Spain’s central government has ordered officials in a Spanish town to rescind a ban on religious gatherings in public sports centers, labeling it as a “discriminatory” measure that infringes upon the right to religious freedom, primarily affecting Muslims. Minister for territorial policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, stated that there cannot be half-measures concerning intolerance and accused right-wing opposition parties of trying to determine who has the freedom of worship and who does not.
Last week, it was revealed that the conservative-led council in Jumilla, a town of about 27,000 residents in the region of Murcia, had endorsed the ban. As Muslim residents had long used the facilities to mark Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the motion was seen as targeting the town’s estimated 1,500 Muslims. The proposal was initially presented by the far-right Vox party, which advocated for an outright ban on public celebrations like Eid al-Adha.
Vox’s hardline stance was scaled down and subsequently supported by the People’s party (PP), which removed specific references to Eid al-Adha and instead stated that municipal sports facilities could no longer be used for “cultural, social or religious activities foreign to the city council”. PP council members argued that the ban did not specifically target any religion or belief, and highlighted that 72 nationalities coexisted in the town without any issues.
The central government in Madrid criticized the PP, accusing them of being beholding to the far right and targeting citizens who had lived in Jumilla for decades and contributed significantly to the local economy. Spain’s migration minister, Elma Saiz, pointed out that foreigners make up 20% of those contributing to social security in Jumilla, stressing that the towns would collapse without them.
The Catholic church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain also condemned the ban, deeming it a form of discrimination and a serious democratic setback. The events in Jumilla and neighboring Torre-Pacheco, where anti-immigrant unrest occurred following an assault, highlight the dangers posed by the rise of the far right in Spain, according to the president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/12/spanish-town-jumilla-ordered-to-scrap-ban-on-muslim-religious-festivals-in-public-spaces
