"Lack of Courage and Commitment in Public Authorities to Defend Bullfighting"

She defended the thesis 'Proposal for the Declaration of Bullfighting as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. A necessary claim for the preservation of the fighting bull and its biodiversity'. She did so in 2023 at the University of Murcia, achieving, under the mentorship of maestro Luis Francisco Esplá, the highest distinction of 'cum laude'. Her supporters were professors Juan Seva and José Manuel Sanes.

Eliana Abellán Sánchez, a Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, was born in Pinoso. A regular attendee at the Alicante and Murcia bullrings, she summarised this thesis in the lecture 'Legal and Social Defence of Bullfighting', delivered at the Alicante City Council's Bullfighting Museum.

She did so with the backing of the Councillor for the Bullring, Mari Carmen de España, and photojournalist Verónica Soriano, in an event organised by the Bullfighting Tertulia 'Friends of Nimes', chaired by José María Jericó.

- What does bullfighting mean to you?

- A conjunction of feelings transformed into emotion thanks to the fighting bull and the technique and intelligence of the bullfighter.

- How did the idea for your thesis come about?

- It is a way, with a series of solid arguments, to give back to bullfighting all that it has transmitted to me since I started attending bullfights with my grandparents in Albacete. Specifically, emotion, passion, and sentiment. Bullfighting is part of my life.

- Where do you want to go with your thesis?

- To argue that bullfighting does indeed meet the five worldwide criteria to be recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

- And these are...

- Tradition and oral expression, with its own vocabulary; the unique and original art of the spectacle; it represents a ritual within a festive act; the relationship between man and nature through respect for the bull born in a natural reserve like the dehesa; and the artisanal techniques linked to it, such as the costumes of lights, capes for parade and fight, or leatherwork in the case of rejoneo.

- Even so, why is it currently being denigrated from various sectors?

- Because there is a lack of unity within the bullfighting sector and courage in public authorities, with some exceptions, in its defence.

- How do you see the future?

- I resort to the saying that those who fight survive. This is what will happen to bullfighting because it is born from and belongs to the people, as throughout history there have been several attempts at prohibition that have not succeeded. It is a tradition rooted in the Spanish people that generates unity, attachment, and a sense of belonging, and it is passed down from generation to generation.

- And furthermore...

- It will continue to live as long as it is nourished by authenticity and integrity. Meanwhile, I repeat, it awakens passions and emotions. How can something that generates feelings be prohibited?

- Yes, but a Popular Legislative Initiative (PLI) looms.

- It is curious how an attempt is made to overturn a law. The PLI emerged so that citizens could promote a series of laws. And in this case, curiously, it is to repeal Law 18/2013, which regulates bullfighting as Cultural Heritage.

- Faced with a curtailment of freedoms such as the intended prohibition, how do you think one should act?

- Going to bullfights is, indeed, a matter of freedom. In recent years, there has been an increase in attendance at bullfighting events as a reaction to this intolerance. Young people are becoming more involved in attending bullfights. This trend makes us optimistic.