The first vice president and Minister of Culture of the Generalitat Valenciana, Vicente Barrera, a former bullfighter, has stated that the Ministry of Culture’s decision to withdraw the National Bullfighting Award “constitutes not only an act of censorship, but also an example of political sectarianism by part of the State Government.”
Barrera has expressed his support for the proposal presented by the Government of Extremadura, through the Department of Forest Management and Rural World, which has shown its willingness to take on the organization of the Award. Castilla-La Mancha has also announced some awards and has invited other autonomies to join.
The Valencian vice president has pointed out that the suppression of this recognition of a cultural manifestation such as bullfighting “responds, once again, to the attempt by the current State executive to control and shape artistic and cultural expression according to the values ??and agendas of the government in power, without taking into account the sensitivities of Spanish society as a whole.” Likewise, he added that “this is a symbol of an attack on freedom of expression, when the role of the State should be to promote and protect the cultural diversity that characterizes our country.”
The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, has also referred to the suppression of the award this Friday. The head of the Consell has said that “this banning of cultural elements in Spain, which have to do with our tradition and our roots, does not seem like good news to me.”
Mazón has pointed out that “if that is the path that the Government has decided to take, against our own culture, our own tradition, it seems to me to be the wrong path.”
