The decision by a right-wing Spanish municipality to ban the organization of religious festivals in gymnasiums or stadiums, indirectly targeting Muslim celebrations, has sparked controversy in the country and has been described as "absolutely racist" by the left-wing government.

"This is an absolutely racist motion," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told public television TVE, regarding the measure adopted by the municipal council in Jumilla (southeast).

Jumilla, a town of 27,000 inhabitants located in the region of Murcia, is known for its wine and, as in the entire area, it is home to a large Muslim population who often work in the agricultural sector.

"We will be very vigilant to obviously protect and support the population," warned Saiz, a minister in Pedro Sánchez's government, referring to this measure adopted Wednesday by the Popular Party (PP, conservative) with the abstention of Vox (far right), which wanted a tougher text.

The measure, which aims to prohibit the celebration of religious rites in municipal sports facilities, was a proposal and a condition of Vox to support and approve the municipal budgets presented by the PP mayor.

In concrete terms, Muslim festivals such as the sacrifice of the lamb or the end of the fasting month of Ramadan will no longer be able to take place in these spaces, as was the case until now.

This controversy erupted a few weeks after clashes in another town in the region, Torre Pacheco, which in mid-July was the scene of several nights of unrest caused by far-right groups, after a pensioner, with a swollen face, reported having been the victim of an attack by three young people of North African origin.

The main opposition party, the PP, defended itself by saying that this had "nothing to do with religion or nationalities." It was simply a "legal amendment," its deputy secretary-general, Elías Bendodo, said at a press conference.

For its part, Vox welcomed the measure, assuring, on the social network X, that "Spain is and always will be a land of Christian roots!"

Muslim and Catholic organizations criticized the measure: it is "a decision that strikes at the heart of our plural identity and causes significant harm to our community, with a particularly painful impact on Muslim citizens," wrote Mohamed Ajana El Ouafi, secretary of the Islamic Commission of Spain, on the social network X.

"Public religious manifestations, understood as freedom of worship, are protected by the right to religious freedom," the Catholic bishops recalled in a statement from the Spanish Episcopal Conference published by several Spanish media outlets.