30 Jul 2009 10:21 AM:

All those who have written on this topic may be interested in the result. A friend of mine, a Spanish speaker who has lived in Manilva over twenty years, and who was appalled at hearing about the pig chasing, yesterday handed in a letter of complaint to the Department of Culture. Within forty minutes, the young offical who had organised the event was knocking at her front door. He had known her slightly when he was a child. He told her that he remembered a similar pig chasing from his youth and had wanted to resurrect this old tradition. In their subsequent conversation, although he protested that the pig was not hurt, he took on board the fact it was terrified, and that it was not a good example for children to follow. He has cancelled a similar event that was to take place in Sabinillas, and there will be no repeat of this event next year in Manilva. He was most concerned that he had offended the extranjeros. As well as myself and my friend, an Austrian lady who runs an animal welfare group had also written to him, pointing out the law that was passed in 2003 making such activity illegal.

Overall I feel that this is a good result, and proves there is a point in complaining.

Thread: What happened in Manilva

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29 Jul 2009 10:21 PM:

Spain is a rapidly modernising country which, like the rest of Europe, has to compete in a global economy. Tourism plays a large part in that economy, thus the tourist should have a voice, and the right to complain. Fifty children tormenting a small pig may somehow be part of 'ethnic' culture, but I don't want my small granddaughters to witness it. Having invested in the Spanish economy through owning a flat here and paying council tax I feel I have the right to criticize. Spain's transistion from a dictatorship to a democracy surely includes the freedom to speak openly about things I find abhorrent. The idea that there is somehow a 'real' Spain full of flamenco, cathedrals and brooding peasants, with centuries old traditions such as chasing and torturing pigs might well be a hyped up romantic myth. In reality the Spanish population holds a wide cross section of  opinion on all topics, pig chasing included.

Thread: What happened in Manilva

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