An enquiry by the anti-migration party Vox revealed that the separatist government of Catalonia was giving money to Islamic organisations. The party leader Abascal has levelled accusations. The proportion of Muslim residents in Spain has now grown to almost 5 per cent and is a relevant pool of voters for political parties.
According to a report in the Spanish newspaper Gaceta, the parliamentary group of the Vox party submitted an enquiry to the government of Catalonia. It revealed that the regional government had paid out more than 166,814.10 euros to Islamic organisations or associations over a period of five years. The money came from the coffers of both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Presidency. According to Santiago Abascal, the aim was to secure support for the ruling left-wing parties ERC and Junts. “Thanks to Vox and their parliamentary work, data is being published that they had previously been afraid to publicise,” added party leader Abascal.
By the end of 2023, there were 2,412,344 Muslims living in Spain, 2.7 per cent more than in the previous year. They now make up 4.96 per cent of the Spanish population. This is less than in Germany (6.6 per cent) and France (10 per cent), but the trend is clear, as in the rest of Europe – with corresponding consequences. According to a study by the Real Instituto Elcano think tank, Catalonia is particularly affected by Islamist terrorism (35.8 per cent of all terrorist attacks in Spain between 2012 and 2023). However, the growing proportion of Muslims is also important for political parties in terms of the ethnic vote. This may be why the Catalonian government is making financial contributions.
Katalonische Regierung zahlte über 166.000 Euro an islamische Organisationen (heimatkurier.at)