lexflex freeman

Tossed when taking a “Selfie”

It had to happen….when you take part in a bullrunning and you have the bright idea of taking a “selfie” in the middle of it all, you will get caught by the bull sooner or later. In this case it happened at the Fiestas in Bayonne and luckily, the protagonist was just a steer and not a bull. As we can see from this video posted on YouTube by Lexflex Freeman the steer tossed the runner without causing any real damage when he was trying to take a selfie. When you try to take a selfie like that in the middle of a bullrunning you risk getting a goring and maybe be the cause of others getting one too. In this case, we don’t know if the runner was given a fine or not.


Imagen de YouTube de Lexflex Freeman

Meanwhile the runner who took a selfie in the Pamplona Running of the Bulls, during Sanfermin on the morning of the 11th of July in 2014 remains undiscovered. In the Pamplona Running of the Bulls there is now a City Hall ruling which prohibits taking selfies. But that particular runner seems to have got away with it, despite the efforts of the municipal police to track him down and force him to pay the fine. But the craze for selfies has spread and there seems to be no stopping it.

Rueda de Prensa Ayuntamiento

Less people this year and an increase in fines in the Sanfermin Running of the Bulls

A good atmosphere in the street and a praiseworthy attitude on the part of the citizens are two of the most remarkable aspects of Sanfermin 2014.

However, this year, in spite of the reduction in the number of visitors to Sanfermin, there was a 12% increase in the number of reports for theft and robbery and there were 54 more cases of fighting in the streets than in 2013. On the other hand, a very positive item of data is the results of the campaign against sexism. Thanks to the social backing given to this campaign, only five cases of harassment took place, two less than last year and there were no cases of rape or aggression reported.

Mayor, Enrique Maya, spoke on 5 key questions about this year’s fiestas, among these the lower attendance at programmed activities (some 18% less than in 2013); the satisfactory outcome of the new norms relating to the Running of the Bulls; the positive united backing of the citizens of Pamplona to the campaign against Sexual Harassment during fiestas; the positive acceptance of the campaign to improve the image of Sanfermin both nationally and internationally; and finally, some negative aspects such as the attacks on Municipal representatives in Curia Street and the increase of 12% in police reports of robbery and theft.

As for the increase in the number of security measures and the fines imposed during the Running of the Bulls, a total of 26 fines were imposed, 25 of these for serious offenses:

– Fifteen fines for using video reproducers during the Running of the Bulls
– Five fines for touching or citing the bulls.
– One fine for running towards the Bulls and invading their space.
– One fine for throwing objects onto the course when the Running of the Bulls event
had finished.
– Two fines for acts which made the normal performance of the Running of the Bulls more difficult to carry out.
– A light fine for standing in a corner on the course of The Running of the Bulls.

The idea of preserving some of the fencing at the old Casa Seminario on a year-round basis is being considered. For the moment, the fencing will remain up until September in homage to runners who were killed in The Running of the Bulls down the years.

For more information, click here (PDF)

Four local policemen prevent spectators from gathering at the Estafeta bend

Right up to eight o’ clock in the morning, four municipal policemen ensured that nobody could gather at the corner of Mercaderes and Estafeta, as a new norm came into force this year passed by Pamplona City Hall, preventing the gathering of any public on this corner.

“To be standing waiting, before the release of the bulls from the pens, in any kind of corner, in doorways or narrow spots along the course of The Running of the Bulls” is now an infringement of the law and four policemen were on duty today to ensure that nobody would infringe this new restriction.

However, Tour Operators for Sanfermin fiestas usually offer this location of the corner of Mercaderes and Estafeta to their customers as a good place to view the Running of the Bulls from. As a result of an increased obsession with the safety and security measures during Sanfermines, city hall is trying to ensure that both local citizens and all visitors get to know about these new norms and to comply with them, in the hope that this will reduce the number of accidents and incidents during The Running of the Bulls

An Englishman becomes the first man to be fined in The Running of the Bulls

The First Running of the Bulls of Sanfermin 2014 sees the first fine imposed on a runner: an English citizen has become the first person to be fined for an infringement. It seems that he accepted the fine with good humor and benign resignation, according to a reporter from RTVE national TV channel.

The Runner, an experienced Sanfermin participant, is a policeman from England, who has been coming to Pamplona over the past 30 years. It seems he accepted the fine without making any protest. He told the local municipal police that he had seen the warning sign and read it in Spanish and in Basque but he could not find any version of the text in English. As luck would have it, on the stretch from where he was going to run, there was neither a poster nor a video message where he might have been able to read about the new norms that were to be imposed this year.

Diario de Navarra, in his digital edition, has published that the citizen has been penalized because he has gone through the line at Santo Domingo.

Few policemen had told to the spectators that they couldn’t gather at the corner of Mercaderes and Estafeta to see the Running of the Bulls.

City Hall presents an informative video about the possible offenses that might be committed in The Running of the Bulls

REMEMBER ALL THE THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT BE DONE

City Hall will show a video every morning from 07:00 a.m. in which they will inform the general public, and especially all those thinking of taking part in The Running of the Bulls, of the norms that must be complied during this event. It will be broadcast in Spanish, Basque, English and French with a series of cartoon figures and it will repeat its broadcast every eight minutes at the following times: 07:00h, 07:08h, 07:16h, 07:24h, 07:32h y 07:40h.

