The Spanish government ordered the town of Jumilla to drop its ban on religious gatherings in public sports centers on Monday, asserting that the measure disproportionately affects the town’s Muslim community, which has long used the facilities to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

The government gave the town’s council one month to formally respond to its request. Failure to do so could lead to additional legal challenges under Article 16 of Spain’s Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom.

The ban was proposed by the far-right Vox party following the assault of an elderly resident who claimed his attackers were from Morocco. The incident prompted far-right groups to call for retribution against the region’s large immigrant population and triggered a social media backlas

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