Judgment favours Aliança Catalana leader
The Plaça 1 section of the Administrative Court of Girona has annulled a €10,001 administrative fine imposed by the Generalitat on Sílvia Orriols, mayor of Ripoll and leader of Aliança Catalana, over comments she made on 8TV in May 2022 about immigration and Islam. The ruling, delivered on Saturday 19 September 2026, concludes that the Generalitat failed to prove her statements led to discrimination. The sanction was issued under Catalonia’s Law 19/2020 on Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination, which was approved unanimously by the Catalan Parliament and is available via the Generalitat’s official legal portal. The law empowers authorities to fine individuals for discriminatory speech, but the court found the threshold for such penalties was not met in this case.
Remarks made during televised debate
Orriols made the contested remarks during a debate with academic Ramon Cotarelo on 8TV. She described Muslim immigration as a 'colonisation' and linked Islam to practices including 'group rapes, genital mutilation, forced marriages', misogyny and homophobia. She also stated that allowing mass entry of Muslim immigrants was a 'mistake' that could be 'paid for dearly' because they 'do not recognise European democracies or our civil laws'. The Office for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination opened a file following the broadcast and later issued the fine. The sanction became final in mid-2024, but Orriols challenged it through a contentious-administrative appeal.
Court finds no discriminatory impact
In its judgment, the court noted the 8TV programme was a debate format in which participants responded to questions from a host, not a unilateral speech or public statement. It highlighted 'contradictions' in the Generalitat’s resolution, particularly regarding whether the offence required incitement to discrimination, given that prosecutors had previously stated there was no such incitement. The ruling, signed by Judge Maria del Pilar Garcia, states that Orriols’ comments alone did not constitute the administrative offence because no discriminatory behaviour, by her or third parties, was proven to have resulted. The court also noted the 'limited (if not null) impact' of the programme, making it unlikely the statements could have generated or encouraged discrimination. It further stated that no violation of religious freedom rights had been demonstrated and stressed that 'opinions or prejudices, perhaps rejectable in certain contexts, must not be confused with actions that are punishable under criminal or administrative law'.
"We celebrate this enormously," said Jordi Coma, legal secretary of Aliança Catalana and Orriols’ lawyer in the case. "This ruling upholds the democratic spirit that should govern political representatives' interventions. It exposes the Department of Equality and Feminisms and the Government that issued this unjust sanction."
The judgment is final and cannot be appealed.
Party announces new municipal candidates
The ruling was announced during Aliança Catalana’s second Municipalist Convention, held in Ripoll on Saturday. At the event, the party unveiled eight new municipal candidates and confirmed it now has over 50 candidates lined up for next year’s local elections, with the aim of "turning Catalonia blue". Orriols described the candidates as "brave" and said the municipal push is a necessary step before "literally and democratically storming" the Catalan Parliament. "We need to take root in the territory first," she said.
Primary sources: Generalitat de Catalunya - Portal Jurídic de Catalunya, Generalitat de Catalunya. Reported by Diari de Girona, L'Empordà, Regió 7, Parlament de Catalunya, Associació Catalana de Municipis, Racó Català.
