Groups of people with dwarfism dressed as firefighters have long entertained audiences by chasing young bulls without killing them, in shows considered to be comic.

While the numbers of self-styled “dwarf toreros” are dwindling, so-called “dwarf bullfights” can still been seen, especially during festivals honouring a town’s patron saint.

The law approved in parliament on Thursday prohibits “shows or recreational activities in which people with disabilities, or this circumstance, are used to provoke mockery or ridicule from the public”.

It aims to bring Spain in line with European Union directives on discrimination against disabled people.

The country’s Royal Board on Disabilities, which advises the social rights ministry, said Spain had “advanced human rights by banning public shows that humiliated disabled people”.

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The body’s director general, Jesus Martin, said the events “passed the idea to so many girls and boys who go with adults to see these shameful performances that it is ok to laugh at difference”.

But many “dwarf toreros” say they feel respected and appreciated, and that without the shows their livelihood is at stake.

“We are bullfighters, we are artists, enough prohibitions, we don’t want handouts,” one group of “dwarf toreros” called “Amusement in the Arena” wrote on its Facebook page.

A handful of “dwarf bullfight” performers protested outside parliament ahead of the vote on the law to express their opposition to the ban.