The Spanish government puts pressure on the People's Party (PP) by challenging the Jumella agreement.

Barcelona / MadridThe attempt by the People's Party (PP) and Vox to obstruct Islamic celebrations in the Murcia town of Jumella is still ongoing a week later. The Spanish government sent a request to the city council on Monday to annul the motion—which has no binding effect for now—which urged the central government to change the legislation so that sports facilities cannot be used for religious activities. In the Spanish government's opinion, it "arbitrarily restricts" celebrations such as the Feast of the Lamb and violates religious freedom, while the party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo adds insult to injury and accuses the Spanish government of amplifying a controversy to cover up the Cerdán case.

"The real motivation for the agreement does not respond to technical or organizational criteria, but to an ideological purpose of religious exclusion, expressly recognized by its promoters. This purpose violates the constitutional principles of religious freedom, equality and administrative neutrality, and constitutes a clear misuse of power," argues the Spanish government delegate in Múr the City Council of Jumella. In a message to X, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, has defended the requirement in the face of the "extremist drift of PP-Vox" and has said that the state government "will curb its ultra measures," recalling precedents such as the ""Obstacles to abortion" in Castile and León.

Vox's constant maneuvers to force the PP to approve racist and xenophobic measures place Feijóo's party in a difficult position. These situations serve as a platform for the PSOE, which can accuse the conservative party of embracing the far right and demonstrate its ties. Party spokesperson Montse Mínguez criticized the two parties on Monday for "institutionalizing Islamophobia and racism," although for the moment the approved motion has no legal effect, as the PP's deputy economic secretary, Juan Bravo, pointed out. In a press conference on Monday from the PP's headquarters in Génova, she asserted that her party defends "freedom of worship" and recalled that the mayor of Jumella had emphasized that spaces would be sought for the Muslim community to hold their celebrations. Until now, they had used the sports hall because it was the appropriate size.

"What was approved does not veto anything, it does not mention confessions. It is nothing that either party is proposing," Bravo defended himself, aiming to distance himself from the PP and Vox. To justify their vote in favor of the motion, the Popular Party asserted that the words "veto" did not appear in the final text. Muslims either Islamic community, something the state leader reiterated this Monday. He thus ignored the fact that the approved motion stemmed from a text presented by Vox calling for "prohibiting the Feast of the Lamb and other similar commemorations alien to our traditions" and that the final agreement also includes a point defending the protection of the "traditional religious values and manifestations of our country."

Criticism from the Episcopal Conference

Opposition to the motion passed by the right and far right, however, did not come solely from the Spanish government: the Spanish Episcopal Conference also criticized the PP and Vox, warning that limiting worship "violates the fundamental rights of any human being," making it clear that "making these restrictions democratic."

Faced with this warning, the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, expressed his "perplexity and disappointment" on Sunday. Far from avoiding a clash with the bishops, the leader of the far-right party hinted that the positions of the "ecclesiastical hierarchy" could be due "to the public revenue the Church obtains, which makes it difficult for it to combat certain government policies." In addition to criticizing the bishops for not opposing the Spanish government's immigration policy, Abascal also criticized the opposition from some parts of the Church in previous episodes, such as when some bishops criticized Vox for proposing that Castile and León require pregnant women to listen to the "fetal heartbeat" to prevent abortions.