Press Statement by the High Representative
for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
on Banning Religious Rituals and Manifestations in Municipal Sports Facilities
in Jumilla, Spain
New York – 8 August 2025
The High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Mr. Miguel Moratinos is shocked by the decision of the City Council of Jumilla to ban religious rituals and/or celebrations in municipal facilities in the municipality of Jumilla, region of Murcia, Spain.
The High Representative stresses that the decision undermines the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects the right to manifest one’s religion in public.
He emphasizes that policies that single out or disproportionately affect one community pose a threat to social cohesion and erode the principle of living together in peace — a foundation of inclusive, just and democratic societies.
To that end, the High Representative expresses his deep concern about the rise in xenophobic rhetoric and Islamophobic sentiments in some regions in Spain and recalls his statement of 17 July, 2025 on the violent anti-immigrant incidents in Murcia and Catalunya regions in Spain.