The video will be broadcast on a screen placed on one of the balconies of the first floor of City hall building from 07:00 a.m. onwards until the opening of the police barrier in Mercaderes, with the aim of making it very clear that fines will be imposed for any offenses committed against the city hall norms related to The Running of the Bulls. The video shows eight points that should be followed by the runners and it stresses the things that should not be done by runners and the fines that will be imposed for any misdemeanours on the part of the runner.

At The Running of the Bulls, don’t overstep the line

Pamplona City Hall have placed posters at the start of the course for The Running of the Bulls event at Santo Domingo, warning the runners that they cannot overstep the signal line until the rocket goes off to indicate the start of the event. It remains to be seen to what extent the police will reinforce this norm and if they will try to fine the offenders. According to the local newspaper, Diario de Noticias, this sign will be reinforced with two painted lines on the ground to designate the limit in a visual form.

The authorities impose fines in order to regulate the Running of the Bulls Event

The constant increase in the popularity of the Sanfermin Running of the Bulls has meant that the authorities have begun to impose fines on any misdemeanors committed by runners which might take place during the event. With the aim of protecting the participants as well as the bull-breeds, the authorities have announced new fines and security measures to be applied to the Running of the Bulls event. One important new step taken is that now, the municipal police have the right to accompany any offender to the nearest cash dispenser so as to be immediately remunerated with the amount of the fine imposed.

There has also been a change made to the setting off of the traditional rockets – the third rocket will be set off as soon as the first bull enters the bull pens located within the bullring. Broadcasting any kind of music along the route of the bullrunning is now also prohibited at any time between 7 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. This is to ensure that no confusion is created by the sound of the rockets going off and any offenders in this regard can also be charged and fined.

In addition, for the first time, all those people could be fined who, before the bulls are released from the pens, are to be found in “any corners, door entrances or premises along the route of the Running of the Bulls event”. Other modifications made by the Government on passing the Running of the Bulls Decree, can be found at Sanfermin.com.

Para conocer todas las infracciones, pincha aquí (PDF).

Sanciones y medidas de seguridad para las fiestas de Sanfermin

El Ayuntamiento de Pamplona ha anunciado las medidas de seguridad y sanciones para Sanfermin con el objetivo de que las fiestas sean “una expresión de alegría de la ciudad y de sus visitantes y para que se mantengan en su línea de tradición y civismo”. El bando incluye disposiciones sobre la regulación del tráfico, medidas para el acto del Txupinazo o el Encierro, el cuidado de fachadas y balcones, y diferentes tipos de normas municipales.

Envases de vidrio, palos, latas de bebida que no estén abiertas, banderas o telas de gran tamaño, son algunos de los objetos que el Bando Municipal prohíbe introducir en el acto del Txupinazo. Además, como cada año, se prohibirá introducir en la Plaza Consistorial “huevos, globos con pintura y objetos similares susceptibles de poder arrojarse contra las fachadas ensuciándolas y distorsionando el acto”.

Otra de las medidas recuerda que en el periodo de fiestas se mantendrá el sistema de estacionamiento regulado (ZER) y que por tanto, en gran parte de la ciudad (sectores 3, 4, 5 y 6), el aparcamiento será zona naranja las 24 horas del día. Este año, como novedad, se añadirá el sector 7, correspondiente al Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra.

En lo que respecta al Encierro, el bando pretende proteger su esencia, de manera que las medidas de seguridad sirvan para que el acto se desarrolle con normalidad y con el menor número de incidentes. Por otra parte, la participación en las vaquillas se limita a los mayores de 18 años y en el Encierrillo nocturno se prohíbe el uso de flash al tomar fotografías.

Conocer todos los artículos del Bando Municipal y las sanciones correspondientes.

Mikel Lasa

El ayuntamiento sancionará las infracciones en el encierro y las peñas acusan y piden la colaboración de los medios de comunicación

Pamplona City Hall has informed The Round Table of the Running of the Bulls that it is working on means and ways to ensure that offenses committed by the runners during the 2014 Encierro are punished. It also states that it intends to do away with the daily barrier of municipal police at the opening stretch of Santo Domingo. They hope to keep the runners behind some painted lines on the pavement. In this way the local police will not have to undergo the daily risk of suffering physical injuries at the start of the running of the Bulls. The new bylaw will be given widespread publicity and foreign tour-operators will be informed of the changes.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Peña Clubs has made a proposal (worked out by its own Commission on the Running of the Bulls) to the Round Table group and to the media whereby they target the media and particularly TV channels as the key to finding a solution to the problems of the Running of the Bulls. To do this, they propose a type of code of professional ethics to be created with the participation of the media outlets themselves where they would commit themselves to following the code of conduct. This would include steps such as not allowing any photos to be taken from the fencing, not allowing tee shirts with publicity on them, any other kind of publicity within the running, and also to draw attention to all those offenses made inside the course.

