In the Catalonia region of Spain, the far-right mayor of Ripoll, Silvia Orriols, faced consequences for her Islamophobic comments targeting Muslims. Orriols, who leads the anti-immigrant party Alianca Catalana, was fined 10,000 euros for her racist remarks on a TV broadcast where she claimed Muslims threaten Catalan identity.
Known for her extremist views, Orriols initiated the “reconquest of Catalonia” from her town near the French border in 2023. She further sparked controversy by advocating for the banning of ‘burkinis’ in municipal pools and pushing to remove halal meat from public schools.
Despite being a fringe figure, Orriols’ rise to power and the success of her party FNC in leading another town have raised concerns about the future of Catalan separatism. Opposition parties have expressed worry about the escalating tensions and hate speech within the region, which could potentially lead to violence and discrimination.
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