A MOTHER and daughter grabbed the bull by the horns when they stripped off in a near-naked protest against the matador.

Marilyn and Anish Harrison felt so strongly about bullfighting that they decided to join a massive rally in Pamplona, Spain, yesterday.

Originally, Marilyn, 50, had intended to act as caddy, holding her daughter's clothes while she paraded through the streets.

But once the crowds started cheering there was no stopping her and she too joined the 300-strong naked army.

The protest, dubbed Running of the Nudes, was organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

Each year, bulls are allowed to run amok in the streets before being butchered.

Speaking from Spain, Marilyn said: "It went very well. There was a very happy festival atmosphere.

"My daughter and I felt that we had to be here to get the message across to the authorities.

"We were both a little nervous beforehand, but it was fine in the end and we actually enjoyed it.We met a lot of different and interesting people from all over the world."

Protesters had hoped to go completely naked, but earlier riot police had warned them that they faced arrest if they breached strict public decency laws.

Anish, a 24-year-old student and musician, admitted to having a few blushes before the stunt, but added that she was soon at ease.

"The streets were lined with hundreds of people all cheering us on, which really helped," she said.

"I was nervous as I took my top off, but after a while it felt quite natural we were all in it together."

They both feel that their cheeky stunt was worthwhile.

"As we were running through the streets we were giving out leaflets telling people how barbaric bullfighting is," said Anish, who sported a pair of horns and a red scarf especially for the occasion.

"We want people to know that protests do not have to be negative. We had a lot of fun along the way."

This is the third time PETA has organised a human run to coincide with the annual bull run. The charity says electric prods and sharp sticks are used on the animals to make them more aggressive before being let loose.

Kevin Shoesmith