The left-wing government led by Pedro Sanchez abolished this reward created in 2011 this Friday, angering bullfight fans and the opposition.
The Spanish left-wing government announced on Friday May 3 the abolition of the national bullfighting prize. A measure applauded by animal defenders but which irritated bullfighting aficionados and the opposition.
“It did not seem relevant to us to maintain a prize which rewards a form of animal abuse” while “a majority of Spaniards are increasingly concerned” about animal welfare, indicated the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, on the La Sexta television channel.
Keeping this prize would be “all the less understood since these forms of animal torture are rewarded with medals which, moreover, are accompanied by an endowment” financed by “public money”, continued the minister, who is member of the far-left Sumar party.
This prize of 30,000 euros, awarded each year, was awarded for the first time in 2013, after being created in 2011 under another left-wing government. Renowned bullfighters have received it, like Julián López, known as “El Juli”, and Enrique Ponce.
The PP promises to restore this price if it returns to power
If bullfights continue to attract enthusiasts in Spain, where the main bullfighters are celebrities, opinion surveys show a decline in interest throughout the country, particularly among young people.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Culture, only 1.9% of Spaniards attended a bullfight during the 2021-2022 season.
The conservative People’s Party (PP), the main opposition party, has promised to reinstate this price if it returns to power.
“Bullfighting is an activity that is part of our culture in Spain, of our traditions, of our identity as a people”, and the suppression of this prize is proof of the “sectarianism of those who govern us”, criticized, in front of the press, the president of the PP group in the Chamber of Deputies, Miguel Tellado.
Several regional governments have announced they will create their own bullfighting prizes, including the socialist-led government of Castile-La Mancha.
The Fighting Bull Foundation (Fundacion del Toro de Lidia), the sector’s main organization, said in a statement that the government “has the obligation to promote and encourage all cultural events, including bullfighting.”
“This measure marks a step in the fight against bullfighting, a controversial practice,” welcomed the animal rights association Animanaturalis.
