A final political act
Guillermo Fernández Vara
When it was announced last month that Spain’s PSOE Government had agreed to give time in the Congress of Deputies for discussion of the ‘No es mi Cultura’ petition, calling for bullfighting to be removed from the country’s list of protected cultural heritage, taurinos and aficionados feared the worst. The petition had the backing of the PSOE’s allies and partners in government - Junts, ERC, Bildu, PNV, Podemos and SUMAR - and, while it was clear that Partido Popular (PP) and Vox would vote against it, whether or not the petition would go forward for further debate in Spain’s Parliament would hinge on the attitude of the socialists, their Government having been no friend of los toros in recent years as bullfighting has become a political football between Left and Right. Bullfighting’s removal as a cultural heritage would permit any of Spain’s cities, provinces or autonomous communities to ban the spectacle. The key Congress debate and vote was set for October 7.
On October 5, the Socialist politician Guillermo Fernández Vara died from stomach cancer. Sixty-six years old, the former forensic specialist had been a councillor and mayor of Olivenza’s town council and then president of the Junta de Extremadura from 2007-11 and 2015-23. Following Spain’s 2023 elections, he was selected as a senator for Extremadura and was a vice-president in the Senate. He was also a prominent aficionado and defender of the corrida. As he put it, “I like los toros. I don't harm anyone by it. I like them because each person's feelings are shaped by their childhood, adolescence, and life. I come from a land of bulls, from a place with many ranches, where our relationship with the bull is the same as our relationship with nature and the countryside.” One of his political projects was the development and signing of a pioneering protocol in defence of bullfighting involving the Provincial Councils of Cáceres and Badajoz, the Extremadura Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, and the Toro de Lidia Foundation, an agreement that aimed not only to promote festejos, but also to ensure the survival of a cultural expression deeply rooted in Extremadura’s identity.
Fernández Vara’s funeral, attended by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, took place on October 6 and the next day when the petition debate occurred, his example was very much at the forefront of some politicians’ minds. María Soledad Cruz-Guzmán García, speaking on behalf of PP, was the first to refer to Fernández Vara: “Even an anthropology student knows that los toros is part of culture. Bullfighting is the Osborne toro, the Real Academia Española, thousands of bullrings, the countryside, the April Fair, July 7, San Miguel and San Juan. For every pueblo of Valladolid, or of Olivenza, which yesterday with sadness bid farewell to a great taurino and a great person, tauromaquia is in the toreros who wear gold and those in silver who look an animal straight in the eye.”
When it came time for the PSOE representative, Maribel García López, to speak, she was even more explicit, beginning her speech by paying tribute to her fellow socialist and extremeño: “Today, I want to remember the person we buried yesterday in his native Olivenza, Guillermo Fernández Vara. Guillermo was a bullfighting enthusiast, yes, but above all he was a man of dialogue, tolerant, and a builder of coexistence […] He aimed to open a space for calm analysis, so that both those in favour and those against something could engage in dialogue.”
Then, in an excellent speech which will hopefully be remembered by the PSOE in the years to come, she went on to say: “We respect those who signed the initiative, but also those who think differently. We do not want this matter to be used to divide us. We do not want a confrontation. We believe in a vibrant, diverse and free culture. Neither to forbid nor to promote, but to respect. […]
“This initiative comes with 600,000 signatures. And the Socialist group recognizes and values that citizen support. Because each signature represents an opinion, and, in a democracy, all voices deserve respect […] Spain is not homogeneous. One of our greatest virtues is our diversity, which is an essential part of our state. Not understanding things in this way leads to unnecessary tension. […]
“There are territories where bullfighting is part of the cultural heritage, and others where it has disappeared naturally, without bans. This diversity is a value we must preserve. Culture is not imposed or repealed by decree; it evolves, changes, adapts, and is freely expressed in society. The role of the State is not to decide what is culture and what is not. The debate must be resolved through coexistence and respect.”
When it came to voting, the PSOE delegates abstained en masse, ensuring the petition would proceed no further. Perhaps it was just a quirk of timing, but it felt like the afición of one respected socialist had reached out from beyond the grave and ensured bullfighting’s continued recognition as an important part of Spain’s cultural heritage.