Localidades Galicia Ltd is a Spanish company that represents the ‘plaza
de toros de Las Ventas’ in the east of Madrid, one of the largest and
most popular bullrings in Spain. The company, operated by one Jose
Carril Obiols, sells tickets to a relatively small number of locals as
well as a much larger number of foreign tourists from the USA, Europe,
China and other countries who wish to attend a bullfight. By convincing
gullible tourists that bullfighting is a culture and a sport rather than
just the cowardly act of a few sadists the company is able to make
hundreds of thousands of Euros in profit every year while thousands of
bulls die a slow and painful death as a result.
The bullfighting industry and companies such as Localidades Galicia also
have strong links to the far right in Spain. Extreme right wing parties
such as Vox had matadors as candidates in the recent elections and it
should surprise nobody that people who enjoy torturing non-human animals
to death frequently also hate immigrants, feminists, same sex couples
and really anyone who isn’t a fascist.
Fortunately for decent people who care about justice these people who
promote and profit from violence can no longer do it secretly in the
shadows. The latest fresh leak of client data from Localidades Galicia
covers more than a 12 year period from January 2007 until May 2019 and
includes over 50,000 records. This includes the name, email address and
telephone number of each person who bought a ticket to attend a
bullfight at Las Ventas as well as other data such as the price paid
and the date of the bullfight. The company had previously been hacked in
July of 2017 by hacktivists associated with the Anonymous collective who
defaced the web site with anti-bullfighting messages as well as copying
and then leaking a lot of data.
Today we have made the latest full database available to several
journalists and activist groups. It is our hope that people will use the
leaked database to reach out to and educate those who have fallen for
the bullfighting PR and spin as well as to put pressure on Localidades
Galicia to cease their bloody trade.
As part of an art project and in the tradition of groups such as the Yes
Men we also recently sent out an email to several thousand of the people
in the leaked database, impersonating Localidades Galicia and announcing
that their personal details had been handed over to law enforcement to
assist with an international investigation into animal cruelty. Below we
include the satirical email that was sent out followed by a small sample
of the hundreds of replies that we received. Among those contacted were
all the people who bought tickets in the last few weeks for bullfights
that have not yet happened. Many of these people requested to cancel
their tickets and stated that they would no longer be attending.
#####
Subject: Bullfighting tickets – Law Enforcement Investigation
Dear Customer,
I am writing to inform you that we have recently had to respond to a
request from international law enforcement agencies to turn over the
personal details of all our customers. As you may have seen in the news,
recent legislation agreed by the EU, USA and several other countries
makes it unlawful for citizens to engage in animal cruelty in Spain that
would be illegal in their home country. This most obviously affects
tourists coming to Spain to watch bullfighting.
As part of the Interpol investigation into ‘torture tourism’ Localidades
Galicia Ltd has been compelled by the courts in Madrid to hand over a
copy of our customer database containing full personal details of
everyone who has bought tickets from us. This has been delivered to both
Europol and the FBI on 29th April 2019 in order for a full investigation
to be carried out. We do not expect criminal charges to be filed against
many of our customers in their home countries but as this is a genuine
risk we have decided to inform everyone involved. It is likely that all
of our customers will unfortunately be added to the animal cruelty
register database which is accessible to law enforcement agencies in all
EU countries as well as the USA. It is our advice that each person
affected seeks legal advice in their own country.
Further to the new international regulations, and coinciding with the
sharp decline in the popularity of bullfighting, we are happy to
announce that as of 1st June 2019 we will be selling only tickets to
football matches. We hope that our foreign customers will come to Spain
again but this time to enjoy a real sport.
We would like to apologize for our behavior over the past 15 years which
we now recognize has been unacceptable. We acknowledge that promoting
bullfighting and having links to far right racist political parties such
as Vox has caused immense suffering to the most vulnerable members of
our society.
If you have any questions about the situation please do not hesitate to
contact us by email at galicia@bullfightticketsmadrid.com or call us on
0034 915 319 131.
We thank you for your support in the past and we hope that you, like us,
can now find forms of entertainment that do not rely on the torture of
sentient beings.
Sincerely,
Jose Carril Obiols
Localidades Galicia Ltd of Madrid
#####
Re: Madrid Bullfighting Tickets
From: Malu Caluag <malucaluag@yahoo.com>
Date: Today, 02:59:45 AM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
In light of your very disturbing email, we have decided not to watch the
bullfight. Kindly give us a refund of our tickets was soon as possible.
