The staging of a comedy event in Spain that included people of short stature bullfighting has caused legal action to be brought against the organisers and triggered a broader debate about the issue.
The town of Teruel, in eastern Spain, held the children’s show, titled Popeye the bullfighter and his seven little dwarf sailors, as part of its annual summer festivities. In it, a group of men of short stature took part in a mock bullfight, carrying out clownlike gags as they taunted a bullock. One of the men taking part, in Teruel’s bullring, pretended to box with the animal, which was not killed, while another rode a small moped around it.
The Spanish government has said it is presenting a lawsuit against Teruel city hall for allegedly violating a law protecting the rights of people with disabilities by exposing the participants in the event to “public ridicule”.
“These spectacles are painful for people with skeletal dysplasia [which causes dwarfism] and they are seen by girls and boys who are instilled with the idea of making fun of people of short stature,” said Jesús Martín, director of the department for disability rights. He said this was the second year in a row that Teruel had held the show in the face of complaints.
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The event took place in defiance of the efforts of the ombudsman’s office, which in late June asked Teruel city hall to call off the performance, warning that it contributed to “perpetuating humiliating behaviours aimed at people purely due to their physical condition”.
The law specifically prohibits public events that are deemed to undermine the dignity of people with any kind of disability and its approval in 2023 was seen as likely to bring to an end this kind of spectacle, which has been performed in different venues in previous years.
However, those involved in the show have staunchly defended it. Contrary to the criticism it has received, they present the issue as a case of protecting the labour rights of the participants.
“I understand that there are people who are against bullfighting, because there have always been,” said Juan Asenjo, who runs the company that performs the show. “But it cannot be that politicians give in to these pressures and violate rights that are enshrined in the constitution, such as the right to work.”
He added: “Why shouldn’t [people who have dwarfism] be performers and matadors?”
Teruel city hall has also defended the performance and one of its participants also spoke out.
“When the public applaud me and shout ‘matador, matador, you’re so good, little one’, it brings tears to my eyes,” Johnny Lobo told Spanish media shortly before the show.
“I’m happy being who I am and doing what I do,” he said.
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