The bullfighting sector asked the government to dismiss the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, for his attitude during the presentation of the 2022 and 2023 National Culture Awards. The Toro de Lidia Foundation sent a letter to the President of the Executive , Pedro Sanchez. , in which he demands his immediate dismissal due to the behavior of the minister, “the culmination of his sectarian policy”.
Urtasun and his Secretary of State, Jordi Martí Grau, decided not to applaud while the kings presented the national bullfighting prize to bullfighter Julián López “El Juli”. “Yesterday, the Minister of Culture decided to display his anti-bullfighting dogmatism by not applauding the awarding of the 2023 National Bullfighting Prize, contrary to what he did with the rest of the winners, a gesture of discrimination unprecedented, an attitude incompatible with the primary education of any citizen and unacceptable at the institutional level,” says Victorino Martín, president of the Toro de Lidia foundation, in his letter.
“It is inconceivable that a Minister of Culture expressly positions himself against an important part of Spanish culture such as bullfighting, by not respecting the obligations of his office which legally oblige him to protect, promote and disseminate bullfighting, a more than sufficient reason. to disqualify him as minister of all culture of our country,” insists Martín in the writing published this Friday.
Bullfighter Julián López also criticized the minister’s attitude. “Mr. Minister, you are not applauding, I salute you. Bullfighting is inclusive, the culture belongs to the people, it does not belong to political ideologies and your duty as a minister is to protect, defend and promote it above your personal tastes,” says ‘El Juli’ in a message he posted on his social networks, accompanied by a video of the moment.
This National Awards gala, during which those of 2022 and 2023 were rewarded, will be the last during which a representative of the bullfighting sector will be rewarded. In May, the Ministry of Culture began final procedures to eliminate bullfighting from the catalog of these awards, and refused to summon it for this year’s awards.
“I am the last bullfighter to receive this very important award and I am sure that common sense and responsibility will return and that in the near future many colleagues will recover it again from the hands of an educated minister who does not censor our profession”, he adds ‘El Juli’ in his message.
The national bullfighting prize was created in 2011 to add to those already awarded in Fine Arts, Theater, Music or other artistic disciplines. A financial reward of 30,000 euros was established, or 10,000 more, for example, than what the winners of the national literature prizes received.
