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ICABS calls on Vodafone to drop bullfighting from ad
4 July 2008
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is calling on Vodafone Ireland to drop a bullfighting segment from its current "Roaming" television advert. The offensive scene shows a Vodafone character waving his hands in the air as a matador taunts a bull. In a letter to the company's CEO, Charles Butterworth, ICABS appealed for the advert to be modified to exclude the bullring scene. "Matadors, like the one in the Vodafone ad, are responsible for the slow torture to death of thousands of bulls every year," we told Mr Butterworth. "Each bullfight event sees the merciless killing of six or more bulls. Horseback riders firstly weaken the bull by stabbing its body with sharp lances. To force it to drop its head, spears are then driven into its neck muscles. The cruelty culminates with a stabbing through the heart with a sword."
Incredibly, despite being told of the barbarity of bullfighting and the extreme suffering endured by the bulls, Vodafone responded by defending the inclusion of bullfighting in the advert. Although stressing that the company does not "endorse or support the practice of blood sports", a Vodafone spokesperson went on to claim that bullfighting "is seen as an important part of Spain's tradition and culture". ICABS has told Vodafone that we strongly disagree with this statement, pointing out that over 70 per cent of Spaniards do not support bullfighting. "In modern Spain, bullfighting is widely considered an embarrassment to the country's international image, an anachronism whose demise is not being resisted." we commented. "The idea of bullfighting as a cultural identifier is offensive to most Spaniards." ICABS is disappointed that Vodafone Ireland is defending the bullfighting scene and very surprised that the company is content to allow its reputable image to come anywhere near what is the most appalling animal cruelty - an activity that, we are sure, the majority of Vodafone customers would find abhorrent and unacceptable. Please respond to our urgent action alert now.
ACTION ALERT 1 Please write to Vodafone Ireland and ask for the bullfighting scene to be immediately dropped from the advert.
Ruth Brady
Email: ruth.brady@vodafone.com
Charles Butterworth
Vittorio Colao
Sample Letter
* Note: If you are a Vodafone customer, please mention this in your letter. * Dear Vodafone Ireland, I wish to add my voice to the calls on your company to drop a bullring scene from your "Roaming" television advertisement. Matadors like the one depicted in this ad are responsible for the cruel killing of thousands of bulls every year. The animals suffer slow and agonising deaths in what is considered one of the world's worst examples of animal cruelty. I hope that as a modern and compassionate company, Vodafone will act urgently to drop the bullring scene from the advert and disassociate your brand from this horrendous activity. Thank you. I look forward to your positive response. Yours faithfully, [Name/Location] Photo: The cruelty of bullfighting
Video: Bullfighting Cruelty in Spain
Bullfighting: More information Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition | Links Make a donation to ICABS Please consider making a small donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you.
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