The Ministry of Culture of Ernest Urtasun has decided to suppress the National Bullfighting Award. In a statement, he states that “the National Awards have to be a true reflection of the evaluations and feelings of society and, given that the new social and cultural reality in Spain, where concern for animal welfare has been increasing while, for On the contrary, attendance at bullfighting shows is, according to data for the 2021-2022 period, only 1.9% of the population, a new review of them is timely.
Urtasun, declared anti-bullfighting, is willing to endure the rain of criticism that such a decision will bring him from a sector of Spanish public (and published) opinion. But, on the other hand, he is confident that the suppression of the award – which is not a centuries-old tradition either, but rather dates back to 2013, when Mariano Rajoy’s government established it – will be well understood by the majority of the population, “who are against of animal abuse,” according to sources close to the minister. The statement recalls that bullfighting is prohibited in the Canary Islands and Catalonia.
At the moment, “a public consultation has been opened, which is the first necessary step to modify the ministerial order.” The National Bullfighting Prize was announced for the first time in 2013 and is endowed with 30,000 euros.
Urtasun has also explained to his team that none of the ministry’s other decorations, such as the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, will be awarded “to anyone linked to the bullfighting sector.”
