The majority of PP and Vox in the City Council of the Murcian municipality of Jumilla (27,000 inhabitants) approved on July 28 a motion that will allow the Muslim community to continue to celebrate events such as the end of Ramadán or the 'Lace -up party' in the sports facilities of the town. The finally approved text is the result of an amendment presented by the party of Alberto Núñez Feijóo to an initial text of the extreme right -wing formation containing an alleged defense of the “traditions” of the Spanish people.
This text described as “cultural setback” and “comparative grievance towards those who retain Spanish traditions” the “development on Spanish soil” of these Islamic festivities and asked to “ban” their “public celebration.” Vox, who is one of the great defenders of bullfighting, criticized that the 'lamb party' is “a rite outside of Spanish identity, history and festivities, which implies the mass sacrifice of animals.” The motion was signed by the only councilor for the formation of the extreme right in the municipality, Juan Agustín Carrillo.
The PP, which could reject the initiative flat, chose to present an amendment that although it is not explicit in its rejection of these Islamic acts, does maintain its spirit and maintains the specific restriction of the use of municipal sports facilities for purposes outside the City Council.
The proposal finally approved eliminates up to six points of the Vox motion, but maintains the article that allows the Muslim community to continue to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the 'Lamb Festival' in those facilities. According to the PP, the passages eliminated although they pursued “the legitimate purpose of protecting” the Spanish “traditions and customs” could “give rise to interpretations that do not fully adjust to the current legal framework.”
The maneuver consisted of suppressing express references to any religious community, but allowing the modification of the sports facilities regulation so that its use “is exclusively for the sports field or acts and activities organized by the City of Jumilla, and in no case for cultural, social or religious activities outside the City Council.” That allows the Islamic acts to be vetoed in those spaces without explaining it, but maintaining the spirit of Vox's proposal.
As explained by the PP in its amendment, the reformulation seeks to collect the will to promote and preserve traditional values and manifestations “in a more precise and adequate way” and at the same time guaranteeing “respect for the normative framework.” In fact, the text of the PP that finally was approved maintains an explicit reference to urge the “Government Team (Municipal) to promote cultural activities, campaigns and proposals that defend our identity and protect traditional religious values and manifestations in our country”.
The initiative has made Jumilla the first town to convert this threat of the extreme right into a real veto in a municipality with a population of about 1,500 people of Muslim religion, according to the INE.
Although from the PP in Jumilla they have defended that express reference is not made to any religious community, the decision has been hardly criticized by the opposition in the City Council, where the PSOE has nine councilors and IU with one. We can, on the other hand, have presented a letter in the Prosecutor's Office to denounce “this new nonsense of the Popular and Vox Party,” he informs Erena Calvo.
The general secretary of the Popular Party, Miguel Tellado, avoided Wednesday to pronounce on the decision adopted by his own party and by Vox and expressed his “respect” to “all” religious confessions. Already this Thursday, the Deputy Secretary of Education and Equality of the Party, Jaime de los Santos, has avoided questioning the veto to the Islamic acts in Jumilla endorsed by the PP. Of the saints he has accused the government of “making a case where there is no” and has labeled “absolutely unacceptable that it is intended to pass to the Popular Party for a Xenophobic party.”
The Government will monitor hate speeches
The Government considers that the initiative approved by the PP and Vox is another “example” of “the extremist and exclusive drift of the governments of the right with the extreme right.” “In Spain, religious freedom is recognized and protected as a fundamental right by the Constitution. Article 16 guarantees the ideological, religious and cultured freedom of individuals and communities,” sources from the Ministry of Justice, Presidency and Relations with the Courts affirm.
The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations has also announced that it will monitor “closely” hate speeches that can “be derived or enhanced following these initiatives that threaten the freedom and dignity of people” through their observatory against racism and xenophobia (Oberaxe).