Cartoonists in Marbella criticise town hall for not allowing them to work

The Spanish association of cartoonists (ACE) has publicly criticised Marbella town hall for not allowing professionals in the sector to carry out their work on public roads this summer. Many of them have been practicing their craft in the town for more than a decade and now they have to move to other municipalities. "It is an activity that does not generate noise or disturbance and that, in addition, enjoys significant support among Marbella locals and the tourists who come to the town each summer to enjoy their holidays," said caricaturist and member of the AEC Daniel Segarra.

Artists have started a signature campaign to seek public support. "We pay our self-employed fee and our taxes. We are artists in demand by large companies, but in our town we are not valued," said Segarra, who showed several caricatures he had made for Uefa as an example of his expertise and the demand for his art.

"We do not understand the reasons for this systematic refusal to develop an activity that adds to the tourist and cultural offer of Marbella," said the association.

After months of disagreements between the cartoonists and Marbella town hall, a recent incident has increased the conflict. Just a few days ago, one cartoonist was expelled by the Local Police from the public location where he has been practicing for a decade.

 Security and overcrowding 

Marbella town hall said that "the delegation of public roads has decided not to authorise, for the moment, permits for the performance of street artists on public roads. This measure responds to the need to guarantee safety, avoid overcrowding and meet the requests made by both residents and the commercial sector". According to municipal sources, the cultural delegate has held a meeting with representatives of this artistic group, gathering their concerns and passing them on to the delegation of public roads. The latter has expressed the utmost respect for the different artistic disciplines and has proposed channelling these expressions through the appropriate institutional channels.

With that said, interested artists will be able to coordinate their performances with the culture delegation, within the framework of programmed cultural activities, or with the commerce delegation, as part of the town's promotional activities, especially during off-peak seasons. The measure is part of a plan for the management of urban spaces.