TIME’S UP?

It’s brutal and bloody – and that’s just the political debate. Can, and should, bullfighting change to survive, asks Kimberley Mannion

IT’S been a bad few years for bullfighting, that most Spanish of spectacles. Arenas closed for long periods due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several small plazas de toros ceased activity for good, and Spain’s younger generation grew ever more vocal on the subject of animal rights.

As the bullfighting season gets under way, is it fair to say that the future looks uncertain for the sport?

In the Spanish government’s last survey of cultural practices, published in 2019, just 8% of the population had attended an encierro (or running of the bulls) or a bullfight within the previous year.

But though interest in small local events seems to be dwindling, an opportunity to see the great stars of bullfighting live in the ring still generates plenty of excitement. Tickets to see famed matador Jose Tomas (below right) in Alicante recently sold out in half an hour, with resale tickets reaching prices of over €1,000.

Some involved in the sport agree that bullfighting has to change from its current form in order to survive the decades to come. The potential for it to adapt and develop is limited by the fact bullfighting is the focus of a major culture war issue in Spain, polarising both sides and leaving little room for discussion. about how they see themselves: traditional Spanish or modern European. Far right party Vox has used bullfighting as a political tool, making the protection of cultural activity part of its political message. Meanwhile the government has shown reluctance in pushing for prohibition, while at the same time not actively promoting it. Notably, bullfighting was not initially included among the options when €400 culture passes were given to young people. Illustrating the divisiveness of the sport, the Spanish Supreme Court has this month ruled that the government's decision lacked justification and so the vouchers can be used for after all, following Fundacion

It has also become a political football for separatist regions: Catalunya banned bullfighting, but the Spanish Constitutional Court declared the move illegal.

Taliban

Showing the distance between the two sides, in an open letter, the President of the Fighting Bulls Association, Victorino Martin, compared the Mayor of Gijon, Ana Gonzalez, to the Taliban due to her position on toros

The political element of the debate at times overshadows the issue of animal rights. Some of those who defend the fact that bulls are killed in fights, point out that Spain’s meat industry kills vast volumes of animals daily for a population with the highest meat consumption in Europe.

The sticky issue is cruelty. If bullfighting is to survive the 21st century, the ob ish Constitutional Court, rejected the motion, ruling: “Such a degree of divergence from the traditional use makes it impossible to recognise the core characteristics of the bullfight that the State has protected”.

If events in which the animals, spectacle and pageantry cannot be enjoyed without cruelty to animals and bulls being killed, the bullfighting industry is likely to struggle for survival.

Big toros supporters who do not want to see the tradition modernised say it’s the business model of the industry that should evolve, rather than the practice itself. As bullfighting relies heavily on public money and contributions, one option would be to move to a more commercialised system supported by the box office sales.

Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Pais, bullfighting analyst François Zumbiehl suggested a communications campaign to counter the total anti-bullfighting narrative now commonplace among young people.

Zumbiehl did suggest making changes to traditional fights, but not to minimise animal cruelty.

Rather, he would make it more exciting for the audience by speeding up the event, eliminating break times, ‘making it less predictable’. For those who want to protect the tra- dition, better organisation is needed. Groups coordinate and present a unified message to defend bullfighting. However, it will take a lot of campaigning to change the minds of a younger generation which is largely opposed.

Charges

Without making changes to traditional bullfighting so that animals are not killed and the fights are less bloody, it is hard to imagine crowds of thousands continuing to fill bullrings for much longer.

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