Bilbao: Aste Nagusia 2027 entre festejos y movilizaciones sociales

• Aste Nagusia in Bilbao features a dual program: 622 festive activities organized by Bilboko Konpartsak alongside a robust schedule of social protests and demonstrations.
• Key focus areas include labor rights, anti-racism, gender-based violence prevention, support for Palestinian rights, and opposition to bullfighting.

Labor Protests

• Event and spectacle technicians are holding strikes on August 5, 14, and 26 to demand a collective bargaining agreement.
• Primary demands include an annual work calendar, reasonable notice for shift changes, fair compensation for overtime and night work, and limits on 12-to-16-hour shifts.

Social Safety and Anti-Discrimination

• The 'Errespetu Nagusia' strategy continues, providing 24-hour support points and trained staff at venues to combat sexist, racist, and LGTBIQ+-phobic aggression.
• Migrant street vendors (manteros) continue to protest against what they describe as institutional racism and disproportionate police violence, particularly in tourist-heavy zones.

Political Demands and Advocacy

• The Sare initiative aims for the 2027 Aste Nagusia to be the first celebrated without Basque prisoners, fugitives, or deported individuals.
• Palestinian solidarity groups are organizing demonstrations to protest Zionism and imperialism.
• Pensioners are continuing their traditional Monday protests throughout the festival to demand the protection of the public pension system.

Bullfighting Controversy

• Euskotren workers are protesting the presence of bullfighting advertisements on public transit, citing corporate social responsibility concerns.
• Conflicts have arisen over the unauthorized use of the festival mascot, Marijaia, in taurine promotional materials.
• Controversies persist regarding new legislation passed in June—supported by PNV, PSE-EE, PP, and Vox—that allows minors to participate in activities with young bulls, despite UN recommendations to protect children from exposure to bullfighting violence.

Language Advocacy

• The 'Aste Nagusia euskara nagusi' campaign seeks to promote the Basque language within the 27 txosnas (festival booths), aiming to establish the festival area as a space where Basque is freely used and prioritized.