Pamela Anderson denounces Nîmes bullfight

Pamela Anderson has been active in campaigning for animal rights since she rose to prominence in the TV show Baywatch in the 1990s.

“In 2017 there is no reason to harm animals for entertainment. It is cruel and disturbing,” said the 50-year-old Canadian actress.

She spoke out in front of the arena, accompanied by some activists from the Alliance Anti-Corrida and the Fédération des Luttes pour l'Abolition des Corridas (Flac).

Flac states its mission as: “Fighting against all violence, against children, people and animals, both in the arena and in other areas such as bullfighting schools". The organisation gathers public figures to speak out against bullfighting.

"Many people have supported bullfighting in the past. But today, more and more public figures are speaking out against it,” said Flac president Thierry Hély.

Bullfighting, known as la corrida in Spanish, takes place almost all year round in Nîmes and the surrounding area and often leads to a slow and painful death for the bull at the hands of a bullfighter.

The protest photo shows Ms Anderson posing in front of a statue of Christian Montcouquiol, also known as Nimeño II, a French matador who died in 1991.

À Nîmes, Pamela Anderson pose contre la corrida https://t.co/zDVrWqRgLD pic.twitter.com/mRh01qaaK5

— Le Progrès (@Le_Progres) July 22, 2017