Paris, September 2012. - At the initiative of French associations CRAC Europe and “Droits des Animaux”, the Constitutional Court of France must rule on September 21, on the whether or not the exemption reflected in Article 521-1 of the Penal Code relating to animal abuse , which authorizes bullfighting on "local traditions" grounds, is constitutional. Bullfights are allowed in some towns in the South of France, in 90% of the remaining French territory, they are considered to be severe mistreatment and cruelty to animals.

The French government or, more precisely, the Minister of the French Home Office, Manuel Valls has not remained neutral as was promised in a letter to CRAC Europe by the President of the Republic, François Hollande. On September 11, just a few hours before the hearing in the Constitutional Court, Valls said that: bullfighting "is a culture that must be preserved” claiming to be a bullfighting aficionado, by family tradition. Still more shocking were his remarks to reporters of the newspaper Midi Libre on September 17: "Several members of the government are bullfighting supporters. We have the ability to block any possible procedure”. No doubt he was referring to the proposal to the Constitutional Court and the bill to remove the unique exemption of bullfighting in the Penal Code that Deputy Geneviève Gaillard plans to submit again to the National Assembly. Mr Valls was born in Barcelona.