The proposal from The Federation of Peñas has been supported by the Club Taurino of Pamplona and they accuse the media of improper conduct in their coverage of this event and they make some recommendations. “We feel that this work is not being well done and a more profound active commitment is needed from the media workers in the defense of the anonymous character of the Running of the Bulls and its participants and that they should also highlight all incorrect behavior made by the runners.” To this end, they propose that the media and society in general should get together to debate this issue.

The thinking behind this proposal is to ensure that the running of the Bulls does not get entangled in rules and regulations: “we see the Running of the Bulls as just another key event of the fiestas program and participation in it should be spontaneous and voluntary without having any technical restrictions and limitations on the number of runners. This participation should be undistinguished and anonymous, without any economic benefits or publicity ends.” Finally, the Federation of Peña Clubs has submitted the following points for consideration in their list of prohibitions:

1. It should be prohibited to come to a stop inside the course and to stand still alongside the fencing or other points along the course, which only serve to generate difficulties for other runners.
2. It should be prohibited for runners to occupy corners, entrances or points along the course before the release of the Bulls from the pens just before the start of the run.
3. Runners should be prohibited from entering the course when drunk or drugged or when they are not in conditions to run. Also runners who are wearing outlandish clothes (or even T-shirts with publicity and bright colors) or wearing unsuitable footwear. Runners should be encouraged to run in the typical Sanfermin gear which is white and red.
4. Running towards the advancing bulls or running behind the bulls should be prohibited. The run should be considered as over when the pack of bulls has passed out the runner and the pack is entering the bullring. Runners should be prohibited from running back if some loose Bulls are coming behind. They are an obstacle to the other runners who are leading the bulls on.
5. Runners are prohibited from hailing the bulls or getting their attention in any way along the course and inside the arena of the bullring.
6. Taking photos from the Street, the fencing or any of the barriers should be strictly prohibited. Running with any kind of image-making technology in the hand should be prohibited.
7. Runners should be prohibited from carrying any kind of objects and from wearing publicity material.

Sanciones en los encierros de 2014 para corredores negligentes

The Board of the Pamplona Running of the Bulls met recently to evaluate the outcome of the 2013 Running of the Bulls and to listen to proposals and opinions from all those who go to make up the board members. This board has some specific weight as can be seen from the kind of participants which included the Mayor of Pamplona, Enrique Maya. In any case, this is not a legislative entity as this is, in fact, constituted by the Junta de Seguridad, under the authority of City Hall. This latter entity decides on the steps to be taken with regard to safety rules and regulations and any possible decrees issued by City Hall for Sanfermin 2014. So, yesterday’s meeting was called in order to listen to suggestions and proposals rather than pass any actual laws. However,   Pamplona City Hall has announced after this meeting that it “is going to propose modifications in the decree about civil behavior in order to include a specific fining system for rash conduct made by runners during the Runnings of the Bulls. See full communication.

The most-discussed proposal made at the meeting came from the  Pamplona Peña Clubs Federation when they raised the general question of making an analysis of the present situation of the Runnings of the Bulls and proposed some ideas for its improvement. Download the full proposal here. Their analysis highlights the fact that this event is just one more of several events which are afflicted by “problems of overcrowding and the loss of respect and appreciation of the event on the part of many of the participants.” From the point of view of the Federation of Peñas, the ideal situation would allow for a natural voluntary and spontaneous participation with no limitations on the number of participants.  They would also shun any idea of having commercial exploitation made of the event and furthermore, they expressed the need to make the young local population more aware of the tradition behind the runnings in order to make them more attractive to the new emerging generations.  In addition, the Peñas Federation made the proposal to deal with some of the supplementary problems around the running of the bulls such as lack of information and awareness of the nature of the running of the bulls and  the question of safety along the course and the need to impose penalties for rash behavior and violations of the norms.

As a response to this situation the Peñas propose solving the problem of the lack of information by installing information screens and panels and by spreading the municipal norms with handouts in hotels and camping sites. In addition, they feel that it would be a good idea set up an information campaign to increase awareness in the media and in specialized travel magazines as well as in cities with a taurino culture about the authentic values inherent in the Running of the Bulls. With regard to the media, they also highlight the fact that in their opinion the media is not doing favors to the event with their reports at present. They proposal increasing the element of anonymity in the running of the bulls and that further meetings should be held to discuss these questions. They would particularly like to see the media reprove rash behavior among runners rather than praise it as they often do at present.

As regards the procedures of the Running of the Bulls, the Peñas point out that if an “early” warning rocket was sent off some three minutes before the actual start of the running, this could improve the concentration and awareness among the runners about what they are facing in the running of the bulls.  Furthermore, they suggest that the young novice bulls should be released later so as to avoid those who freely enter through the bullring entrance, getting free access to the event. At the same time, they proposal limiting the presence of photographers, first-aid workers and police at the fencing to allow the runners easier access to make an escape at the fencing, if this is needed. Finally, they expressed their concern at the dearth of young local people prepared to participate in the Running of the Bulls and they also feel that all the runners, be they well-known or not, should be eligible for penalty and censure in the case of any possible infractions on their part.