JUMILLA, Spain – The Spanish government has formally urged the Jumilla City Council in the Murcia region to annul an agreement between the conservative People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party that prohibits religious ceremonies in municipal sports facilities. Authorities argue the move breaches constitutional rights to religious freedom, according to local media reports on Monday.
Maria Dolores Guevara, the government’s delegate in Murcia, confirmed during a press briefing that the council has received the formal request and now has one month to respond.
The contested measure originated from a PP-led proposal that altered an earlier Vox motion explicitly aimed at banning Islamic religious gatherings in the town, which has a population of around 27,000 and a significant Muslim community.
Sources from the central government told RTVE that the decision unfairly targets long-standing traditions and “arbitrarily restricts” Muslim religious celebrations. They stressed that current regulations already permit municipal sports venues to host cultural and community events. They further pointed out that remarks made by the Vox spokesperson — who publicly celebrated the ban on Muslim holidays — reveal the discriminatory intent behind the policy.
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In its written challenge, the government stated the agreement constitutes “an abuse of power, using municipal authority to block Muslim religious celebrations in an improper and discriminatory way.” The letter added that while the ban appears to be a regulation on facility usage, it effectively conceals “a clear violation of the fundamental right to religious freedom.”
The government also emphasized that excluding religious events without evidence of disrupting public order or creating scheduling conflicts is unjustified. It has demanded that the Jumilla City Council reverse the measure to uphold constitutional protections.
