Overview

• Spain’s Socialist-led government on August 10 directed Jumilla’s council to revoke its ordinance barring cultural, social or religious events in municipal sports facilities, calling it a breach of constitutional worship protections
• The Office of the Ombudsman and the Spanish Bishops’ Conference have opened inquiries and condemned the ban as institutionalized Islamophobia, and Muslim community groups are preparing administrative and legal appeals
• The regulation, introduced by Vox and amended by the People’s Party, prohibits any activities “foreign to the City Council,” a move that will chiefly affect about 1,500 Muslim residents who mark Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in these venues
• Mayor Seve González argues the measure is religion-neutral and aims to promote local cultural campaigns, while Vox leaders celebrate it as a defense of Spain’s Christian roots
• Jumilla’s council must respond formally within a month or face potential court action, with Madrid poised to explore legal routes up to the Constitutional Court