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Bullfighting dropped from Andrea Bocelli concert display
12 March 2009 ICABS has praised Andrea Bocelli's management company after they confirmed that bullfighting footage has been dropped from a visual display at the singer's concerts. Replying to an appeal from ICABS, Almud Music agreed that bullfighting is an "exhibition of cruelty" and that the scene was removed after complaints were made at a Dublin performance last week. The footage of an injured bull in a bullring prompted one concert-goer to complain to venue management. On RTE's Liveline show, she described how her and her husband were upset at the scene and left during the song Granada (which contains the line "Granada, a land covered in blood from the bullfighting afternoons").
In a letter to Almud Music, ICABS asked for the segment to be removed from the display. We pointed out that bullfighting is mentioned in just one line of the song and that there are other images that could be used to represent the song. "The beauty of Andrea Bocelli's voice should not be aligned with the gruesomeness of bullfighting," we stated. Replying, a spokesperson for the company expressed sorrow at the reaction the video provoked and condemned bullfighting: "Bullfight, also in our opinion, represents a useless exhibition of cruelty, which we hopefully associate, once and for all, to past ages...as we truly hope that crimes (such) as whale killing, fox hunting and other abuses made by a neglectful modern subculture will be just a sad memory." She also stated that as soon as they had been made aware of it, they "immediately provided to censor the most cruel images on the second evening concert". "We gently thank your association to have focused on the matter, and we will definitely take it into consideration for next concerts," she added. We are absolutely delighted with this response and thank Almud Music for their prompt reply. We also applaud Patricia, the inspirational caller who highlighted this issue on the Liveline show and who was derided by some callers for leaving the concert early. By voicing her concerns to the management of the O2 venue and on national radio, Patricia demonstrates that an individual can make a difference. ICABS was greatly heartened by the level of opposition expressed on the Liveline show towards bullfighting and we are sure that this will greatly discourage many Irish holidaymakers from attending bullfights this summer. ICABS forwarded a copy of the Almud statement to the Liveline show and it was read out on air today. For more information on Andrea Bocelli, please visit his official website at www.andreabocelli.com
Make a donation to ICABS The Irish Council Against Blood Sports relies entirely on the generosity of its supporters to continue campaigning for an end to blood sport cruelty. Please consider making a small donation today. For more details, please visit our campaign supporter page. Thank you.
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