In recent weeks, seven people have died in the region of Valencia (east) during “bous al carrer” (“bulls in the street” in the local language), popular festivals during which locals and tourists run in front of bulls in freedom.
The victims, gored or trampled, were between 18 and 73 years old, according to the authorities. Among them are a Frenchman and a Frenchwoman.
In the rest of Spain, at least three other people also died during bullfighting festivals in the regions of Navarre (north), Castile and León (central-north) and Madrid. Deaths to which must be added countless injuries, in particular minors.
In the region of Valencia, where there had not been such a number of deaths during the release of bulls since 2015, this tragic series brings to more than thirty the number of victims of “bous al carrer” in seven year.
What revive the controversy on this tradition still very present in many regions of Spain – the best known example being that of Pamplona (north), where the “encierros” of San Fermín attract each year tens of thousands of people.
In Valencia and in the south of Catalonia, the “bous”, present in almost all the municipalities, enjoy enormous popularity. In some coastal localities, “bous a la mar” take place in the ports and runners and animals generally end up in the water.
– Politically sensitive subject-
For local elected officials, the subject is delicate and can cost or bring in votes. The socialists and the radical left, who have governed in the Valencia region since 2015, have thus been careful not to include this subject in their coalition agreement.
“It is not a simple question, there are many sensitivities” on the subject, recently recognized the number two of the regional government, Aitana Mas, of the radical left party Compromís.
Nevertheless, “at some point, this is a debate that will have to be addressed,” added Ms. Mas, when asked about a possible ban on these parties. “We are talking about seven lives this summer alone,” she continued, believing that “animal protection” should also be taken into account.
In the event of a ban, the authorities “will have to face the fans” of “bous al carrer”, warned for his part Germán Zaragoza, president of the Federation of bullfighting clubs in the region, an organization watching over this “ancestral” practice. and “authentic”.
“Neither the town halls nor the regions” have “the power to ban” these festivities. “The right to culture (and bullfighting is undoubtedly one of them) is enshrined in our Constitution,” he added.
The Popular Party (PP), the main formation of the Spanish right, also defended the release of bulls. These debates “attack who we are and how we live our traditions,” said Marta Barrachina, a party official in the Valencia region.
– Runners “drunk” or “drugged” –
Several municipalities in this region, such as Sueca or Tavernes de la Valldigna, refused this year to give the green light to the organization of “bous” while local associations for the defense of the animal cause launched a petition on the change platform .org which has so far collected 5,500 signatures.
The “bous al carrer” are “torture disguised as culture and tradition”, during which the runners “are often drunk or under the influence of drugs”, declares the text. “Beatings, kicks, insults, humiliations, stress, etc.”: during these festivities, “mistreatment” is “more than obvious” towards animals.
