A VIOLENT act that has occurred at regular intervals over many years should continue to occur in future because it has occurred at regular intervals over many years, its supporters claim.

Having been conceived at a time when similarly bloody events were commonplace, the “traditional” act of violence is said to be exempt from contemporary ethical standards.

A perpetrator of the regularly occurring violent act explained: “For every year that I have been alive, violence has been wrought at the same place, in the same manner, upon the same victims.

“Such violence is therefore normal to me, and is something myself and my peers would describe as ‘tradition’, a regular occurrence that we enjoy because of the fond memories it evokes from our past.

“Were an event of a similarly violent degree to occur either in a different place, a different manner, or upon a different victim, it would of course horrify me.

“But tradition is tradition.”

The violent act has become synonymous with the region where it is practised, helping to form the area’s identity and attracting tourists who flock to view the sort of bloody mayhem that has long since been outlawed in other parts of the world.

One spectator said of their motivations for viewing the spectacle: “Violence in this very precise context is a wondrous joy to behold, a great pleasure to witness.

“Traditions such as these provide a unique connection to our violent past and shouldn’t be banned just because a few spoilsports claim that violence is wrong regardless of where it takes place, what form it assumes, and whom it is perpetrated against.

“Of course, in all other contexts I deplore violence, and would never dream of hurting anyone. We should treat everyone as we ourselves would wish to be treated, respecting others’ right to life, and never deliberately causing pain and suffering.

“But tradition is tradition.”