The PSOE votes in Congress against the restitution of the National Bullfighting Award proposed by the PP

The Socialist Group has voted against this Wednesday in the Culture Commission of the Congress of Deputies a non-law proposal related to recovering the National Bullfighting Award proposed by the Popular Group, following the announcement by the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, of his withdrawal.

The initiative has not gone ahead with the Socialists and Sumar voting against it, in addition to the Catalan groups. This is the first time in the Cortes that the PSOE votes against the restoration of the award, since last May in the Senate they abstained on a similar motion.

The suppression of the National Bullfighting Award was announced at the beginning of May by one of the Government’s partners, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun. This decision generated criticism of the head of the cultural department, even from some prominent socialist leaders such as the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page.

During the debate this Wednesday in Congress, the deputy of the Popular Group, Eduardo Carazo, has claimed the support of the socialists, insisting that the popular are not “in favor of any censorship.” “You seem to be in favor in some cases yes and in other cases no, depending on what type of culture it is,” he lamented.

The popular ones have criticized the management of the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, which has been characterized “by its radicalism and ideological sectarianism.” “It seems more like dividing than adding, but this does not surprise us: the question is where the Socialist Party stands, because we are not clear and maybe neither are you,” he pointed out.

Carazo has gone further and has suggested that the National Bullfighting Prize be awarded by the Department of Cultural Affairs, which has been created to “contradict the minister of Sumar.” “They have it easy, because it depends directly on the President of the Government and it is run by a socialist: I’m sure many bullfighting fans who vote for the PSOE will appreciate it,” he noted.

PSOE REGRETS THE “POLITICAL MANAGEMENT”

Meanwhile, from the Socialist Group, deputy Maribel García has criticized the popular ones because she understands that “the worst thing that can happen” to bullfighting is “political manipulation.” “And that is what the PP intends, to manipulate bullfighting,” she added.

García has assured that his party will continue to defend that all legally protected cultural manifestations “can be consumed by those who wish to do so”, although he has insisted on the need to raise a debate “with respect that the popular ones lack.”

The socialist deputy has stated that bullfighting constitutes “a first-rate economic sector” for example in communities like Extremadura, but that “as a legally protected concept, it does not force anyone to follow it.” “You can like it or not, just as you can be a follower of tradition or not, like many other traditions, facts and cultural products that exist in Spain,” she has defended.

For the Sumar Group, deputy Gerardo Pisarello has confirmed the rejection of this proposal since they consider that the fact that for 40 years the Franco regime “did not reject this cruelty” of bullfighting “does not condemn” current society to continue maintaining it.

“Educating our young people to love animals is as important as raising awareness against the violence committed against people with disabilities, migrants or people in vulnerable situations,” he stressed, later adding that they do support popular festivals but that “they do not naturalize or romanticize cruelty.”

A DECISION “AGAINST VOTERS” BY THE PSOE

For his part, the Vox deputy, José Ramírez, recalled that the suppression of the National Bullfighting Award by Minister Urtasun “demonstrates in a single decision the reasons why this coalition Government is absurd.”

“A Government in which decisions are no longer made against half of the population that this Government has decided not to represent, but even against a strikingly high part of the Socialist Party’s own voters who are also bullfighting fans” , it is finished.