Inês Sousa Real, who was speaking in Ponte de Lima, in the district of Viana do Castelo, during a protest action against the tradition of the "Vaca das Cordas" ("Cow of the Ropes"), said that the proposal for a popular consultation will be presented in the week following the European elections.

"After this electoral period, the PAN will submit to the Assembly of the Republic the proposal for a referendum so that Portugal can decide, once and for all, the abolition of bullfighting," she said.

According to Inês Sousa Real, "a recent study by the Catholic University says that more than 70% of Portuguese people are against bullfighting. They want to see the end of these shows that cause suffering to animals. With the Portuguese on the right side of history, on the side of compassion and respect for animals, there is a lack of political will in parliament to respect this same democratic will of the population. Through a referendum, the population will be clearly aligned," she reinforced.

She acknowledged that "issues such as voluntary termination of pregnancy were not approved the first time, but that the clarification and awareness of civil society made it possible to take very strong steps in the protection of women's rights".

The leader of the People-Animals-Nature party, who was accompanying the PAN's top candidate, Pedro Fidalgo Marques, in his campaign for the European elections, welcomed the decision of the television ombudsman not to allow RTP to broadcast bullfights because it goes against animal welfare.

For Inês Sousa Real, "the television ombudsman was, once again, on the right side of history, which is on the side of respect for animals".

"It is an important step to take. Respecting not only animal welfare, but also the reconversion. We do not want to jeopardize anyone's sustainability, but we must, once and for all, look at these activities, put the bulls in the marshes, and invest in sustainable tourism and nature. We are talking about a fantastic animal that we do not want to subject to cruel or undignified treatment, whether in bullfights or even in activities such as the 'Vaca das Cordas'.

The PAN's protest action against the tradition of the 'Vaca das Cordas' consisted of the symbolic cutting of a rope placed on the statue of the Bull, in the historic center of Ponte de Lima.

For the PAN's top candidate, Pedro Fidalgo Marques, "animal exploitation must end" and "animals cannot continue to be used for entertainment".

"It makes no sense at all. It is something that we have to end. Whether it is here [Ponte de Lima], in bullfights or even in Europe. We have to end the support and funds that exist. Some funds come from culture, others from agriculture. Funds from the European Union cannot come for bullfighting activities, for animal exploitation, for this type of torture. As we have said, torture is not culture," he said.

He argued that the European Union "can lead the end of shows with animals", stressing that "there is a clear majority of citizens in the European Union and, in Portugal, who are against these activities and against bullfights".

"This should be the way forward, and citizens should lead by example so that we can end these activities," he added.

The oldest known reference to the 'Vaca das Cordas' dates back to 1646. The tradition takes place on the eve of the Corpus Christi holiday. Instead of a cow, it is a bull that fulfills the tradition. The animal is tied by two ropes and taken to the Mother Church of Ponte de Lima. There it is tied to the iron window of the Bell Tower and given a bath of red wine from the region.

It then makes three turns around the church, always with setbacks and many stumbles among the people who dare to face it, after which it is taken to the extensive sandy area of the village, giving rise to adventures, with races, scares, black knots and stumbles and even amateur face-offs.

[News updated at 18:45]

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