Alex Trelinski
AN ANIMAL protection organisation has written to Murcia’s acting president, Fernando Lopez Miras, asking him to stop a comedic bullfighting show featuring dwarf matadors.
The event is scheduled to be held in Murcia City’s bullring on September 16.
The Franz Weber foundation says there are precedents for regional governments to intervene and cited the Junta de Andalucia blocking a recent event in the Malaga area and the Extremadura government taking similar action.
The foundation filed a complaint with the Ministry of Social Rights in June as well as with the Disabled Persons directorate in the Murcia government.
Spain’s General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities contains a provision that vetoes ‘any bullfighting show in which there is mockery, ridicule or humiliating content for people with functional diversity’.
Spain’s parliament- Congress- saw its Senate upper house back a measure last April to ban such events but the move still has to be approved by the lower house.
The Franz Weber foundation says they hope that Lopez Miras can stop ‘these degrading shows’ and get legal backing to do so in a move that would be ‘beneficial for a population group that does not want to continue being associated with cruel mockery’.
A different take comes from Daniel Calderon – a bullfighter and manager of the Diversiones en el Ruedo comedy troupe.
“We are skilled professionals who work hard and we entertain like other performers,” he said.
“All those who enter the ring are registered as bullfighting professionals at the Ministry of Culture, whatever size they are, and we enter of our own free will. Surely it’s discrimination to stop us from doing so?”
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READ MORE:
- Spain moves closer to ban on ‘dwarf bullfights’ as law approved by Senate
- Madrid event with dwarf bullfighters cancelled after just 37 tickets are sold
