Wave of Burqa Bans in Spain and Breakthrough for Transitional Justice Victims

Spain is currently experiencing a convergence of several significant political and social processes that are redefining the local legal order and the country's historical memory. The dominant issue in municipalities has become the ban on wearing traditional Muslim head coverings that conceal the face, such as burqa and niqab. These initiatives, pushed by the conservative People's Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox, have been approved in places including Murcia, Toledo, Palma, as well as Zaragoza and Huesca. The new regulations mainly concern administrative buildings and public transport. Barcelona remains an exception, its council having rejected similar restrictions, arguing a lack of a real social problem. Simultaneously, at the national level, Minister María Jesús Montero announced a groundbreaking reform of the regulations concerning compensation. The government intends to equalize the rights of victims of police repression from the period of transition to democracy with the rights granted to victims of terrorism. A key symbol of this change is the case of Manuel García Caparrós, shot dead by police in 1977. The victim's family has been demanding state accountability for decades, which is now becoming a reality thanks to an urgent amendment of two laws. The mass demonstrations in Malaga on December 4, 1977, during which Manuel García Caparrós was killed, are considered one of the bloodiest and most pivotal moments in the struggle for Andalusia's autonomy after the fall of Franco's dictatorship. A third significant thread is the scandal in Alicante, where the judiciary and the UDEF unit are investigating irregularities in the sale of protected housing in the municipality of Sant Joan d'Alacant. Developers allegedly unlawfully demanded reservation fees of 1,750 euros from clients for properties built with public funds. This case, alongside local disputes over politicians' ethics – such as the case of the Zaragoza mayor paying a fine for not wearing a seatbelt – deepens the polarization between the government and the opposition in the regions. „El Estado tiene que asumir su responsabilidad histórica con este asesinato” (The State must assume its historical responsibility for this murder) — The García Caparrós family

Perspektywy mediów: Left-wing media highlight the success of the fight for historical memory of transition victims and criticize the instrumental use of the burqa ban to build animosity towards migrants. Conservative press focuses on the need to protect public safety through the ban on face coverings and highlights corruption scandals in the social housing sector.