Elham Asaad Buaras
Spain’s central government has ordered Jumilla’s conservative-led council to scrap its controversial ban on religious gatherings in municipal sports centres. The government ruled that the measure breached constitutional religious freedom and disproportionately targeted Muslims, bringing national attention to the dispute over religious rights.
The Socialist-led government in Madrid issued the order on August 11, less than two weeks after the PP-led council passed the motion on July 28.
“There can be no half-measures when it comes to intolerance,” Ángel Víctor Torres, Spain’s Minister for Territorial Policy, wrote on social media. “Right-wing opposition parties cannot decide who has freedom of worship and who does not.”
The conflict intensified when the ban, originally proposed by the far-right Vox party as an outright prohibition of Islamic celebrations, such as Eid al-Adha, in public spaces, was amended and approved by the People’s Party (PP).
PhotoL The Congress of the Deputies of Spain adorned the day of the Solemn Session of Opening of the X term of office of the General Spanish Parliament. (Credit: Wikimedia)
Although references to Muslim festivals were removed, the measure effectively blocked Muslim use of municipal sports facilities by restricting them to activities organized by the local authority.
The motion passed with PP councillors voting in favour, Vox abstaining (while still celebrating the outcome), and local left-wing parties voting against.
Although framed in seemingly neutral language, the measure was effectively a targeted restriction exclusively impacting Muslim religious events. Jumilla’s Muslim community—about 1,500 residents, roughly 7.5% of the town’s population—had long relied on public sports halls to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
By contrast, there was no indication that Christian festivals or other religious gatherings, which also commonly use these municipal facilities, faced any similar restrictions.
This selective application exposed the ban as a form of institutional discrimination, cloaked in cultural preservation rhetoric but aimed at marginalising a specific faith community.
The political rhetoric around the vote reinforced this targeting. Vox celebrated on social media: “Thanks to Vox, the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces has been passed. Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people.”
Spain’s migration minister, Elma Saiz, swiftly condemned the measure as “shameful.” She highlighted that foreigners contribute 20% of social security payments in Jumilla. “These towns would collapse without them,” she told broadcaster Antena 3. Saiz rejected claims that the ban protected Spanish identity, pointing to the country’s deep historical ties to Muslim culture.
“To me, that seems utterly ignorant,” she said. “It ignores that we would not be the country we are today without appreciating Muslim contributions to our language, art, architecture, and engineering.”
The Catholic Church also criticised the measure, calling it discriminatory and incompatible with the right to religious freedom. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain described it as “a serious democratic setback.”
Vox leader Santiago Abascal expressed “perplexity” at the Church’s opposition. He suggested their stance might be influenced by reliance on public funding or abuse scandals that had “absolutely muzzled” the Church.
Spain’s constitution, under Article 16, explicitly guarantees “freedom of ideology, religion, and worship of individuals and communities,” subject only to limits necessary for maintaining public order.
Legal experts argued from the outset that Jumilla’s ban could not meet this narrow exception, as it imposed a blanket prohibition on certain religious activities without any public safety justification. Instead, they said, the measure singled out a specific faith community and was therefore in direct conflict with constitutional protections.
Francisco Lucas, the Socialist leader in Murcia, accused the PP of “violating the constitution and undermining social cohesion simply for political gain.” Former Socialist mayor Juana Guardiola questioned the ideological basis of the measure, “What exactly do they mean by identity? Are they ignoring the centuries of Muslim legacy in this region?”
Spain’s Muslim community reacted swiftly. Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, President of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities, said, “They’re not targeting other religions—they’re targeting ours. For the first time in 30 years, I feel afraid.” Speaking to Eldiario.es, he accused the far right of exploiting fear to win votes. “If they need to criminalise a whole population, spread hatred, lie, and call it an ‘invasion,’ they will.”
Before the ban was overturned, Jumilla’s PP defended it, insisting it did not target any religion and noting the peaceful coexistence of 72 nationalities in the town. Mayor Seve González said the aim was to “promote cultural campaigns” that protect “our identity” and the “values and religious expressions of our country.”
Madrid’s order gives Jumilla’s council one month to formally revoke the measure. Should the council refuse, the government has signalled it will pursue other legal options to enforce the decision.
The dispute in Jumilla unfolded amid rising tensions in the Murcia region. Weeks earlier, violence broke out in Torre-Pacheco, about 100 km away. Groups armed with batons took to the streets targeting people of foreign origin after a pensioner claimed his attacker was North African. Government monitoring revealed a 1,500% surge in racist messaging on social media following the incident.
For Benjelloun and many others, these events reveal a dangerous drift in Spanish politics, where the far-right exploits fear and division purely to win votes. “All for a handful of votes,” he said.
“At the cost of spreading fear among citizens, damaging Spain’s international reputation, and betraying the very foundations of a stable, rights-based democracy that previous generations fought to build and now seek to dismantle.”
