In Génova they maintain that the PP"will never point fingers at anyone for what they believe or pray," but they avoid flatly rejecting the initiative that has been put forward in Jumilla (Murcia) to ban the celebration of Muslim festivals in public places."It is false that the PP is going to point fingers at anyone for their creed," was the only thing the Popular Party deputy secretary Jaime de los Santos could say on Thursday, who did not want to assess the ban on such events. Asked whether his party supports the PP's decision in Jumilla and whether he agrees with the bans proposed by Vox, the leader avoided disavowing the Murcian Popular Party:"About Vox, ask Vox, they have enough to do explaining their problems and their great bravado."
De los Santos has described the approval of the Jumilla PP's veto as "fake news," although the Popular Party (PP) in this Murcian municipality did approve an amendment limiting what can be held in public spaces, which arose from Vox's proposal to ban Muslim festivals there. In defense of his argument, the PP leader has shielded himself by saying that the councilors of Santiago Abascal abstained from voting on the amendment - they did celebrate its approval on social media.
Thus, the Popular Party vice-secretary recalled that his party positioned itself against an initiative that Vox registered in Congress with the same purpose as the one in Jumilla. However, he did not condemn the fact that his councilors in this Murcian municipality approved the amendment that, ultimately, will prevent Muslim celebrations from taking place in public places where they were previously permitted.
Despite the decision taken by the Jumilla Popular Party and the subsequent approval of the veto on these festivities, the party's deputy secretary for Equality has criticized the fact that"the Government is trying to make a case where there is none" and has described as "unacceptable" that his party is "made to appear" as a xenophobic party."Do not be misled by lies," he maintained in a speech outside the party's headquarters on Calle Génova (Madrid).
"The PP is the constitutionalist party that will always respect any decision of any citizen, whatever its nature," the leader defended, before attacking both the right and the left again:"There are those, and I am referring to Vox and PSOE, who intend to continue polarizing on this issue." "We are going to be responsible," De los Santos urged, addressing the Minister of Migration, Elma Saiz, directly.
The Government will track"hate speech"
In response to the resolution approved by the Jumilla City Council by the Popular Party (PP)—regarding an initial proposal by Vox—the Government has put its mechanisms in motion. The Moncloa government will track any"hate speech" that may arise as a result of the ban on the celebration of Muslim festivals in public places and will closely monitor its impact.
Following the motion proposed by Santiago Abascal's party, which referred to the Islamic rite as"cultural practices foreign to Spain" that "affect social cohesion, generating internal tensions and conflicts, uprooting and erosion of national identity," the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has condemned this"discriminatory initiative."
According to sources from the department headed by Elma Saiz, they are working"for a society free of discrimination, racism, and xenophobia", stressing that"freedom of religion and worship is guaranteed in the Constitution", specifically in its article 16. Thus, Saiz has accused the right-wing parties of acting"in a sly and apparently harmless manner", calling the approved text"the maximum expression of the cowardly right".
According to the minister, all of this is intended to generate an exodus of people and"instill fear" in an integrated population that "has been in Spain for many years."They are united to spread hate," she concluded. She also assured that her department"will be very vigilant" regarding the possible proliferation of hate speech on social media in the wake of this event.
The government's analysis of the proposal's consequences will be conducted by the Observatory Against Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE). The entity, which produces annual reports on this matter, published an extraordinary report on July 24 monitoring hate speech during the days following the Torre Pacheco events. At the time, it counted more than 138,000 hate messages posted on social media, and 22% of them were removed.
In light of the findings of the latest report, the Ministry has created, together with major digital platforms (Meta, X, Tik Tok, and Google), a permanent monitoring group to supervise social media in order to"detect and eliminate hate speech."
The PSOE of Murcia has also spoken out against the ban on Muslim celebrations imposed by the PP and Vox in Jumilla, regretting that"the fundamental values of the Constitution are violated, fueling racism and xenophobia." "The Popular Party and Vox have turned the Region of Murcia into a laboratory for far-right policies," denounced the socialist spokesperson in the community, Isabel Gadea.
For Sumar, what happened in the Murcian town is the result of"when Vox kidnaps the PP": "The City Councils become tools to harass, exclude and make life more difficult for the residents of Jumilla." In line with the Ministry, those of Yolanda Díaz advocate for a council action"from the defense of the exercise of religious freedom."
