Catalan ban on bullfighting, many claim this is about separatism, not animal rights

2010-07-29

An interesting event occurred today in the Catalan parliament, which, whilst it may seem to have little effect on the Region of Murcia directly, will nontheless be the topic of heated debates in this region for months to come.

The Catalan Parliament today voted to ban bullfighting completely from January 2012, a controversial decision, which, whilst many say was inevitable, is an enormous decision for the government to make, and one which could be of major importance to those who are looking at the wider picture, not the picture of a changing mentality towards the future of bullfighting, but towards the question of the Spanish national identity, and more critically, the separatist movements.

The vote for a total ban was carried by 68 to 55, with 9 abstentions, ending more than 200 years of bullfighting tradition, signaling the closure of Barcelonas' last remaining bullring.

The political manoeuvring has already begun, as the regional parliament was packed today with media, the eyes of the world interested to witness this event which will undoubtedly go down in history as a turning point in modern Spanish history.

The President of Cataluna, Jose Montilla declared that the move to push through this legislation had not been engineered by the government, but the Plataforma Prou, which had campaigned for a complete ban, "The government has not pushed this law through, " he said, " I voted against the prohibition because I believe in liberty. I respect the decision, and lament the pretension of those who want to use this debate as a thermometer for the relationship between this region and Spain."

The majority of political parties expressed roughly the same sentiments, although all denying that the debate over the bullfighting had anything to do with a debate over the Spanish identity or the future of the Spanish nation, "We're not looking for a debate about national identity where there isn't one, today we have taken a moral step forward to being a better society, " said Joan Puigcercos, president of the ERC.

 

Only the PP expressed an alternative point of view, " Today is a sad day, because a tradition of many centuries has been wiped out today, " said Alicia Sanchez Camacho, president of the catalan PP, " Today a ban has won out over liberty. The theme of animal arguments has been used to break down that which we share, Catalans and Spaniards. We live in complicated times."

And she then stated that the PP would push for the bullfighting fiesta of Barcelona to be declared " de interes general cultural" of general cultural interest, a move which would then bring the bullfight under the control of culture, meaning that it's existence and operation fell out of the jurisdiction of Parliament and it could continue as being of cultural interest.

 

The Region of Murcia has a strong bullfighting tradition, and many corridas take place here throughout the year. This weekend there is a fairly major event in Calasparra, North Murcia, as part of their local fiestas.

Ramon Luis Valcarcel, the PP President of our region, today gave his full support and backing for the murcian tradition of bullfighting.

"In Murcia we have already spent several months initiating the process to declare our bullfighting of BIC status, BIC being Bien de Interes Cultural, of cultural interest.

He also said that in his opinion, this is just an " artificial argument.They're not seeking protection for the bulls, this is absolutely false. This is a nationalist offensive on spanishness, they are attacking the Spanish identity."

 

The vice secretary of the PP, Teresa Moreno, said, "this is not an initiative which fights for the protection of animals, as they've tried to make out, but an electoral manifestation, which wants to eliminate any cultural or artistic demonstration which unifies our country.

 

Reaction from non-political parties is predictably mixed. Animal rights campaigners such as Brigitte Bardot are delighted with the decision, whilst the pro-bullfighting camp are angry and feel let down by the system." Nobody is compelled to go to bullfights, but equally nobody should be prohibited from going to them if they want to."

 

It's interesting to see that much of the video footage showing on the media tonight is about the confrontation between the pro and anti  protestors outside the parliament today, symbolically pouring wine over themselves to represent the blood of the bulls. Several of the media pictures up for sale tonight are of exultant animal rights protestors following the announcement, many of whom don't look remotely Spanish, which of course, will just add fuel to the fires already burning.

 

Today is a momentous day in the history of Spain, signaling an end and a beginning, but the beginning of what is the question which should undoubtedly concern us most as Spain struggles to remain Spanish, and fights with itself and it's own diversity to remain a nation and not a collection of regions, each with it's own identity and it's own direction.

There's a haunting little poem we found which sums up the attitude which is at the heart of all this,

 

No hay tierra como mi tierra

Ni cielo como mi cielo

No hay Rio como mi Tormes

Ni pueblo como mi pueblo

 

There's no earth like my earth (land)

Nor sky like my sky

There's no other river like my Tormes

Or town like my town

 

This fierce pride is what defines this nation, each believing his own is the best. The loss of these traditions is changing attitudes towards what Spain is, and diluting a sense of national pride.

And you were here when this happened.

This is just the beginning.

 

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