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Spectator
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Keep Palestine out of Pamplona
At this time of year, I'm usually immersed in Pamplona's San Fermin festival, which burst into life on Sunday and runs until next Monday. The fiesta is famous for its daily bull runs through the narrow streets of the old town – an anarchic, life-affirming tradition in which I have participated six times. Unable to attend this year, I watched Sunday afternoon's opening celebration on TV from southern Spain, feeling envious of each and every one of the 13,000 people present. But I was angered and saddened by what I saw. One of their members yelled: 'Stop genocide, free Palestine!' before lighting the rocket. Pamplona's mayor chooses who lights the firework, or chupinazo, that officially launches San Fermin. This is done on the balcony of the town hall at midday on 6 July, after the phrases that officially ignite the fiesta have been shouted to the crowd below: 'Viva San Fermin!, Gora San Fermin!' (the latter of which is Basque for 'Long live San Fermin'). Last year, the chupinazo was lit by a Basque dance group called Duguna; but on Sunday the honour fell to members of Yala Nafarroa, a local organisation that campaigns for a 'free Palestine' and defines Israel's actions in Gaza as 'genocide'. Sounding utterly demented, one of their members yelled: 'Stop genocide, free Palestine!' before lighting the rocket. In the crowd below, soaked pink with tinto de verano, a huge banner carried the words: 'Destroy Israel'. This year's San Fermin was tainted from that moment on. I felt glad not to have been part of that mob, in which any Jewish attendees must have felt scared or at least deeply unwelcome. The balcony of Pamplona's town hall is not a podium for ideological pontification. Although there is always an inaugural speech on 6 July, it is typically used to pay homage to San Fermin, Navarre's patron saint, rather than broadcast a political message. This is as it should be, because politics has absolutely no place at San Fermin. The atmosphere is characterised by tolerance and inclusivity; fights or any other kind of anti-social behaviour are rare, despite the huge amount of alcohol that is consumed. The crowds, though dense, have never felt menacing – at least not to me. Sadly, I doubt the same can be said for everyone who attended this year's poisoned chupinazo. Had someone yelled 'Free Israel!' over the wine-stained masses, or called for Basque independence, or screamed solidarity with Ukraine, or hollered for the resignation of Spain's useless prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, they would also have deserved condemnation, along with the town's mayor. The chupinazo is not a political event. That said, the local administration was especially at fault in allowing members of Yala Nafarroa to froth and scream at the (apparently receptive) crowds. Pamplona's mayor, Joseba Asiron, is a member of the leftist group EH Bildu, which campaigns for Basque independence (although with rather less bombast than the defunct terrorist cell ETA did throughout the 1980s and 1990s). Explaining his choice of this year's chupinzao-lighters, he said sententiously: 'Pamplona, even at the sweetest time of the year, does not forget that in other parts of the world a real genocide is taking place'. This is a highly contentious claim, not the unassailable truth that Israel-haters often present it as being. Reacting on X to this year's chupinazo, the Israeli embassy in Madrid said that it is 'intolerable that Spanish institutions support individuals or groups whose goal is to incite hatred against Israel and that in no way contribute to peace'. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, saw a grotesque irony in the fact that anti-Israel banners billowed next to ones supporting Basque independence: 'For 3,000 years, Jews longed for independence. We won it. That radical independence movements hate us for defending the world's only Jewish state speaks volumes about their politics. [To them] everyone can have a country, unless you are Jewish'. Conspicuous by their absence were banners calling for the eradication of Hamas, the genocidal terrorist group that triggered the latest war. Whether Israel's attack on Gaza is considered genocide or not is irrelevant. Revellers at San Fermin go to Pamplona to forget about the world's evils for a few glorious days. Why the need to bring up global conflicts? Like many others, I do not attend San Fermin to have mindless slogans shouted at me from a balcony; I go to forget about life, to party with my friends and to experience deep emotions on the bull run. I'll return in 2026, by which point I hope that this year's hate-filled chupinazo is a distant memory and that everyone, including Jews, feels welcome once again.
