MADRID: Spain’s left leaning incumbent government stated on Friday it plans on scrapping a national prize for bullfighting. The move has infuriated aficionados of the controversial spectacle but was welcomed with open arms by animal rights groups.

“A growing majority” of Spaniards are deeply concerned about animal welfare, so “we did not believe it is appropriate to maintain an award that rewards a form of animal abuse” stated the Minsister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun. Urtasun is associated with the hard-left political party ‘Sumar’, who are currently Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s junior coalition partners.

“I think they understand even less that these forms of animal torture are rewarded with medals that come with monetary prizes using public money” he added, during an interview with a private television channel, La Sexta.

The annual prize for bullfighting came to be in 2011, under a previous left-leaning government. The prize was first awarded in 2013 and grants 30,000 euros ($32,000) to winners.

Top matadors such as Enrique Ponce and Julian Lopez, known as “El Juli”, have secured the prize in the past.

Bullfighting retains an ardent following in certain circles of Spanish civic life and leading matadors are often treated as celebrities.

However, the practice’s mass appeal has slowly begun to fade, with polls showing a rising level of disinterest across the country, especially among the younger lot.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024