Court overturns 10,001-euro fine against Sílvia Orriols as Aliança Catalana names 2027 candidates

Annulment of the administrative penalty

A court has annulled a 10,001-euro fine imposed by the Generalitat of Catalonia on Aliança Catalana leader Sílvia Orriols. The sanction originated from comments regarding immigration policy that Orriols delivered during an interview on the television network 8TV in 2022. During that broadcast, Orriols argued against what she termed the massive entry of Muslim immigrants and stated that Islam is incompatible with Western values. She further asserted that demographic growth among supporters of Islamic traditions could lead to the imposition of religious law, misogyny, and homophobia in Catalonia. Following those remarks, the Catalan government's Office of Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination initiated a disciplinary proceeding against her.

Legal challenge and judicial ruling

The regional administration, then led by Catalan president Pere Aragonès of the ERC party, finalized the 10,001-euro sanction in April 2024. After exhausting the regional administrative appeal process, Orriols filed a contentious administrative appeal before the courts, arguing that her statements were protected by the right to freedom of expression as a political representative. The court accepted her appeal and struck down the financial penalty, ruling that the regional administration failed to prove that her statements constituted unlawful discrimination. Jordi Coma, an attorney and member of the legal secretariat for Aliança Catalana, celebrated the judicial outcome.

Second municipal convention in Ripoll

Orriols announced the judicial ruling publicly on 19 September 2026 during Aliança Catalana's second municipal convention, held at the Teatre Comtal in Ripoll, where she serves as mayor. Following the gathering, she commented on the outcome through her social media channels.

I have won the trial against the Generalitat and the department of Equality and Feminisms.

In her remarks, Orriols stated that the regional executive's attempt to curtail her speech through financial penalties had failed. The announcement took place alongside convention sessions designed to prepare prospective municipal councillors for local council debates, strategic campaign planning, and public speaking.

Candidate announcements for 2027

At the convention, Aliança Catalana introduced eight new candidates for the 2027 municipal elections, bringing the party's total count of confirmed local candidates to 51. In the province of Girona, the party presented Àlex Fernández for Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Aleix Boix for Roses. In the province of Lleida, Josep Juanola was selected for Biosca. Across the province of Barcelona, the party nominated Ester Hosta in Navàs, Josep Valls in Rajadell, Miquel Santiago in Tiana, Jaume Valls in Vilassar de Mar, and Xavier Merlos in Alella. In her address to the attendees, Orriols urged candidates to show determination in the face of public criticism and confrontation during the electoral campaign, stating that the party intends to expand its municipal presence across Catalonia.