The death of a bull last weekend during a bullfighting show in Brihuega in Guadalajara province has once again generated controversy and debate about this type of event.

The animal, named Campanito, managed to escape from a contest that was being held in the town's bullring. After a mad dash through the streets of the town, goring two people in the process, he lost his life when he was hit by a car that was chasing him at full speed.

As a result of the event, PACMA, the Animalist Party against the Mistreatment of Animals, has demanded a thorough investigation of what happened.

The political party has also filed a criminal complaint for what it considers "the brutal execution of an animal that only wanted to save its own life and was terrified in the middle of the night" and has called for the banning of bullfighting "because it is full of violence, death and cruelty.”

The regional coordinator of Podemos in Castilla-La Mancha, José Luis García Gascón, has also described what happened in Brihuega as a "medieval spectacle" and has asked the regional government to clarify responsibilities. In his opinion, "entertainment through animal torture cannot be normalised and the incident that happened in Brihuega cannot go unpunished."

In his flight, Campanito gored two men aged 63 and 74 who had to be treated at the Guadalajara University Hospital. For this reason, the political groups question the safety and soundness of the bullring. They also suggest that the bull's death could have been prevented if it had been immobilised with a sedative.

The Platform for the Defence of the Brihuega Encierro has also condemned the method used to stop the escaped bull and said that "these individuals do not represent anyone from the world of the bullfighting or the town of Brihuega." However, it also points out that "people's lives will always be above that of an animal" in reference to the two people injured.