Backlash against bullfighting courses in Spanish schools

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards have lodged their opposition to plans by the conservative government to introduce a two-year bullfighting course in state schools.

More than 430,000 people have signed a petition against the idea, which was delivered to Spain’s ministry of education on Wednesday.

The proposal came to light last month when a draft from the ministry of education revealed plans to create a bullfighting course for students aged 15 to 17 who choose to take vocational training after completing their compulsory education.

The course would include 2,000 hours of training to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of bullfighting – ranging from how to clean a matador’s suit to how to smoothly wave the capes used in bullfighting – with the aim of preparing students for a career in the industry. The plans are in the initial stages and still need to be discussed between the ministry and regional governments.

As news of the idea broke, opposition was swift. “They want to perpetuate a tradition that is in decline ... by teaching 15-year-old children to torture animals, making a mockery of the already damaged reputation of the Spanish education system,” wrote Carlos Moya Velázquez as he launched an online petition urging the government to abandon the idea.

On Wednesday, animal rights campaigners personally delivered the signatures. “In two more weeks, we would have reached a million signatures,” said Beatriz Menchén. “This shows that people are tired of politicians spending public funds on activities that have nothing to do with real education.”

About 70 per cent of the signatures on the petition are from Spaniards – approximately 300,000 people – while the majority of the remaining signatories are from Latin American countries.

The plans for the course have come at a difficult time for Spanish bullfighting. After this year’s regional and municipal elections sent a raft of leftist leaders into office, funds destined for the sport have dried up in many places, while several municipalities are contemplating bans on the practice.

Their actions have delivered a further blow to an activity already suffering the lingering impacts of the country’s economic crisis. Menchén described the initiative as an effort by the Spanish government to rally around what she saw as a dying tradition. “More than education, this is about spending money and a desperate promotion to save bullfighting,” she said.

Spain’s minister for education defended the idea. “Bullfighting is a long-standing Spanish tradition,” Iñigo Méndez de Vigo said. “There are many bullfighting schools that each work in their own way and with this, we’re aiming to have all of these students receive classes in maths and language, among other subjects,” he said, as the proposed modules in the course include classes in these subjects.

Spain's governing People's party has long been an ally to bullfighting, and in 2013 it began the process to have it classified as an asset of cultural interest in Spain.

Méndez de Vigo noted that while the central government was considering the idea, ultimately it would be up to each of Spain's autonomous regions to decide whether they wanted to offer the course to their students. "You have to create possibilities for those who want training," he said.

(Guardian Services)