Iconic Osborne bull in Spain has been vandalised again
A local Vox councillor has demanded that those involved "should feel the full force of the law" after the Palestinian flag was painted on it, calling it "an attack on Spanish culture, history and symbols"
Mayte Amorós
Mallorca
Wednesday, 3 September 2025, 14:32
The only iconic Osborne bull on Mallorca in Spain's Balearic Islands, located in the municipality of Algaida, suffered a new act of vandalism during the early hours of 2 September. The famous symbol of Spanish culture was painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
The local hard-right political party Vox councillor in Algaida Miguel Martínez described the incident as "an attack on culture, history and symbols". Martínez said that he will not allow "a few radicals to use vandalism as a political tool, tainting an emblem that belongs to all Spaniards".
Martínez reminded the public that this is not the first time that the bull has suffered vandalism of this type and demanded the immediate intervention of the authorities. "Enough of impunity. We demand that these events be investigated, that those responsible be identified and that they be punished according to the law. Defending our heritage is not an option, it is an obligation," he said.
Martínez reaffirmed Vox's commitment to the protection of this symbol, which he considers an inseparable part of Spanish cultural identity. "While others try to destroy what we are, Vox will continue to defend our symbols, our history and our traditions. The Osborne bull is not to be touched."
The Osborne bull is much more than an advertising symbol: it is a Spanish cultural icon that is judicially protected. In 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that the image is more than a commercial advertisement, as it is integrated into the landscape, and emphasised that "the aesthetic or cultural interest that the region has attributed to the bull's figure should prevail as the reason justifying its preservation".
Despite this, the bull has been vandalised on several occasions: it appeared with a yellow ribbon and the word 'Libertad' ('Freedom') at a pro-independence event; it was dyed in the colours of the LGTB+ flag to celebrate Pride; and it has even been the object of anti-bullfighting graffiti or graffiti against foreign business or land owners with the message: "Rich foreigners, go to hell."
