PALMA
THE island's growing anti-bullfighting and animal rights movement targetted the sleepy village of Fornalutx on Sunday and had to be escorted out of the village by the Guardia Civil for their own safety after local residents mounted a counter protest.
The Anima Naturalis movement chose Fornalutx to mount a special protest because it is the only village on the island which continues to celebrate an annual correbou bull run through the town.
Unlike in Pamplona, for example, in the Fornalutx bull run, the bull is not allowed to run wild and move freely but, instead, is reined in by a long and strong rope, held by a dozen or two of strong young men, thus keeping control over the bull's movements.
However, over recent years that has not been the case and the bull has caused substantial damage to parts of the main square including the fountain.
Anima Naturalis had been granted permission to hold their protest by the Central Government Delegation, unlike the local residents who mounted their own protest.
Tensions rose in the main square as the animal rights campaigners help their protest which included one of the men being painted black and dragged around by a chain to symbolize the bull. However, the locals responded by hurling insults. Some of the animal rights campaigners were even spat on and hit by eggs.
At the end of the protest, with tensions about to boil over, the Guardia Civi decided to escort the campaigners to their vehicles for their own safety.
The eggs and other objects continued to rain down on the animal rights activists and the back window of one of their vehicles was also smashed.
Local mayor, Joan Alberti, accused the campaigners of having deliberately provoked the locals while the coordinator of Anima Naturalis in Majorca, Ismael Lopez, underlined the fact that they had permission, unlike the local residents.