Far-right mayor in Spanish Catalonia fined for anti-Islamic statements
The far-right mayor of a city in the Spanish region of Catalonia has been fined for her anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim statements.
Ripoll Mayor Silvia Orriols, known for her anti-Islamic views and founder of the anti-immigrant Catalan separatist party Alianca Catalana, was fined 10,000 euros ($11,160) for making racist comments on 8TV.
She claimed that Muslims living in Catalonia “represent a threat to Catalan identity.”
In 2023, after her victory in Ripoll, she declared that the “reconquest of Catalonia” had begun in her city, near the border with France.
In August 2023, Orriols called on the Catalan government to ban burkinis in municipal swimming pools. That same month, she also held an event in Barcelona to promote her plan to expand throughout Catalonia, according to El Pais.
In January, she called for halal meat to be banned from public schools.
In October, the five local opposition parties signed a joint statement saying they were “very concerned about the increasing tensions and anger among the population” and about the “hate discourse that could lead to situations of violence and discrimination”.
While Orriols remains a marginal figure, her success and the ability of her former party, the FNC, to govern in another city raise concerns about the future of Catalan separatism.
