The desperation of Paul, the dynasty bullfighter dwarf who will not be able to perform in Las Ventas: "Those who live on subsidies take our jobs away"

• Bullfighting The Community of Madrid suspends the bullfighting comedy show with dwarf bullfighters from Las Ventas for having sold only 37 tickets

Paul Antonio Miraflores does not want to be photographed in a tracksuit.

So he rejects the possibility of being portrayed by this supplement.

He does not have enough time to go to the appointment with the photographer.

Spending Saturday with the children in the park occupies their day.

He prefers to give a flirtatious, sophisticated, elegant, refined image.

He combines his job as a pharmaceutical product operator at Derma with bullfighting.

He has ever done public relations.

.

Paul is 30 years old, he arrived in Spain from Ecuador 22 years ago and he is one of the little ones, as the bullfighting professionals who suffer from achondroplasia are called among themselves, enrolled in the gang of the bullfighter Popeye.

The Community of Madrid suspended the Popeye function scheduled at the Autumn Fair on Wednesday.

The new Las Ventas contracting specifications requires announcing two comic bullfighting festivities.

Sources from the Ministry of the Presidency, directed by Enrique López, justified the decision by the "little interest" aroused among the public: until the cancellation, only "37 tickets" had been sold.

"The sale of tickets is an excuse. Don't you want to promote bullfighting? Many people don't go to bullfights either and they don't suspend them.

. As far as I know, no one has been banned from working because of their size," says Paul.

Both the General Director of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the President of the Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities rejected the proposal of Plaza 1, the concessionaire company of the first plaza in the world, and pressured the Ayuso Executive.

"Most of the people who support these associations, with all due respect,

.

They call us useless and illiterate.

Why are they going to take away my right to do what I want?

The problem is their parents.

They need the state to get ahead.

My father taught me to look for life.

And so I have done.

I became independent.

I have my family.

A floor.

Are you going to take my money to pay for my children's school?

Why can't I practice my vocation?

They are people with disabilities who are self-conscious.

We have had dozens of interviews and no one brings out these words.

It seems that we bother", Paul is indignant.

"We can do anything"

The last time that Popeye and the sailor dwarfs performed in Las Ventas was in 2006, one morning at the San Isidro Fair.

Juan Ajenjo, the director, premiered the show 24 years ago.

Paul is very angry.

"My father", his teacher, "felt that he was going to pass".

They make up a dynasty of dwarf bullfighters.

"He always remembers that when I was five years old I used to dress up as a clown.

".

His parents left Ambato to look for the gold of

, the reference among bullfighting comedy shows.

"They brought me when I was 8 years old. It was illegal to participate as I did in Ecuador. I traveled with my father to Zaragoza, Cádiz, Castellón, we were in Madrid.

o

.

All the celebrations were filled."

At 14 he began training with the crew.

"We went to the Casa de Campo. Or to the Retiro. Being with them filled me up. At 15 I was filling in the bullrings without being able to go out to the bulls. And the first heifer I went out with was 16, in Medina del Campo. I suffered a romp. The experience was very good.

."

Sometimes he fights with

and other times with

.

"They are signing you. This world is like football. You are alternating teams."

Paul strikes back at self-pitying achondroplastics.

"In Latin America there are achondroplastic soccer teams and they participate in World Cups. Why not in Spain? Because they don't want us to get together. The foundations rule.

", he exclaims.

He has a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter. "For them I am a hero. My son is 30 centimeters taller than me and still, if he needs me to take something from a shelf, he asks me."

Do you think the public laughs at you?

"Never.

A little boy who simply goes out, stands in the ring and does nothing does not generate chemistry with the public. You have to stay with them, have joy, show fun. That's when they love you. We've explained it in a thousand ways but they want to hurt us."

In Cortés de la Frontera he felt the expectation.

Paul relaxes at the memory.

.

During a debate with other achondroplasia sufferers, he was kicked off a set.

Or at least that counts.

"I go with the truth. Nobody from the ministry scares me."

The Popeye

is announced in Jaén on October 9.

"That day we are going to burst it. The suspension of Las Ventas takes away a salary. One less run. It's a bitch because we don't win as soccer players but it doesn't matter. We are not with the rest of the little ones, who live with their parents, they don't have expenses, they receive aid and the only thing they want is to cover up.

.

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