A Spanish matador has come under fire after pictures emerged of him fighting bulls while holding his baby daughter in his arms.
In a move that has outraged parents and animal-activists alike Francisco “Fran” Rivera Ordonez used his Instagram account to brag about his five-month-old daughter’s “debut” in the ring.
The caption in Spanish reads:
“There is no safer place for her to be than in my arms. Carmen’s debut. She’s the fifth generation of bullfighters in our family. My grandfather and my father were bullfighters. My father did this with me, and I have done it with my daughter Cayetana and now with Carmen.”
The Spanish bullfighter was widely condemned for his actions and the case has been referred to prosecutors after the Andalusia’s Ombudsman for Children’s office said it showed a “situation of unnecessary risk to a minor”.
“We hope that such behaviour is not repeated and that the social media reaction ensures that it is not accepted as normal,” the ombudsman’s office said in a statement (in Spanish).
But fellow bullfighters are standing by Fran – who is widely recognised as one of Spain’s most popular matadors – and posting their own pictures of themselves with children in the ring.
“What’s the problem in showing our children a profession that we love and is filled with values?” tweeted bullfighter Manuel El Cordobés Díaz.
“With my nephew in support of @paquirri74,” tweeted Álvaro Oliver. “Respect our life, respect our values.”
“With my wife Elisabet Pinero’s permission, I’m sending my support to @paquirri74 with this photo with Rodrigo taken three days ago,” tweeted Andres Sanchez.
Mr Rivera, who reportedly missed the birth of his daughter because he was recovering from being gored in the stomach by a bull in August 2015, later posted a picture of himself as a young child with his father in the ring.
He captioned the shot: “History repeats itself. The best legacy alive, feeling, purity, honour.”
Fran’s father, known across Spain as Paquirri, was gored to death by a bull in 1984, at the age of 36.
Let’s hope bringing babies into the ring isn’t another sick twist in the gruesome “sport” of bull fighting.
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