Euronews
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Spain's San Fermin kicks off with a chupinazo that looks to Palestine
Tens of thousands of revellers packed the main square in Pamplona in northern Spain on Sunday to celebrate as the San Fermin bull-running festival kicked off. This year's edition officially began with the Chupinazo firework blast, a symbolic tradition dating back to the early 20th century, this time dedicated to the Palestinian cause. Dyna Kharrat, Lidón Soriano, and Eduardo Ibero were in charge of giving the chupinazo (fireworks) by the Yala Nafarroa platform, the chosen platform from Navarre, which brings together 225 collectives and more than 1,700 people "to fight against genocide and occupation and for a free Palestine." "Pamplonesas, pamploneses, viva San Fermín! "Iruindarrak, Gora San Fermín!" was the chant, followed by that of "Free Palestine, long live free Palestine," which they proclaimed before launching the chupinazo. Pamplona's mayor, Joseba Asirón, had previously described the fiestas as "marvellous madness." Asirón added about the choice of Yala Nafarroa for this year's chupinazo: "Pamplona, even at the sweetest time of the year, does not forget that in other parts of the world a real genocide is taking place." Nearly everyone, including the throngs of foreign tourists who came to the event, was dressed in the traditional garb of white trousers and shirt with a red sash and neckerchief. A massive spectacle More than 25,000 people gathered in the streets of Pamplona to experience this historic moment, with more than 14,000 gathered specifically in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The atmosphere was described as "indescribable" by the witnesses present, while the sea of red handkerchiefs fluttered in the wind after the rocket was fired. Pamplona pyrotechnician Andrea López Lana was, for the seventh consecutive year, technically responsible for the chupinazo through her company Pirotecnia Fiesta. The rocket, which contained 20 grams of gunpowder, sounded punctually from the balcony of the town hall, a tradition that has been maintained since 1941, when it was moved from the Plaza del Castillo. Reinforced security and guaranteed services Despite the indefinite strike called by Pamplona's local urban transport company, the 70% minimum services operated "without incident," guaranteeing the mobility of those attending the event. The local police had set up security filters from 10:00 local time in the five streets leading to the square, checking that no one was carrying dangerous objects such as glass bottles or umbrellas. The National Police have stated that they have reinforced the Pamplona detachment for the Sanfermines 2025 with almost 1,000 officers. The City Council had previously announced an increase in street vigilance during the afternoons and evenings of the fiestas and implemented, as a novelty, an "alert button" on city buses. The festive programme gets off to a strong start After the chupinazo, the city was immediately immersed in the festive programme. At around 13:30 local time, the folklore festival begins in the Plaza de los Fueros with performances by 14 traditional dance groups, including Amaiur, Ardantzeta, Basakaitz, and DanTXaldi. The afternoon will continue with the departure of the Giants and Big-heads from the bus station at 17:00, followed by the bullfight in the Bullring at 18:30. The solemn vespers of San Fermín will take place at 20:00 in the chapel of the saint in the church of San Lorenzo, with the participation of the Cathedral's Music Chapel and the Symphonic Orchestra of Navarre. Hotel occupancy reached record highs, with a forecast of 83% during the nine days of the fiestas, confirming once again the international appeal of the Sanfermines. The first show of the 24th International Fireworks Competition will close the day at 23:00 with "Fantaisies scéniques" by the French pyrotechnics company F.C. Pyro, while music will take over on various stages around the city until the early hours of the morning and the first running of the bulls of 2025, with the Fuente Ymbro bulls. Bullfighting still a controversial sport The nine-day festival is famed for its 'encierros,' or bull runs, which, starting on Monday, will see thousands of people sprint to avoid six bulls charging along a winding cobblestoned route to the city's bullring. Bullfighting is a hugely divisive sport that has been widely condemned by animal rights activists. It is illegal in most countries and banned in parts of Mexico, but remains legal in Spain. On Saturday, protesters from PETA and Anima Naturalis demonstrated in Pamplona, ahead of the annual bull run at the San Fermin festival. Wearing horns and fake blood, they marched through the city in northern Spain to demonstrate against the sport. Despite the controversy surrounding bullfighting and protests by animal rights campaigners, over time, the San Fermin festival has evolved into a spectacle that captivates people globally. The festival draws approximately one million attendees from over 80 countries, making it a global cultural phenomenon.
