Although bullfighting has been banned in Catalonia and the Canary Islands, it may just end up being given special ‘cultural status’, a move that would overturn the ban and allow bullfighting in these regions to begin again. Spanish MPs voted on special cultural status for Spanish bullfighting in parliament this week and, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) having a majority, the motion was easily passed 180-40.
Sadly, if bullfighting does end up with cultural status, it just proves some Spaniards are more barbaric than they’d like to admit. After all, it may be an ‘age-old tradition’ but, when a tradition is cruel to animals it should be stopped, if the country wants to be seen as a modern society that is and not a barbaric throw-back.
Weirdly, however, many Spaniards themselves are not interested in going to a bullfight, as can be seen by the falling number of fights even before bans came into effect.Many also support the antitaurina groups, or opposition to bullfighting organizations that are popping up all over Spain.
So it would seem promoting Spanish bullfighting as ‘cultural’ may just be nothing more than yet another attempt by old white men to conserve a culturally barbaric act few younger Spaniards support.
The final vote to give cultural status to bullfighting and then petition the UN to recognize it will likely be held later in 2013.