Vox has accused Muslims of ‘Islamising’ neighbourhoods in Malaga.

The hard-right party made the claim while sharing footage of dozens of people taking part in what appears to have been a traditional celebration marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

The party’s Malaga branch published a video showing a large gathering in Calle Alozaina, in the Cruz de Humilladero district, with participants carrying green flags and temporarily occupying part of the street.

Vox claimed the scenes showed the city being ‘taken over by Muslims who are Islamising our neighbourhoods’.

It also attacked Malaga’s Partido Popular mayor Paco de la Torre for allowing the event to take place.

‘Malaga’s public spaces should not host a single event related to Islam,’ the party declared.

However, the timing and nature of the event strongly indicate that the gathering was connected to Mawlid al-Nabi, also known as Mawlid or Mulud.

The traditional Muslim celebration commemorates of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

Mawlid falls around August 24-25 in 2026, although the precise date can vary according to the lunar calendar and local observance.

An Islamic cultural organisation in nearby Sevilla, for example, held its Mawlid celebration on Monday, August 24.

The festival has been observed by Muslim communities around the world for centuries and can include religious recitations, prayers, processions, communal meals and other public celebrations, although traditions vary substantially between countries and branches of Islam.

It is therefore more comparable to a religious festival or procession than the spontaneous occupation of a street suggested by Vox’s rhetoric.

Vox claims Malaga is being ‘Islamised’

The controversy erupted after Vox’s municipal group initially shared footage from Calle Alozaina claiming: ‘Malaga’s neighbourhoods and their residents are beginning to suffer Islamisation at an enormous pace.’

‘Muslims close the street for their prayers,’ it added.

The party went further by accusing Spain’s Socialist Party of seeking to ‘eradicate our culture and replace Spaniards’, before declaring: ‘NO TO THE ISLAMISATION OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOODS!’

Vox Malaga subsequently doubled down on the criticism, directing its anger towards De la Torre.

‘Paco de la Torre once again allows the streets of Malaga to be taken over by Muslims who Islamise our neighbourhoods,’ it said.

It then argued that no Islamic event whatsoever should be permitted in the city’s public spaces.

What is Mawlid?

Mawlid al-Nabi commemorates the birth of Muhammad, who Muslims regard as the final prophet of Islam.

The festival is observed in numerous Muslim-majority countries and by Muslim communities across Europe, although it is not celebrated universally within Islam.

Events can involve readings about Muhammad’s life, recitations of poetry and religious texts, music, prayers, food and public processions.

Malaga regularly authorises temporary road closures and changes to traffic for religious processions and celebrations, most visibly during Semana Santa but also for smaller Catholic processions throughout the year.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.