MADRID — Recent legislation banning bullfighting in a region of Spain was challenged by a major political party in court on Thursday.
Pio Garcia-Escudero, spokesman for Spain's Popular Party, said the appeal to the Constitutional Court argues that legislators in the powerful northeastern region of Catalonia violated several articles of the Constitution. They include the right to attend cultural events, artistic liberty and rights of bullfighting businesses in the area, he said.
Catalonia's parliament banned bullfighting in July because of its alleged cruelty to animals. The ban takes effect in 2012.
Speaking for his conservative opposition party, Garcia-Escudero said although Spain's regional governments had control over bullfighting they could not prohibit it.
The Constitutional Court can take months or years to make decisions.
Bullfights, and the bull runs that often precede them, have become the focus of debate since Catalonia became the second region to ban such fights after the Canary Islands in 1991.
The Popular Party has campaigned for nationwide protection of bullfighting.
This is an excerpt from an AP news article about the recent ban on bullfighting. Do you all think this impedes on any rights? Is it culture that needs to be preserved? How much is bullfighting part of Spanish identity?
The issue of bullfighting in Spain, relates closely to my paper topic; the generational divide in Spain. Spain is currently at a very interesting place in its history, as the civil war only ended several decades ago. At it has developed later in the scheme of Europe, Spain finds itself torn between traditional values and new age global ideals. In general, this breaks down to the older generations fighting to preserve these traditional values that they have defined themselves by for so long against the younger generations, who is heavilyt influences by the ideas of the rest of the world. Being a generation of internet, and facebook and globalization truly affects the beliefs.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of bullfighting, I believe it to be cruelty to animals. I have not grown up with it and I do not appreciate its cultural background. It is exactly this that has molded the opinions of the younger Spanish generations. Does banning bull fighting as a whole impede of the rights of the Spaniards? I believe it does not but it is a legitamte argument. There is an art to bullfighting that I can not appreciate, an art that is centuries old. Additionally, bullfighting in Spain stands for so much more. By eliminating it all together in many ways its is a representation of a lose of these traditional values. SPain, specifically this older generation I discussed earlier, would be losing a peice of their idenity.
(Ignore typos, I meant to click preview and I clicked post. Lo Siento. )
ReplyDeleteanother similar article on the debate: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1650050,00.html
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am not against bullfighting, but I'm also not for it. However, before I came to Spain, I did associate Spain with: bullfighting, running with the bulls, sangria, catholicism, art, flamenco, and etc. With that said, all of these are traits, and elements of their culture. In fact, I would say the cultural elements I listed would be considered elements of Spain's high culture, since these bits are respected, honored, and known worldwide.
ReplyDeleteAlthough culture is created, I feel that if Spain eliminates bullfighting, they wouldn't be creating a new culture they would be eliminating a very important piece.