The Fundación Franz Weber has strongly criticised discount offers for minors at bullfights in Donostia . The international animal welfare organisation calls it an “aberrant” practice, because it deliberately targets people up to the age of 17 for events involving real violence against animals. The offers are linked to the Aste Nagusia, the city’s annual festival week in San Sebastián.
In the foundation’s view, such promotions normalise brutality towards animals in the eyes of children and young people. It cites recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which has repeatedly highlighted risks to children’s welfare in the context of bullfighting. The organisation also criticises conditions at arenas, such as smoking in public and alcohol consumption, which raise questions about the protection of minors.
Several corridas have been announced at the arena Illunbe as part of the festival week. They are organised by the company BMF Toros. According to local media and the foundation, ticket offers include discounts for under-18s. The private organiser is responsible for the specific terms of the discounts; the city has so far issued no separate information about these terms.
Bullfighting is legal in Spain. Nevertheless, the tradition has been the subject of public debate for years, including in Euskadi. Community groups and animal welfare organisations are calling in particular for restrictions on marketing to minors or for minors to be excluded from bullfighting events. Supporters, by contrast, point to cultural heritage and local economic activity during major festivals such as Aste Nagusia.
It is established that bullfights are part of the festival programme in San Sebastián and that the Fundación Franz Weber has publicly protested against discount offers for minors. The allegation that the offers “normalise” violence, and the criticism of tobacco and alcohol consumption at the arena, are the organisation’s attributed views. Whether the discounts actually increase the number of underage visitors or change public attitudes remains unclear and requires further empirical evidence. In the short term, political debate at municipal level is likely, for example about advertising restrictions, youth protection requirements or information campaigns drawing attention to the observations of international children’s rights bodies.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).