However, Rull denied the charles woodson jersey drive to do away with bullfighting is anti-Spanish, insisting it is simply a case of a society whose values have evolved and likening Catalonia's possible move to Britain outlawing fox hunting with hounds in 2004.

"Was that an exercise in rejecting English, British and Scottish roots? No," Rull said from Barcelona.

Bullfighting may have been popular in Catalonia decades ago -- Barcelona once boasted three bullrings -- but tastes have changed and for most Catalans today, Rull said, "the suffering and death of a living being cannot be turned into a public spectacle."

Josefina Elias, president ray ban of a Barcelona-based polling firm called Instituto Opina, said Catalan nationalism plays at least a part in the campaign to ban bullfighting, but predicted that the 'fiesta nacional' will ultimately survive the vote for economic reasons.

She said Catalans are pragmatic and business-minded and will not want to lose revenue from tourists drawn to take in a bullfight when they visit Spain's most popular vacation region -- even if some leave the ring appalled by the blood and gore. The hospitality industry has pressured lawmakers to reject the ban.

"In this debate, I Tiffany rings think the economic factor will prevail," Elias said.

For many Spanish conservatives and bullfighting aficionados, the proposed ban is an outright slap in the face to the rest of Spain.

The Catalan Socialists originally planned to vote en masse in favor of preserving bullfights, but changed their mind last week, partly out of anger over the court ruling cutting back the self-rule charter, the pro-bullfighting newspaper El Mundo said Tuesday.

"The idea is not to protect animals from mistreatment," it said in an editorial, "but rather to keep severing cultural links that can identify Catalonia with the rest of Spain."