Thank you.
Malu Caluag
#####
Re: Bullfighting tickets – Law Enforcement Investigation
From: Beverly Tomboc <btomboc@comcast.net>
Date: Today, 01:18:23 PM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
Hello! Are you able to refund our tickets since our jobs prohibit any
possible law enforcement infringement? Thank you!
Tickets purchased for 5/18/2019 at 7pm bullfight
Sent from my iPhone
Beverly Tomboc
#####
Re: Bullfighting tickets – Law Enforcement Investigation
From: Claudette Boulet <cloboulet@videotron.ca>
Date: Today, 01:11:58 PM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
To whom it may concern,
We are very sad and concerned by the present situation and we would have
appreciated being informed before buying the actual tickets.
At no time, we want our names to be added to the animal cruelty register
database and have future problems with law enforcement agencies in all
EU countries as well as the USA. We do travel a lot and therefore it is
mandatory for us not to have any problem with legal authorities.
Thus, we would like to cancel our tickets for the upcoming event of June
1st, 2019 with the refund of the amount already paid.
We also request you to inform the international law enforcement agencies
of our decision not to attend any bullfighting event and to amend your
customer database by removing our names with all our personal details.
Thank you for following up on this matter.
Please acknowledge receipt of the present email.
Yours faithfully,
Claudette Boulet
#####
RE: Bullfighting tickets – Law Enforcement Investigation
From: alec & sharon Dalgleish <harerunner@btinternet.com>
Date: Today, 03:21:56 AM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
Dear Sir or Madam,
I feel obliged to reply to your email, this is the first time that I
have bought tickets from you, to go see the Spanish bullfight, to form
an opinion for myself, on whether I think it (torture tourism) or
(culture).I now find myself having my details passed on to the FBI
because of your political correctness. I presume that in the past you
have been happy to have been making profit from the sale of these
tickets. SHAME ON YOU . I have not given you permission to hand out my
personal details to anyone so therefore you do not have the right to do s=
o.
I await your reply!
A Dalgleish
#####
Re: Madrid Bullfighting Tickets
From: tgranello@libero.it
Date: Today, 08:19:26 AM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
Cc: n.granello <n.granello@studiosardano.it>
=09
Hi,
thank you for the email. I was not informed about this before buying the
ticket (I had preferred actually to know about It before) but thx for
the email. Considering that I took part about something that is legal in
your country, defined by your local regulation and part of your culture,
I hope that I won=E2=80=99t have problems. Anyway I have to say that I=E2=
=80=99m sure
that this kind or sport and lifestyle is not part of my personal being
and that I won=E2=80=99t assist at any other match in the future.
Thank you
Kind regards
#####
Re: Bullfighting tickets – Law Enforcement Investigation
From: Kailey Thurgood <kthurgood@ryerson.ca>
Date: Today, 09:27:20 AM EDT
To: Localidades Galicia
=09
Please stop giving my email out to people.
You don=E2=80=99t have my consent or permission to be giving my email to =
anyone
and all of a sudden I am being spammed with fake emails every single day.=
Remove my email from whatever list you are giving people because it is
illegal. You DO NOT have my consent and it=E2=80=99s infringing on privac=
y laws.
#####
From: ROBERT HALADAY
Date: 05/05/2019 (07:11:52 PM EDT)
To: Localidades Galicia
Cc: Bob Haladay <BobHaladay@comcast.net>
Jose Carril Obiols
Localidades Galicia
Plaza del Carmen, 1, 28013 Madrid, Spain
Thank you for your note yesterday (May 4, 2019), offering a refund of
the cost of the ticket I purchased
on Feb. 19, 2019, for the bullfight scheduled in Las Ventas on June 23.
The relevant details are the following: Cost was 101 Euros; paid with
MasterCard ending in x…1497;
through PayPal listed as *Localidades; receipt number 84973485702226244.
I had asked that the ticket (one) be delivered to Hotel LaPepa Chic on
June 16.
How will you handle the refund? I believe the easiest way for both of
us will be that you credit the same MasterCard with the amount of E101.
Is that possible and agreeable to you? Please let me know and confirm
what method you will use.
Sincerely,
Robert H. Haladay
9808 Denali Rd. NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
87111
1-505/828-0461
R. H. Haladay