A Spanish town has become the first in the country to ban Muslims from using public facilities to celebrate religious Eid festivals just weeks after a nearby area was rocked by anti-migrant riots.
The controversial ban was passed in Jumilla, a town in the Murcia region with a population of around 27,000 – roughly 7.5 per cent of whom come from mostly Muslim countries.
The motion was proposed by Spain’s conservative People’s Party (PP) and backed by the hard right Vox party.
It prohibits the public facilities such a sports halls and civic centres being used for ‘religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity’ unless officially organised by the local council.
It comes less than a month after several people were left injured during anti-migrant rioting in Torre Pacheco, just 70 miles from Jumilla, when a pensioner was reportedly beaten up by three Moroccan men.
A 68-year-old man told Spanish media he was beaten up in the street on July 9 by three young men of North African origin.
Amid the announcement of the latest ban, critics have said the wording is a thinly veiled attack on Islamic traditions, and have warned that the ruling could breach Spain’s constitutionally protected freedom of religion.
The local Vox party openly celebrated the decision, declaring on X: ‘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’.
The move prevents Muslims in Jumilla from gathering in public gyms or civic buildings to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the Islamic festival of sacrifice.
Muslim leaders have condemned the decision.
Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, said the ban was a direct attack on the country’s Muslim population, calling it ‘Islamophobic and discriminatory’.
‘They’re not going after other religions, they’re going after ours,’ he told Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Referring to the recent rise of racist rhetoric and attacks, he added: ‘We’re rather surprised by what’s happening in Spain. For the first time in 30 years I feel afraid.’
Legal experts have warned the ban could face a constitutional challenge. Article 16 of Spain’s constitution grants freedom of religious belief, with the only restriction being the protection of public order.
The Socialist leader of Murcia, Francisco Lucas, accused the PP of stoking division.
‘The PP violates the constitution and puts social cohesion as risk simply in the pursuit of power,’ he said on X.
Former Jumilla mayor Juana Guardiola, also from the Socialist party, condemned the rhetoric behind the ban.
‘What do they mean by identity? And what about the centuries of Muslim legacy here?,’ she said.
The attack on the pensioner by three Moroccan men last month sparked violent riots that lasted for several days.
Despite a major police presence in the town, groups of people gathered on the streets armed with batons.
They were reportedly looking for foreigners, the regional newspaper Opinión de Murcia reported at the time.
Authorities found posts that had incited a planned ‘hunt for migrants’ on July 15, 16 and 17, Murcia delegate Mariola Guevara said, with the so-called ‘hunt’ beginning a day early.
A demonstration was organised by the town hall, intended to be peaceful, was later hijacked by people shouting anti-migrant slogans.
Almost 100 additional police officers were reportedly deployed to the town to shore up the security situation, with videos showing armed riot cops patrolling the streets.
But Jumilla’s history is steeped in Islamic heritage. Once part of the Roman Empire, the town fell to Arab rule in the eighth century, becoming known as Yumil-la.
It remained largely Arab until the 13th century, when it was conquered by Christian forces under King Alfonso X of Castile.
An agreement, the Capitulations of Alcatraz, initially allowed for coexistence – but Arab rule was eventually crushed after Alfonso’s death.
The move comes amid growing concerns across Europe about the treatment of religious minorities, with Spain now joining a broader debate about identity, integration, and the boundaries of secularism.
Earlier this year, a primary school in Hampshire, UK, sparked fury after scrapping its annual Easter celebration and service in order to ‘respect diverse religious beliefs’.
Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh sent a letter to parents and carers in March informing them that neither their Easter Bonnet Parade nor their Easter Service will be held this year.
Headteacher Stephanie Mander, who wrote the letter, explained that this is because of the state school’s ‘respect for diversity’ and its aim to ‘create a more inclusive atmosphere’.
She said that respect for diverse religious beliefs represented within the school was the reason behind the decision.
‘By not holding specific religious celebrations, we aim to create a more inclusive atmosphere that honours and respects the beliefs of all our children and their families’, she said.
