Animal rights activists rallied outside Tijuana’s Municipal Palace on Tuesday, July 1, demanding the city cancel a bullfight scheduled for Sunday, July 5. The group accused municipal authorities of enabling animal cruelty by issuing a permit for the event. The organization Abogados Animalistas (Animal Rights Lawyers) claimed on social media that a former city official granted the permit, while current administrators deny responsibility for approving it. The dispute has created confusion over who holds the authority to suspend the event with only days to go.
Baja California Banned Bullfighting Once Before
Bullfighting has a long and contentious history in Baja California. Tijuana’s Plaza de Toros Monumental, built in 1962 near Playas de Tijuana, was once among the largest bullrings in the world, seating roughly 21,000 spectators. For decades it drew weekend crowds from both sides of the border. But public sentiment shifted over time, and in 2015 the Baja California state congress voted to ban bullfighting across the state.
That ban did not last. In 2018, the state congress reversed the prohibition under pressure from bullfighting proponents who argued the practice was a protected cultural tradition. Corridas de toros resumed legally in Baja California, though the old Monumental ring had by then fallen into disuse. Events since 2018 have typically taken place in smaller, temporary venues or private plazas.
The legal back-and-forth left Tijuana in an awkward position. The city’s own animal welfare regulations, updated in 2019, include provisions against animal cruelty. But bullfighting, as a state-sanctioned cultural activity, occupies a gray zone. Municipal authorities can regulate events through permit requirements, sanitary inspections, and crowd-safety standards. Yet they lack clear legal standing to ban an activity the state legislature has explicitly allowed.
This jurisdictional tension sits at the center of Tuesday’s protest. Abogados Animalistas, a Tijuana-based legal advocacy group, has argued that municipal officials bear direct responsibility when they approve permits for events the group considers inherently cruel. The organization has filed legal challenges against bullfighting permits in previous years, seeking to force the question into court.
Former Official Named in Permit Dispute
The permit controversy adds a political layer to the legal debate. Abogados Animalistas alleged that the permit for the July 5 corrida was signed by a former municipal official before that person left office. The group did not publicly name the official in the source reporting, but the claim implies the approval may have occurred during a transition period between administrations.
Current Tijuana city officials, including those in the office of Arnulfo Guerrero, have denied granting the permit. Guerrero’s office stated that the current administration did not authorize the event. That creates an unusual situation: a bullfight apparently permitted by someone no longer in a position of authority, with the current government distancing itself from the decision.
Whether the permit remains valid despite the change in officeholders is an open question. Mexican municipal law generally treats permits as administrative acts that survive personnel changes unless formally revoked. So even if the current administration disagrees with the approval, canceling it could require a formal legal process rather than a simple executive decision.
Sunday Event Still On as of Wednesday
As of Wednesday, July 2, there is no public indication that the July 5 bullfight has been canceled or suspended. The protesters outside Municipal Palace numbered several dozen, carrying signs and chanting slogans against what they called complicity in animal abuse. Abogados Animalistas has pledged to pursue legal action to block the event, though no court filing has been publicly confirmed.
Anyone planning to attend or avoid the area around the event venue on Sunday should monitor local developments closely. If Abogados Animalistas secures a court injunction, the cancellation could come with very short notice, potentially the day before or even the morning of the event. Traffic and police presence near the venue may increase regardless of the outcome.
Baja California’s state congress has not taken up new bullfighting legislation in 2026. The next scheduled session begins in September, and animal welfare groups have said they plan to push for a renewed statewide ban. The July 5 event, if it proceeds, will likely become a focal point in that campaign. Reporting on the permit dispute and Tuesday’s protest was first published by Zeta Tijuana.