The Madrid Ecologist Platform, the Empathy Association, and the Platform No to Hunting (NAC) have joined forces to convene the first joint demonstration of the environmental and animal rights movement in the Community of Madrid. The main objective is to express their rejection of the Hunting and River Fishing Law project currently being processed in the Assembly of Madrid.

The organizations criticize that the new regulation, intended to replace the 1970 law, primarily serves the interests of the hunting lobby. They point out that this sector, despite representing only 0.63% of the population, operates in over 70% of Madrid's territory.

Among the most controversial points of the law that have prompted the protest are the increase in huntable species from 24 to 31, the opening of all days of the year for big game hunting, and the extension of the small game season, eliminating rest periods for wildlife. Furthermore, the use of drones, thermal devices, and night vision scopes is authorized, and practices like hunting with decoys or partridge with call-birds are being reinstated, excluding hunting packs (up to 500 dogs per hunt) from animal protection regulations. The law also imposes access restrictions for non-hunters on public roads and riverbanks during hunting days.

The organizing entities denounce that the Regional Government has ignored civil society, focusing exclusively on the demands of the hunting sector. Therefore, the call is open not only to environmental and animal rights groups but also to hikers, cyclists, photographers, and residents of rural municipalities who advocate for peaceful use of natural spaces.

The demonstration is scheduled for this Saturday, May 30th, starting at 12:00 PM, from Plaza del Callao. The route will conclude with stops in front of the headquarters of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, at Puerta del Sol, and the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior.