Ricky Gervais spoke out about bullfighting after the eighth death this summer |
A BLOODY bullfighting festival has seen four men killed in the barbaric pursuit in just three days - with fans of the besieged beasts suggesting the victims have got what they deserve.
Two horrifying videos have emerged of the brutal killings, which included a local councillor and a soldier.
Miguel Ruiz Perez, 29, was gored in the abdomen after slipping in the ring to become the latest victim of a bull.
The killing, at Lerin in Navarra, northern Spain last night, was caught on camera by a spectator and posted on Youtube.
***WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT***
The crowd at the event watch in horror as his devastated team mates rushed to his aid and had to carry his lifeless body out of the ring.
But others have been less sympathetic to the victim.
Comedian and animal rights activist Ricky Gervais took to Facebook to say of the video: "Neither I nor any bull wants you to fight it. But if you insist I hope it defends itself.
"F*** anyone who tortures an animal for fun. Ban cruel sports."
His diatribe received wide backing from fans on social media with one gloating "This is animal cruelty at its best".
Mr Perez, a soldier, was taking part in an exhibition involving athletes called recortadores.
He was attacked by the baby bull after losing his balance and falling over as he tried to dodge the animal as part of the show.
Neither I nor any bull wants you to fight it. But if you insist I hope it defends itself
He was horned in the stomach whilst trapped against wooden fencing around the bull ring as he tried to reach safety.
The video shows him being carried to an unmanned ambulance while fellow bullfighters desperately look for paramedics.
Doctors later pronounced him dead after he was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in nearby Pamplona where those injured during the famous Running of the Bulls or San Fermin festival in July are treated.
The tragedy took the number of victims of the bulls during Spanish summer festivals over the weekend to four.
Jose Alberto Penas, a local councillor in Traspinedo, Valladolid, bled to death after being gored during a San-Fermin-style bull run in nearby Penafiel on Saturday morning.
He was cornered after bumping into another man and losing his balance when the animal suddenly changed direction and charged runners behind it.
That death was also broadcast on YouTube.
An unnamed 32-year-old from Valencia died around 8pm on Friday in Museros, just north of Valencia on Spain's east coast.
He was horned in the back as he tried to reach safety through a gap in metal railings erected around the area where bulls are set free as part of the towns annual festivities.
He was tossed in the air like a rag doll before being dumped on the ground.
Just after midnight on Friday, lottery seller Rafael Minano died in hospital in Murcia, 140 miles south, after a bull severed his femoral artery during a packed run in the nearby town of Blanca.
It takes the death toll from being gored by bulls to eight during festivals throughout July and August.
Among the other deaths was an 89-year-old in Alicante and a 44-year-old French tourist in the same province.
Festival organisers are due to make a decision on whether they should continue.
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