The Urban Planning commission has given the green light to the project by the Seville Mosque Foundation, which includes a temple of about one thousand square metres in a complex of 6,000. Vox has announced that it will challenge the decision and jeopardises the stability pact with the PP.
The Urban Planning commission of the Seville City Council granted the building licence on Tuesday for the construction of an Islamic cultural centre that will house a mosque of approximately one thousand square metres. The complex, promoted by the Seville Mosque Foundation, will occupy about 6,000 square metres and will include underground parking, multipurpose rooms, offices, and courtyards.
The decision has severely strained the stability agreement between the PP and Vox in the Seville City Council. Vox's spokesperson in the City Council, Gonzalo García de Polavieja, appeared at a press conference to reproach the mayor, José Luis Sanz, for processing the licence and announced that his group would file an appeal against the building permit.
García de Polavieja stated that granting the licence makes it "almost impossible to maintain the pact" that both parties signed for the approval of the municipal budgets. Although Vox has ruled out an immediate breakup, sources from the party suggest that the "divorce" could materialise after the summer, starting in September, due to the deterioration of relations.
"Trust is the essential basis of any stability and support agreement, and that trust has been severely broken," declared the municipal spokesperson for Vox.
The mayor of Seville responded to the criticisms by asking Vox whether what they oppose is "the religion or the race" when they oppose the project. Sanz reminded that in the Andalusian capital there are already 14 other mosques, in addition to evangelical and Mormon churches, without Vox protesting against any of them. "What is being questioned? Is it the religion or the race? Why do we oppose this mosque?" the mayor posed.
Sanz insisted that the licence was granted based on technical and legal criteria, not ideological ones. Otherwise, he added, "it would be committing prevarication."
For its part, the Seville Mosque Foundation welcomed the municipal decision and agreed with Sanz that it was made based on legal criteria. The promoters emphasised their willingness to "dialogue with all Sevillians and their political representation, regardless of their affiliation."
The issue has transcended to the national level through the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, who has called for "listening to the Spaniards" when projects like this are proposed. "We must vote on what affects us," Abascal demanded, referring to the new mosque.
At the regional level, both the PP and Vox have tried to confine the conflict to the municipal level. The spokesperson for Vox in the Andalusian Parliament, Javier Cortés, and the general secretary of the Andalusian PP, Antonio Repullo, have agreed that the issue "remains anchored in the municipal sphere," thus protecting the coalition agreement in the Andalusian government, where Vox holds a ministry with vice-presidential rank.
The Urban Planning decision comes in a context of growing social sensitivity regarding the construction of non-Catholic places of worship. Seville, with a significant Muslim community, already has several prayer rooms and mosques scattered throughout the city. The new Islamic cultural centre aims to meet the needs of this community, although it has generated intense political debate.
Residents of the area where the complex will be built will now have a period to submit objections once the licence is officially published. The City Council has assured that the project complies with all current urban planning and safety regulations.
The Seville Mosque Foundation has indicated that, once all permits are obtained, construction could begin in the coming months. The complex, in addition to the prayer hall, will have spaces for cultural and educational activities open to all citizens.
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