It is inconceivable that the President of the Spanish Government (the current one or any other) would choose for the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture a person who has made a public statement of his direct rejection of a first-class cultural sector; Spanish cinema, for example. It is inconceivable that a person who has declared that Spanish cinema is an unacceptable, cruel and despicable activity – the parable continues – is called upon to defend it. That would be a contradiction in terms and would also reveal that whoever appointed him – the current president or anyone else – is the sector’s first enemy.
It is undoubtedly a fiction, unsuitable for a mediocre screenwriter, clearly illogical, beyond all reason and unacceptable in today’s Spain. That is, it does not seem that there could be anyone who could commit such an outrage.
But it happened (reality always exceeds fiction), and not in the cinema, but in bullfighting. It turns out that a man who expresses his radical opposition to bullfighting, which he called “an unfair, sadistic and despicable activity” before becoming minister, has been elected to the Ministry of Culture, and now he has no scruples more, quite normal, however, by maintaining his unreserved rejection.
The president was probably right to appoint this man of merit as minister, and he is doing the same by proclaiming his anti-bullfighting from the rooftops, but neither of them misses a relevant detail. Both have sworn or promised to uphold and enforce the Constitution from which all laws flow. These include Law 18/2013, which regulates bullfighting as a cultural heritage of this country.
No one with a modicum of common sense could agree with animal abuse, but confusing it with the bullfighting festival would require calm reflection.
The citizen who directs culture may be against bullfighting, but not the minister; and above all, it cannot renounce its obligation to “ensure the preservation of bullfighting and promote its enrichment”, as the third article of the above-mentioned norm states.
That means if the minister doesn’t follow the law, he’s doing something illegal, and someone could and should hold him to account.
A few days ago, the minister said in this newspaper that “there is an essential and primary right: the right to freedom of expression,” adding: “When we talk about cultural rights, we refer above all to the right to creation.” : As a citizen, you have the right to create and your country gives you access to artistic creation.”
He logically did not refer to cops, which he does not consider a culture, and concluded with two interesting sentences. The first: “A large majority of society does not agree with animal cruelty.” No one with a modicum of common sense can agree with animal abuse, but it would be necessary to open a serious debate on this issue, covering, for example, human abuse, violence on television, video games (educational or violent?). , on animalism (modernity or barbarism?) and on the social consequences of a misunderstanding of mascots (a new form of love or tyranny?). Conflating the bullfighting festival with abuse in our society requires at least calm analysis.
And secondly, “I have decided,” the minister added, “not to award a Fine Arts Medal to anyone involved in activities involving animal abuse.” Well, that is an unfair and probably illegal decision , because it does not respect the royal decree that regulates the award of this prize, which literally states that “it is awarded to honor people and organizations that have distinguished themselves in the field of artistic creation.” and cultural.” But since the minister himself believes that bullfighting is not a culture, he does not grant its creators any awards.
By the way, will there be a National Bullfighting Award this year? Will the Toro de Lidia Foundation receive the grant of 35,000 euros that Culture has granted it since 2019?
Of course, there is a simple solution to this dilemma: repeal the 2013 law and ban bullfighting.
In the same interview, the minister is asked whether his anti-cop position will impact his management, but the politician changes course and remains silent.
Maybe, because it won’t be easy to take the bull by the horns, interfere in public opinion and put the finishing touches to the party. It can’t be easy to take the world by storm, accelerating the action of harassment and destruction and exposing yourself to a serious mess.
Serious election chaos, you know? However, if the minister believes that bullfights are cruelty to animals and that a large majority of society is against the festival, there would be no problem banning bullfights at a time when the government also has a parliamentary majority in favor of it.
But it is one thing that the minister and the president who appointed him are against bullfighting, and another that Spain is. Not being a bullfighting fan is not the same as being an opponent of bullfighting.
The cops are of course in crisis, but they are not dying. They no longer seem like yesterday’s “national holidays”, but they are part of the fun, excitement and mood of millions of citizens. They all deserve respect and can feel very insulted if someone dares to close the place. And that’s not all: it’s simply the case that the party is protected by a law that politicians have occasionally refused and refuse to comply with.
The fact that the minister and the president who appointed him are against bullfighting does not mean that Spain is too; Not being a bullfighting fan is not the same as being an opponent of bullfighting.
The minister has an advantage: animalism and anti-bullfighting are fashionable, politically correct and a sign of progress and moral high ground. But there is a long way to go from there to repealing the law that protects the party, even if it is not respected. You don’t play with bread, the minister and the president who appointed him will think.
That is, everything indicates that the party will end on the day the spectators decide, when the seats offer a monumental emptiness and it is the company that chooses other paths.
However, the minister has a golden opportunity before him to go down in history side by side as the politician who pushed through the abolition of bullfighting, but it seems that he prefers to look out from the balcony of the ministry for a long time To bring about change problem and cut off his ponytail on the day of his release, with the clear conscience that he had not renounced his ideology.
It’s a shame he doesn’t like bulls because Ernest Urtasun, the minister, is a bullfighter. Shave his bushy beard, have the tailor make him a suit of Corinthian and gold lights, keep his haughty look, his, and he would be ready for a resplendent walk.
In this way, who knows, I wouldn’t have to miss the verses of Manuel Machado: “Half gypsy and half Parisian,” says the common people, “with Montmartre and Macarena I take communion… And before such a poet.” , my wish “The first thing would have been to be a good banderillero.”
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