Bucking a national trend, bullfighting is set to resume in Spain’s northern city of San Sebastián.
A ban in place for the last three years has been lifted by the city’s recently elected coalition of the Basque Nationalist party and the Socialists. Ending the prohibition was one of the first actions the authorities took.
Fans are hoping that former king Juan Carlos will attend the event planned for this week.
Elsewhere in the country, however, the move is away from bullfights. The event’s fortunes were dashed further by the municipal elections in May which brought a number of bullfighting opponents into power.
Dozens of municipalities in various parts of Spain are reported to be considering banning the fights or limiting the amount of public money available for them.
Nevertheless, the tradition garners ardent support in some quarters.
“We want to show the world that, despite these arbitrary measures, a place as important as the plaza of San Sebastián has once again been opened for bullfighting,” said bullfighting promoter Pablo Chopera.
The bullfighter Sebastián Castella this week urged action. “Let’s come out of the closet and fill bullrings,” he wrote. “Let’s take to the streets – they’re as much ours as the protesters’.”
He said protestors had turned people working in the industry into second-class citizens, losing their jobs and being branded murderers.
The new mayors in Madrid and Valencia have pledged not to spend public money on bullfights, while Zaragoza said it will end funding to any fiesta where animals were mistreated.
Elsewhere referenda on the fights are being considered.
But municipal bans could be circumvented if a bill from 2013 to classify bullfighting as a special cultural interest becomes legislation.
