The Spanish government on Thursday condemned a ban enacted by a city in southeastern Spain on religious celebrations from civic sports facilities, which critics have called a veiled effort to block Muslims from gathering there for religious holidays.
The ban was codified as a local law on July 28 by conservative leaders in Jumilla, a city with about 27,000 residents. As it gained attention this week, it quickly became a national point of contention — touching on issues that have consumed countries around Europe, like immigration and nationalism. Far-right demonstrators and police officers clashed for days in another town in the same Spanish region last month, leading to the arrest of the leader of an anti-immigrant group.
The measure in Jumilla says that city sports facilities cannot be used for “cultural, social or religious activities unrelated to the City Council” and stipulates that its goal is to “promote and preserve the traditional values and manifestations of our cultural identity.”
Officials in the national government have denounced the ban, with Elma Saiz, Spain’s minister of inclusion, social security and migration, calling it “an absolutely racist motion.”
Spain’s Constitution protects “freedom of worship, respect and nondiscrimination on religious grounds,” she said in an interview with a state-owned broadcaster, Televisión Española.
Another top official, Félix Bolaños, called the measure “contrary to the Constitution.”
Members of the Popular Party, the conservative party that approved the ban, have rejected those accusations. “It is false that the Popular Party is going to single anyone out for their beliefs,” Jaime de los Santos, a top official in the national party, told reporters on Thursday.
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