SPAIN: Judge punishes Spanish dad who took son bull running.

Spanish dad fined for taking his ten-year-old son to the bull running in Pamplona after his former wife saw pictures in a newspaper and complained to police. A Spanish man who took his 10-year-old son bull running during the annual Pamplona festival last week has been fined. According to Spanish media he's also had his visitation rights to the boy taken away by a judge. The youngster's mother complained to police after seeing a newspaper photograph of her ex-husband leading their son by the arm just a few feet in front of the bulls. A member of the mother's family said they didn't want the boy to lose touch with his father, but added the man needed to be taught a lesson. The judge in the town of Fuenlabrada, south of Madrid, ordered police to find the boy, who had been spending his holidays with his father, and return him to his mother immediately. Secretary General of the Spanish Children's Defence Institute Jose Antonio Luengo believes the judge was right not just to fine the father - about 150 euros in accordance with regional law - but to remove him from the father's company. "There's another type of justice he must answer to" he said "this person's interpretation of his parental authority is what we must question". For most parents, seeing their child running in front of over 500-kilo beasts would be a nightmare. "Would we let our child run the bulls? Under no circumstance, I'd never expose my child to such danger. We think that it's a very irresponsible and dangerous act," said Tatiana and Juan Ignacio, a Costa Rican couple visiting Spain, after purchasing tickets to a bullfight in Madrid's arena. But one of the arena's ticket sellers Gerardo Barroso said every parent should be free to decide how to raise their child, and the father hadn't committed a grave offence. "Many things in life entail risk -driving cars is dangerous, riding motorcycles is dangerous. Supposedly, precautions are taken there to avoid accidents," Barroso added. At least 15 people have been killed running the bulls in Pamplona since 1924 and most Spaniards, even those who enjoy watching a bullfight, feel that a line should be drawn at allowing children to run before bulls. "As a person who is passionate about bullfighting I understand that man, I do understand him, but I also understand the mother's fear. Those two things don't go well together. To bring up a child should be the task of both parents," said Olga Galan, a Spanish woman living in Arles, southern France. "I personally wouldn't allow my children to run the bulls. I love bulls, but not that," added Olga's friend, Brigitte Chevillet. During the nine-day San Fermin festival, made world famous by Ernest Hemingway in his novel "The Sun Also Rises", thousands of often drunken runners hurtle through the streets in front of charging bulls on their way to death in the town bullring. ENDS

ITN Source | July 18, 2007

Tags:. .often. .justice. .remove. .committed. .tickets