Canarian Weekly
15-02-2013, 14:40
BULLFIGHTING could return to theCanary Islands, if Spanish MPs have their way.
The so-called sport, which thrills and horrifies people in equal degrees, was banned in the Canaries in 1991 and inCatalonia 2˝ years ago.
But MPs voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to consider giving bullfighting (corrida) special “cultural” status, which could overturn those regional bans on the age-old tradition.
They were responding to a petition signed by 590,000 people, who want to see the return of bullfights to Catalonia.
It remains a going concern in southern France, Portugal and some South American countries, where people still flock to the arenas to witness the one-sided man-against-beast conflicts.
And though mainland Spain still stages around 2,000 fights a year, spectator numbers are dropping.
If the idea becomes law, it could also provide tax breaks for bullfighting promoters.
Under the proposal, the spectacle would be promoted by the authorities, who would also push the UN to recognise it as part of Spain’s cultural heritage.
A parliamentary commission will now fine-tune proposed legislation, and a vote could take place later this year.
The tradition of killing bulls in a ring, considered barbaric by long-standing opponents, dates back some 4,000 years and is thought to have been made popular by the Romans.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Government rescinded a six-year, live TV ban on bullfighting last September
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cultural-return-bullfights/)
The so-called sport, which thrills and horrifies people in equal degrees, was banned in the Canaries in 1991 and inCatalonia 2˝ years ago.
But MPs voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to consider giving bullfighting (corrida) special “cultural” status, which could overturn those regional bans on the age-old tradition.
They were responding to a petition signed by 590,000 people, who want to see the return of bullfights to Catalonia.
It remains a going concern in southern France, Portugal and some South American countries, where people still flock to the arenas to witness the one-sided man-against-beast conflicts.
And though mainland Spain still stages around 2,000 fights a year, spectator numbers are dropping.
If the idea becomes law, it could also provide tax breaks for bullfighting promoters.
Under the proposal, the spectacle would be promoted by the authorities, who would also push the UN to recognise it as part of Spain’s cultural heritage.
A parliamentary commission will now fine-tune proposed legislation, and a vote could take place later this year.
The tradition of killing bulls in a ring, considered barbaric by long-standing opponents, dates back some 4,000 years and is thought to have been made popular by the Romans.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Government rescinded a six-year, live TV ban on bullfighting last September
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cultural-return-bullfights/)