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Denver- The controversial Spanish Vox party is petitioning to ban Imams in Ceuta that they allege are “at the service of Morocco.” The proposition was created in response to calls from a left-wing party in the city that suggested the city declared Vox’s leader persona non grata within Ceuta, according to El Faro de Ceuta.
The Movement for Dignity and Citizenship (MDyC) previously made the request to declare Vox leader, Santiago Abascal, persona non grata in May, however this motion failed to gain enough traction to be debated by the Ceuta legislative body.
Declaring an individual persona non grata, or person not welcome, typically strips away many of the diplomatic protections offered to politicians. MDyC started the motion based on the fact that Abascal “constantly encourages and incites hostility,” while also encouraging “animosity specifically towards the Muslim population.”
Vox is well-known for its xenophobic and racist attitudes towards migrants, specifically those from Africa. Its members have called for total border closures with Morocco, frequently level insults at Ceuta’s Moroccan population, and have increased divisions in a city historically known for its intercultural cooperation.
In late June, one member of Vox called for the deportation of MDyC’s Moroccan-Spanish leader, Fatima Hamid, in a series of tweets that sparked outrage on both sides of the Moroccan-Spanish border.
Vox responded to the proposal against its leader by stating Abascal would return to Ceuta to “defend the Spanish sovereignty of the city.”
Many have pointed out Spain’s hypocrisy over claims of sovereignty over both Ceuta and the twin city of Melilla. Madrid’s efforts to maintain control over both these cities, located within the borders of Morocco, does not match with its attitudes towards the British territory of Gibraltar. Spain continues to maintain its right to control Gibraltar, while denying Moroccans that same right in Melilla and Ceuta.
The debate over both the MDyC and Vox propositions will take place at a plenary session within the next few days. Previously scheduled sessions were cancelled and postponed over the past few weeks, due to the “constant attacks by Vox,” according to El Faro.
