Date in Portugal
Clock Icon
Portugal Pulse: Portugal News / Expats Community / Turorial / Listing

“PAN did not rejoice, nor would it ever rejoice, over the death of a young person”

The death of Manuel Trindade, a 22-year-old forcado, after a bullfight at Campo Pequeno in Lisbon, has sparked controversy and even attacks on social media.

Numerous online commentators expressed satisfaction with the young man’s death, prompting Manuel’s mother to write an open letter on the matter.

Some comments were allegedly attributed to members and the party PAN, which led to a denial issued on Facebook.

“In recent hours, false and defamatory information about PAN has been circulating on bullfighting-related pages regarding the tragic death of Manuel Maria Trindade, a 22-year-old who lost his life during a bullfight,” stated PAN in a post where they sought to be “absolutely clear.”

“PAN did not, nor would ever, rejoice in the death of a young person under any circumstances,” the party assured, adding that “at no time […] was the suffering of the family [of the forcado] or those who witnessed this tragedy disrespected.”

PAN advocates “the abolition of bullfighting for ethical reasons and out of respect for life and animal welfare,” emphasizing that “children and young people should not be exposed to this violence, as twice supported by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as entities like the Order of Psychologists.”

“A simple search of our pages or our spokesperson’s interview on NOW clearly shows that there was never any disrespect for the family’s grief. We reaffirm our position with respect and empathy: Empathy for people, for families facing an irreparable loss. Empathy for animals that continue to suffer in bullfights,” the party wrote in the same post, reiterating their conviction that bullfighting should end.

“If episodes like this strengthen our belief that bullfighting should end, yes, they do. But we advocate for our convictions with humanity, respect, and responsibility,” concluded PAN.

“Tradition cannot override the value of human life”

On Tuesday morning, August 26, Inês Sousa Real addressed the issue on the social media platform X.

“From the outset, PAN has been clear that we lament such a tragedy. But what happened only strengthens our conviction that this violent activity should have long been abolished, both for the suffering it causes animals and people,” reiterated the party’s sole deputy.

For Inês Sousa Real, “entertainment, ‘traditions’, or ‘culture’ cannot surpass the value of human life or animal welfare. This ethical and civilizational abnormality that bullfights represent should have already ended in our country.”

The parliamentarian concluded by saying that those who defend bullfighting “lack arguments” and suffer from “fundamentalism and insensitivity,” believing that “everything should remain the same, even in the face of animal suffering and the death of two people.”

Manuel Trindade of the Amadores de São Manços, in Évora, died after being gored by a bull on Friday night at Campo Pequeno in Lisbon.

The young man was gored while performing a bullfighting maneuver on a bull from the Vinhas cattle raising, hitting the boards violently. He was quickly attended to and transported to Hospital de São José, where he died on Saturday morning.

On the same night, a 73-year-old spectator fell ill in the Campo Pequeno stands. According to TouroeOuro, citing a source from the Campo Pequeno company, the man was assisted by Red Cross medics and venue security, but he was later transferred to Hospital de Santa Maria.

He was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and died the same night.

Leave a Reply

Here you can search for anything you want

Everything that is hot also happens in our social networks