decision for bulls and horses, given that this practice – which is, in principle, banned in France – continues to be tolerated in the name of “tradition” by some local authorities.
On Tuesday, the Bordeaux Administrative Court suspended the decision authorising a bullfight in La Brède on 20 June as part of the local festivities. Alongside Alliance Anticorrida, One Voice, represented by Hélène Thouy’s law firm, challenged the organisation of this event, which is based on the suffering and killing of an animal in front of an audience.
In France, bullfighting is banned, except in certain areas where an “uninterrupted local tradition” can be invoked. However, no bullfights took place in La Brède in 2020, 2021 or 2025. The practice remains, moreover, very marginal in the Gironde region (only one other local authority permits it). Nevertheless, the local authority had planned to provide substantial funding for this event, despite the risk of a deficit and growing public disinterest.
Staged violence in the name of tradition
For One Voice, this suspension is an important step in the fight against a practice from a bygone era.
Muriel Arnal, Chair of One Voice: “Right at the start of the bullfighting season, this is an important step for the bulls and horses and for all those who love them. Bullfighting is an exception – one of the few practices that escape legal condemnation as ‘acts of cruelty to animals’. It is a spectacle that is never harmless, neither for the animals nor for the children who watch it. One Voice will continue its campaign until bullfighting is abolished throughout France.”
One Voice points out that bullfighting is not a ‘fair fight’ but a spectacle in which everything is organised to weaken the bull before it is killed. In July 2025, the organisation released previously unseen footage filmed during the Céret bullfight, revealing an unprecedented display of violence rarely shown to the general public.
With 75 per cent of French people declaring themselves opposed to bullfighting, One Voice is calling for a definitive end to this French exception.
Victory in the case of the bullfight in La Brède: Press release
Victory for One Voice against bullfighting: the event in La Brède in June has been suspended