Andalusia, the Valencian Community and Castilla y León oppose the measure: “It is a mistake”
MADRID, 3 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Several Autonomous Communities, such as Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura or the Community of Madrid, have announced their intention to create Bullfighting Awards after the Ministry of Culture’s announcement to eliminate the National Bullfighting Award, while others such as Andalusia, Community Valencia or Castilla y León have opposed the measure adopted by the department of Urtasun, which has argued its decision on the fact that these awards must be “a faithful reflection of the evaluations and feelings of society” as the increase in concern for animal welfare
In this sense, the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, announced this Friday, through the social network ‘X’, that this autonomous community intends to contact the bullfighting sector to create from the region some Bullfighting Awards. “These awards also have the ambition of being able to be coordinated or shared with other autonomies, since we intend for them to have national and international scope,” he detailed.
As reported by the regional government in a press release, the first vice president of the Castilla-La Mancha Executive, José Luis Martínez Guijarro, contacted the Fighting Bull Foundation this Friday “to organize the bases for that award.” “We do not intend for it to be exclusive to our autonomous community, but we are willing to coordinate it and share it with other institutions,” he said.
Along the same lines, they have spoken from the Community of Madrid, where the Minister of the Environment, Interior and Agriculture, Carlos Novillo, has announced that this Community will host the Bullfighting Awards and has advanced that “they are working with the Toro de Lidia Foundation to maintain that award”, with the idea that it continues “with that name” and “the same jury” continues to participate.
“It is terrible news. It is turning our back on what our traditions are, on the identity of our country. One more attack from the Government that wants to dilute the idea of ??Spain so that it disappears,” Novillo said. “We are not going to allow it to be lost,” he reiterated.
Furthermore, he has indicated that the Community of Madrid hopes that “it can be accepted at the national level and that the rest of the autonomous communities also join this initiative”, with the aim that “it is not lost.” As indicated later by the regional government, they will provide support and facilities.
The president of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, has joined the proposal to create new Bullfighting Awards, who has also announced on the social network ‘X’, that he will propose the creation of the ‘Nicanor Villalta’ Award, “in honor to the historic Aragonese bullfighter”, to the best work of the bullfighting season in Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.
Azcón explained that the creation of this award “is a decision agreed upon with the Association of Bullfighting Informants of Aragon, which will be part of the jury.”
The Extremadura Government has also expressed its willingness to assume the call and award of the National Bullfighting Prize eliminated by the Government. Thus, the regional Executive has expressed, through a press release, its “firm support” for the National Festival, “reviled by the Ministry of Culture with its announcement not to call said award for the year 2024.”
From the Valencian Government, the first vice president and Minister of Culture and Sports, Vicente Barrera (Vox), has announced the support of his department to the proposal of the Government of Extremadura to accept the award and has offered “all the support” of the Consell to “protect” him.
Other autonomous communities have shown their discontent with the decision of the Ministry of Culture to suppress the National Bullfighting Award, such as Andalusia, the Valencian Community or Castilla y León.
In this sense, the Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification of the Government of Andalusia, Antonio Sanz, has described this decision as a “monumental error” and “embarrassing spectacle”, while reproaching the Government of Pedro Sánchez. that “turns its back on a historical pillar of” Spanish culture, as well as a “very important economic pillar from which many families live” both in the countryside and in tourism. “Bulls are culture, tourism and economy,” the counselor insisted.
Meanwhile, the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, has described the Ministry’s position as a “joke in bad taste” and has considered that “it is not good news.” “If that is the path that the Government of Spain has decided to go against culture and tradition, it is the wrong path,” said the president, who also described the proposal as “nonsense.”
As for the vice president of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan García-Gallardo, he has defended the promotion of all types of cultural and artistic expression after learning that the Ministry has decided to suppress the National Bullfighting Award. “If the minister doesn’t like bulls, don’t go,” he said.
The vice president has explained that those who occupy positions of public responsibility should not promote issues linked to personal tastes but should work to “widen the cultural space so that people, whatever they are, are people of upper class, lower class, working class, have access to all the cultural manifestations that exist in Spain”.
From Zaragoza, the deputy secretary of Culture and spokesperson for the PP, Borja Sémper, has announced that when the ‘popular’ people reach the Government of Spain, “sooner rather than later”, they will reinstate the National Bullfighting Award. Subsequently, the PP has announced that it will register an initiative in the Senate to request the Government to restore the National Bullfighting Award, as ‘popular’ sources have informed Europa Press.
In this regard, the PP spokesperson in the Senate, Alicia García, has described this decision of the Ministry of Culture as “regrettable and sectarian” and recalled that she herself created the Bullfighting Prize of Castilla y León in 2015.
For their part, from the Executive, several ministers have expressed their support for the Culture decision, such as the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, who has highlighted that this decision is part of a country that “advances in rights” and with ” “increasing sensitivity regarding animal abuse”. “It is a good initiative and a declaration of intentions,” she stressed.
For the leader of Sumar and second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, “the social majority of Spain is already against animal abuse. Not rewarding it makes us a more advanced society,” she stated through the social network ‘X’, while The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has also pointed out through this network that the withdrawal of this award is “an important first step towards a culture without suffering, at the level of a country that advances like Spain.” “You cannot reward animal abuse,” she added.
As for the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, he has indicated that Urtasun’s decision is a “own responsibility” of his department. Precisely, the Minister of Culture has assured that the decision to suppress this award is a decision that “connects” with a “majority” feeling and has assured that traditions must “evolve” so there should not be an award that is related to “animal torture” and is associated with “an investment with public money.” “A majority of Spaniards support the decision I have made today,” he argued.
