A political party wants to ban Eid al-Adha in Ceuta (Spain)

Vox senator Fernando Carbonell assured that this motion, far from being "xenophobic, reactionary or racist", is an "initiative of social cohesion in the face of uprooting and aimed at exercising the right to protect what defines us as a people". According to him, this Muslim celebration constitutes "a cultural practice foreign to Spain". The other parliamentary groups expressed their indignation following the presentation of this Vox motion, which will ultimately be rejected, reports El Faro de Ceuta.

The reaction of the Socialist Party (PSOE) was particularly virulent. Senator Marta Saavedra described this proposal as "the most shameful" ever debated within this committee. She recalled that the Eid al-Adha celebration is held each year within the legal framework and in respect of freedom of worship. "It is regrettable that we have to debate here this type of motion, as their arguments contribute to spreading the xenophobic ideology of Mr. Abascal and the small groups that support him by spreading rumors about immigration," she said. The Socialist senator also stressed that Spanish culture is the result of the mixing of peoples and the Muslim, Jewish and Christian heritage.

The Popular Party (PP) adopted a more nuanced position. Its senator Juan Manuel González acknowledged that Vox’s concern about preserving customs was "legitimate" and that his party shared the need to defend Spanish traditions. However, he admitted that "the defense of what belongs to us must not be done through confrontation or rejection of the other". This ambiguous position of the PP has raised questions, particularly in Ceuta where the PSOE has asked the conservative party to clarify the nature of its relations with Vox.

This Vox motion against the Eid celebration is not a first. This summer, in Jumilla in the Murcia region, the PP and Vox approved an amendment to the regulations on the use of municipal facilities, thus banning the celebration of two collective prayers, including the one corresponding to Eid al-Adha and the end of Ramadan. In 2023, Vox Ceuta had also appealed to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) to challenge the public holiday status granted to this celebration in the work calendar, arguing that it had no "roots and tradition" in the autonomous city. The appeal had been rejected by the administrative chamber of the TSJA.