The Popular and Vox Party have facilitated the approval of an amendment to prevent them from celebrating in Jumilla (Murcia) the end of the Ramadan and the Lamb Festival, the two planned for the spring of 2026. In the motion, promoted by Vox but amended by the PP, the modification of the regulation for the use of municipal facilities, places where they had been used to pray in collectively collectively. During the first hours of the morning for around 1,500 neighbors who are estimated to profess this faith in the municipality of some 27,000 inhabitants. An unprecedented measure, because the reason that justifies it appeals to the “identity of the people” and is directly confronts the fundamental right of religious and worship freedom. The amendment was approved on July 28 with the 10 votes in favor of the PP, the abstention of Vox and the votes against PSOE and IU-PODOS-AV.
In the Murcian town hall they were a few days after closing municipal budgets – which are discussed this week. The Popular Party, which governs in Jumilla thanks to the support of the only councilor of Vox, Juan Agustín Navarro, decided to accept the motion a few days ago and has placed a municipality again in the Region of Murcia in the epicenter of one of the proclamations of the extreme right. Almost a month ago, in another Murcia town, they promoted a hunt against the community of Maghreb origin that resides in the town and unleashed five days of racist hatred in its streets.
The measure that Jumilla has approved is a legislative verification of a recurring threat of the ultra -right against Islamic faith, explains to this newspaper the president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic religious entities, Mounir Benjelloun Andalussi Azhari: “They do not go against other confessions, they go against ours. It is an Islamophobic proposal. It is a discrimination Muslims cannot enjoy their parties, ”he warns.
The objective of the motion presented by Vox was to prohibit the public celebration of the AID el-Fitr (prayer of the end of the fasting month) and Aid El-Adha (the feast of sacrifice). Vox’s motion was justified that they are acts “outside the identity of the people.” “What he did was present an amendment bleaching the motion,” explains the former mayor and socialist spokesman in Jumilla, Juana Guardiola. The amendment consisted of allowing the modification of the sports facilities regulation “so that no activity outside the sport can be carried out, unless it is promoted by the City Council.”
The Vox councilor argued the defense of “our traditions against the constant ideological offensive of the left for imposing customs outside our identity”; “From the end of Ramadan or the prayer of the lamb will no longer be held again,” he said after the plenary. “But what do you mean with identity? And the Muslim legacy in our town of hundreds? We had never had any problems and it is nonsense. There are parties of the Ecuadorian population that celebrate the Virgin the Swan, for example,” Guardiola adds.
“Those two days are those who usually congregate more people,” explains Paulino Ros, regional wave journalist of Murcia and author of the blog Islam in Murcia. “Normally, the municipalities yield the sports center, soccer fields, so that the Muslims to pray. The grace of the prayer is that it is collective, they go complete families. In addition, it is from seven in the morning until nine or less at night. Then they go to their homes to celebrate as a family,” Ros explains.
In the last two years the Muslim festivities have coincided with Holy Week in Jumilla. “And so far it has been done normally and without problem,” says Ros. “Let us not forget that in these acts that people want to ban they will pray; there is nothing more peaceful,” he summarizes.
“We are a little surprised with everything that is happening in Spain. We see a radical change. This was a country where its people have worked hard to enjoy a peace and freedom they have. But for the first time in 30 years I am afraid,” Benjelloun laments.
