The Spanish government has ordered the town of Jumilla to scrap a ban on religious gatherings in sports centres, a measure widely viewed as aimed at curbing Muslim religious freedom.

It said the measure was discriminatory and violated the right to worship.

Ángel Víctor Torres, minister for territorial policy, said on social media that “there can be no half-measures when it comes to intolerance”. Rightwing parties, he warned, could not choose “who has freedom of worship and who does not”.

The ban was approved last week by Jumilla’s conservative-led council. The town has 27,000 residents, including about 1,500 Muslims. For years, Muslim residents have used municipal sports halls for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

The initial proposal came from the far-right Vox party, which proposed an outright ban on Eid al-Adha celebrations. The conservative People’s Party softened the wording, removing direct mention of Eid.

But the new rule still blocked sports facilities from being used for any “cultural, social or religious activities,” not run by the council – effectively sidelining Muslim activity.

On Monday, Madrid gave Jumilla’s council one month to respond. If it refuses to reverse the ban, the government will consider further legal action.

Outcry over the “shameful” decision was swift

Although the initial decision to ban was welcomed by the far right and racists, backlash over its discriminatory nature was swift. 

A Muslim community leader in Spain called it “institutionalised Islamophobia.” The migration minister labelled it “shameful.” Even the Catholic Church condemned it as discrimination, and the UN joined in the criticism.

The Socialist-led central government accused the People’s Party of bowing to Vox. It said the party was shifting further right to win votes.

Migration minister Elma Saiz told Antena 3: “Foreigners make up 20% of those who contribute to social security in Jumilla. These towns would collapse without them.”

She rejected claims that the ban was about protecting Spanish identity. “To me, that seems utterly ignorant,” she said. “It overlooks that we would not be the country we are today if we could not appreciate the contribution of Muslim culture to our language, our works of art, advances in architecture and civil engineering.”