Madrid, Spain – The Spanish central government has intervened to overturn a controversial ban on religious gatherings in public sports facilities in Jumilla, a town in the Murcia region, after ruling that the measure was discriminatory and violated the constitutional right to religious freedom.
Ángel Víctor Torres, Spain’s Minister for Territorial Policy, condemned the move by Jumilla’s council, saying on social media: “There can be no half-measures when it comes to intolerance. Freedom of worship cannot be decided by political whims.”
The ban, backed last week by the conservative-led local council, appeared to disproportionately affect the town’s Muslim community of around 1,500 residents, who have traditionally used municipal sports venues to gather for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha celebrations.
The measure originated from a proposal by the far-right Vox party, which had called for a complete ban on public Islamic celebrations. While the ruling People’s Party (PP) removed explicit references to Eid al-Adha, they supported a watered-down version that barred municipal sports facilities from hosting any “cultural, social or religious activities not organised by the council.” The concession was part of a political deal in exchange for Vox’s support of the local budget.
READ MORE: Full List of NATO Navies Modernizing the World’s Largest Muslim Nation’s Fleet
The move sparked nationwide criticism. Muslim community leaders described the measure as “institutionalised Islamophobia,” while Spain’s Migration Minister Elma Saiz labelled it “shameful.” Saiz noted that immigrants, who make up about 20% of Jumilla’s social security contributors, play a vital role in sustaining its economy, which relies heavily on vineyards, olives, and almonds.
She dismissed claims that the ban was about protecting Spanish identity, pointing out the nation’s deep historical ties to Muslim culture, which has influenced Spain’s language, art, architecture, and engineering.
Opposition also came from the Catholic Church, which warned that the decision was incompatible with the principle of religious freedom, and from the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, which called it a “serious democratic setback.”
Vox leader Santiago Abascal expressed surprise at the Catholic Church’s stance and suggested, without evidence, that its position was tied to public funding and past scandals.
The central government has given the Jumilla council one month to reverse its decision or face potential legal action.
The controversy follows recent unrest in Torre-Pacheco, roughly 100km from Jumilla, where anti-immigrant violence broke out after a local pensioner claimed his attacker was of North African origin. Government monitoring found that online hate speech surged by 1,500% following the incident.
Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities, warned that such measures were part of a far-right political strategy to gain votes by fostering fear and division.
“I’ve lived in Spain for three decades, and it’s the first time I’ve felt persecuted like this,” he said. “It’s all for political gain—at the expense of coexistence, Spain’s global image, and the fundamental rights we once fought to protect.”
