The president of the Animalist Party Pacma, Javier Luna, has sent a formal request to the Dénia City Council to not authorize the celebration of the festivities known as Bous a la Mar which are celebrated every year in the context of the festivals from the city. This petition is part of a national campaign denouncing animal suffering and the risks to citizens that these types of shows entail.
PACMA notes that this event has generated numerous controversies over the years. "The bulls are exposed to a hostile environment, with noise, agitation, harassment, and exposure to water, which generates extreme stress that in some cases is fatal," said Luna, who leads the "Throw a Lifebuoy for the Bulls at Sea" campaign.
The Animalist Party has documented several incidents in which animals have lost their lives. One of the most recent occurred in July 2023, when a bull drowned after jumping into the sea. Similar incidents had already been reported in 2012 and 2014.
In addition to animal suffering, PACMA warns of the dangers to people participating in or attending the event. "The combination of frightened animals, people often under the influence of alcohol, and an unsuitable urban environment creates a high-risk scenario for both participants and spectators," the organization states. initial and continuousIn 2022, at least a dozen young people were injured during the celebration, they say.
The party believes that the ongoing controversy surrounding the Bous a la Mar demonstrates that the society has changed and no longer accepts these types of events. Therefore, it proposes that Dénia become a "national benchmark for cultural evolution," replacing these festivities with artistic, musical, and sporting activities that keep the local identity alive without causing animal suffering.
In the letter addressed to the council, PACMA requests that the Bous a la Mar not be authorized in the programming of the parties 2025 or in future editions. It also proposes opening a dialogue table with animal rights organizations and citizens to design ethical alternatives, and suggests that Dénia lead a new model of modern festivities, free from violence and animal abuse.
The bulls belong to the people, not to some crazy people who come to bother us and don't understand anything! Enough with this animal rights fanaticism! And I say this as someone who has/has a dog and two cats.
That's it!!!! Javier Luna, you're from Córdoba!!!! Go fuck your city, leave us alone here with our traditions. We've had enough with last year's cuts.
It's time to do away with bullfighting. It's a barbaric and senseless celebration meant to make the animal suffer. I hope they stop celebrating it for good this year.
Long live the bous to the sea
BRAVO FOR PACMA.
Vixca els bous to the sea and yes to the bous to the sea
Ladies and gentlemen responsible for the Dénia City Council, in a modern and civilized society like ours, this type of spectacle cannot have a place, especially when it is a town with an international tourist projection. I believe Dénia has enough appeal to not be famous for mistreating innocent animals in this way.
I'm from here, and I absolutely disagree with spending public money on this atrocity. They should spend public money on other things, like culture and solidarity, on so many projects abandoned due to a lack of municipal funding, about which people rightly complain so much...
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Enough of using animals for human entertainment and the profit of a few.
If they get bored, they will voluntarily throw themselves in, and if they drown, it will be their responsibility, and surely many of them won't even notice because of the hang-up they usually have...
Enough of spending our tax money on these barbaric celebrations that completely tarnish the image of our city.
This councilor only makes the Marina Alta festival by far the worst every year. The other towns in the Marina Alta don't even pay attention to animal rights activists and don't bother anyone with banners and demonstrations, but in Denia, since we're so conservative, this happens. COUNCILLOR, RESIGN!!
Any cruelty against animals is unnecessary.
A show for hicks!! Using the excuse and money of being a "Festival of National Tourist Interest" AND I SAY IT LOUD AND CLEAR!!!
No tourist, aware of your blood festivities, the abuse of defenseless beings, wants this 'abuse of a living being'. You don't give them any chance to escape the cruel scene! You are not human and you have no brain or heart!
SAN TOXIN. DENIA Why don't we copy light instead of vomit? While Dénia replicates the worst: alcohol, garbage, and noise inherited from Pamplona; while here animals are thrown into the sea or forced to run until they are exhausted; in other parts of the world, it is celebrated with soul.
Today I saw a group of young people using water guns. They were laughing, getting wet, playing... and they did it without alcohol or animals. Why not make that the party? Initiating a water fight would be a thousand times more festive, safer, and healthier.
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW DOES NOT FAVOUR DENIA'S IMAGE AT ALL. TIME WILL TELL... https://lamarina.eldiario.es/2025/07/06/san-toxin-de-denia-la-resaca-disfrazada-de-tradicion-jeane-arte-san-fermin/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLZHgBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFWV1pqSTFMeDk4UTVJN1Y1AR6CDTTJILvPXryQ1GJXVLIggW_zo1VPBPiZ8IxC-szhbhGjD86xt8maBA93uA_aem_Tzcx9MwwcEwHN1JRlL_CoA