Italian minister: Palio horse races are cruel, time to ban them like Spain’s bullfights

Italy minister: Palio races cruel to horses

ROME — Italy’s tourism minister has called for an end to the nation’s popular Palio horse races, likening them to Spain’s bullfights for exploiting animals.

Michela Brambilla’s criticism of the centuries-old tradition was immediately criticized by other politicians, including the mayor of Siena. The graceful Tuscan town draws tens of thousands of visitors each summer with the races running at breakneck speed in the main square.

Horses have been injured and euthanized after slipping on the dirt-covered cobblestone track.

Brambilla says Italy could take a lesson from Spain, where the Catalonia region last month banned bullfights and their blood-soaked pageantry.

Animal rights activists in Italy praised Brambilla, but Palio is a big tourist draw.