In the city accustomed to ferias, on Saturday, two rallies allowed pro and anti to make their antagonistic arguments heard, with an identical objective: weigh on the bill of the rebellious deputy Aymeric Caron.
by Agathe Beaudouin (Nîmes, correspondent)
Two demonstrations for the same subject, and two radically opposite points of view. Saturday, November 19, the pro and anti -bullfights organized rallies in the Nîmes city. Aficionados, supported by a very large majority of local elected officials from all political stripes (ranging from the Communist Party to the National Rally), brought together nearly 400 people in the morning in front of the Gard prefecture.
The defenders of Taurin traditions gathered in a serious, almost solemn atmosphere, with the undisguised hope to fail the bill of the deputy Aymeric Caron. Wednesday, November 16, the law commission of the National Assembly rejected the bill aimed at banning bullfighting in France. In the process, Friday, a “citizen call to deputies against the ban on bullfight” was made public, signed by 1,400 people, including many personalities in Linstar d’Agnès Jaoui, Denis Podalydes, Sophie Calle, Pierre Bordage , Rudy Ricciotti, Jean Nouvel or Bartabas.
Two ferias take place each year in Nîmes, Pentecost and in September. Tauromachie represents “60 million euros in economic benefits for the city” assures Frédéric Pastor, the assistant to the festivities in the team of mayor Jean-Paul Fournier (Les Républicains). “For two weekends, the hotels are complete 100 km around, restaurants and bars display complete, shops work …”. In 2022, the Taurine shows (bullfights and Camargue races) attracted more than 95,000 spectators in the Roman arenas, including 83,000 only for bullfights, a figure which almost finds its level before the pandemic, according to the town hall of Nîmes .
“It is freedom to think that is at stake”
Even outside Temporada (Taurine season), passion is shared. The coordination of Taurine clubs in Nîmes, which brings together 27 clubs and represents more than 1,500 people, organizes a “Toro Café” every Saturday. The Taurine clubs offer outings to see the “toros” in one of the eight ganaderias, these breeding of Spanish combat bulls, which the department has. “In general, we present corrida as something ending, while it is extremely dynamic!” Advises Eric Dumond, at the head of the club Les Amis de Toros.
In his family, passion is transmitted from generation to generation. This Saturday, his two grandsons came with a capea (Cape de Torereo) in hand. “Our gathering goes far beyond the simple defense of bullfight, says Mr. Dumond. It is freedom to think that is at stake. Corrida is a question of sensitivity. The state will -It define what is good or bad to think for us? If so, then the question will arise for a lot of subjects. “
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