Fate of erotic fair hangs in balance as government changes its mind

THE fate of the island's first erotic fair, due to open at the Ifebal premises today, was in the balance following the Balearic government's last minute decision to cancel the contract. The government-owned Fires i Congressos, which runs the exhibition centre, informed the organisers of the fair, that the contract, signed on March 17, had been cancelled because the company had allegedly broken the conditions. Josep Joan Cardona, the Balearic minister of commerce, industry and energy, said that the decision had been taken after it was realised that the main part of the fair, the Salon Erótica Seda, was pornography, a point which had not been covered in the contract, and so his department's legal services had decided to cancel it. Cardona said that he did not think it opportune “that pornography should be presented in a government-owned area.” He stressed that the company and its activities are legal. “But it does not seem opportune that the contract should not indicate the use which was to be given to the space, and we reject that acts of this type should take place in an area owned by the government.” He said the organisers should abandon the fairs precinct and seek new premises for their fair. “We are not banning the fair, it's just that we do not consider it right for pornographic acts or programmes to be carried out in public facilities,” Cardona said. Masé Mïguez, the director of the organising fair, however, claimed that the government knew what the Salon was all about.
The fair is due to open at 6pm today, and at the time of going to press, the organisers were still trying to reach some sort of an agreement.
Some of the top porn stars had been invited to attend the fair during which awards were to be presented to Susana Reche as “the most erotic stripper”, and the magazine Penthouse Spain. Present at the press conference given by the organisers yesterday were Conrad Son, porn actor and artistic director of the Salon and actress Salma de Nora. Míguez hit out at the government, alleging that “the real reason is not moral but political.” Up until yesterday, the fair had been advertised on the government's website, where it was described as “sensual, exciting, amusing, daring.” The fair was due to run until Sunday.