With more and more foreign population, Murcia has reminded Spain of its great dilemma: integrate or veto

Spain is (increasingly) a land of immigrants. If the national register is growing and caressed already the 50 million inhabitants is basically for The thrust of the population born abroad, which compensates for the PLANCHAZO OF BUSINESS. As it becomes more diverse and combines different cultural and religious traditions, Spain confronts an urgent challenge: decide what position to adopt before that hodgepodge, increasingly palpable in public spaces.

In Jumilla, Murcia, that debate has just turned strongly.

Jumilla earrings. Jumilla It is a town in the region of Murcian Altiplano of almost 27,300 inhabitants famous for their Wines and pears. Today, however, it stars holders in the media throughout the country (and some foreigner) for a very different reason: his City Council has approved a measure that will prevent the hundreds of Muslims who reside there (more or less 7.5% From its inhabitants it comes from countries where this belief is majority) to celebrate religious festivities in the municipal sports center, as they have been doing in The last years.

“Over -up and incompatible”. To understand it, you have to go back a few weeks ago, when you vox, with A single councilor In the corporation, he presented a proposal “in defense of Spanish identity”. The text can be read in full in The X account of Vox Murcia but basically stated that the Consistory vet the celebration of the Lace -up party or “other commemorations outside our traditions” for being “incompatible with the identity (…) Spanish”.

Did he go ahead? The proposal went through the Plenary at the end of the month, with the negotiation of local budgets as a backdrop, and gave rise to a debate during which the PP presented an amendment that was validated with the popular votes, the abstention of Vox and the rejection of the mayor of the PSOE and IU-PODAMOS-AV.

What did you raise The amendment? Broadly speaking, “urges the government team to promote cultural activities, campaigns and proposals that defend our identity and protect traditional religious values and manifestations.” Not just that. The text also slides that the Consistory will retouch the regulations that regulates the enjoyment of sports facilities so that they are “exclusively” to events organized by the municipality itself and makes it clear that “in no case” will be used for “cultural, social or religious activities outside the City Council.”

Enough for the measure to have generated a considerable stir.

“Is the Muslim word?” In view of the great controversy that has been generated and that what happened in Jumilla has echoed even in The pages of The Guardianthe municipal government, in the hands of the PP, has not taken long to calm the spirits. “It does not go from religion or nationality”, He claimed Yesterday his spokesman, Maricarmen Cruz, in statements collected by RTVE. “Where does the Muslim word appear, where the word ban appears?”

The Consistory argues that the people have great sports activity and need their pavilions to focus on that use. Who wants to celebrate other types of acts will need to look for another place. “We have not vetoed anything,” emphasize Cross. “Jumilla has more spaces. Who has said to centralize there?”

“Land of Christian roots”. The reality is that the amendment approved in full complicates that the near them 1,500 Muslims that live in the town they celebrate the collective prayer of the end of Ramadan and the Lamb party in the City Council sportsman, as they have done during The last four years. “The measure comes from where, from a embarrassing and racist motion of Vox. What has done is bleaching it,” complaint the former mayor and local spokesman of the PSOE.

The truth is that Abascal’s formation has not taken long in Remove chest So consider a pioneer measure that “prevents celebrating Islamic parties in public spaces.” “Spain is and will always be a land of Christian roots”, He underlined Yesterday the training in X. The Central Executive He has already warned which will supervise “very closely” the effects of the agreement in search of “hate speeches” and Jumilla’s Muslim population It does not hide His concern: “They have taken away a place to pray and now it is an erzo, but we do not know what else they can take us tomorrow.”

“It’s discrimination”. The debate is interesting enough (and broad) to have reached the Catholic Church. The country It echoes Today of the discomfort of Spanish bishops due to Jumilla’s motion, a text in which no confession is cited but the use of public spaces for religious acts is restricted. “Attentive against the fundamental rights of any human, and does not affect only a religious group, but all religious confessions”, Catholic prelates warn. “Making these restrictions for religious reasons is a discrimination that cannot occur in democratic societies.”

Beyond Jumilla. Jumilla’s case comes only a few weeks after Pacheco Torre disturbancesalso in Murcia, which left a wave of violence aimed at the Maghreb population. Both case reflect a reality that transcends the Murcia community and points to one of the great challenges Spain has ahead: with an immigrant population In clear ascent (Among the nationalities that grow the most are the Moroccan and Algerian), the country must decide what position to assume before the new identity and religious manifestations.

And that affects both newly arrived immigrants and their children, born in Spain and retain their legacy. In the near horizon, debates appear as what attitude adopt to parties linked to other cultures and the presence of religious symbols in public spaces (Hiyab yes or no) or even in cemeteries.

Two models: France and the United Kingdom. Spain has two models close to those to look, that of France and the United Kingdom. The first has opted for example for a Restrictive regulations On the use of the hijab that has led to situations such as the one lived last summer, when Sounkamba Sylla He was about to stay out of the opening ceremony of the JJOO for his desire to go with veil.

The government’s position has already earned him in fact Some touch of Amnesty International, who warns that prohibiting Hiyab in sports goes against human rights. The position is something different in the United Kingdom, where it is schools that They have autonomy To decide the rules on clothing codes. Both positions pose challenges and let out a pressing debate that these days has reverie in Jumilla.

Images | Amisom Public Information (Flickr) and Wikipedia

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