The region "less independentist of Spain" seeks identity: There is shame in being Murcian

The region known as the "least separatist part of Spain" is seeking identity: “There is shame in being from Murcia.” In early December 2025, the artist Magius, a native of Murcia, launched an online call for a political forum aimed at discussing the culture and identity of Murcia, held at the Ficciones café on Fuensanta street. Around thirty individuals attended, a modest number for founding a nation, yet significant enough for an event with little more than the word “identity” as its draw. From this gathering emerged more than just a casual meeting, weeks later, in 2026, the group known as La Enza Negra had drafted its foundational document, created a logo, and established a website. What began as a joke had taken shape into a formal entity, though without the violence or sacrifices once associated with the fictional terrorist group it was inspired by. The group’s foundational text, titled R.O.S.E.N., features a cover designed with runic symbols and a central image of a six-pointed sun rising from a half-moon, a symbol drawn from an ancient stele of King Ur-Nammu of Sumer, dating back four millennia. The stele is linked to the earliest irrigation systems, which shaped the agricultural heartland of Murcia. Below the emblem, nine rules outline the group's principles, including a Council of Good People modeled after the medieval Consejo de Hombres Buenos, and a vision of a federal republic built from the bottom up, neighborhood by neighborhood and parish by parish, culminating in the creation of the Cantón Murciano, a concept reminiscent of the 1873 cantonal movement. What stands out beyond the symbolic imagery is the ideological stance underpinning the group. The second rule declares that Murcians are the product of a mix of Argaric, Iberian, Roman, Syrian, Arab, Catalan, and Castilian influences, all converging in a shared origin. The sixth rule calls for war against “closed and exclusionary Spanish nationalism,” framing Murcian identity as one rooted in diversity rather than homogeneity. This perspective positions the group as advocating for an inclusive, multiethnic identity, challenging the notion of a singular, homogeneous national identity. Five months before the forum, the region found itself in headlines for a different reason. Between July 10 and 15, 2025, Torre-Pacheco, a municipality in Murcia where nearly a third of residents are foreign-born, saw days of violence targeting migrants following an attack on a 68-year-old resident. Three young men of North African descent were arrested. The interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, attributed the unrest to far-right groups, including Vox. The prosecutor’s office even investigated the leader of Vox in Murcia, José Ángel Antelo, for allegedly blaming the Socialist Party and the Popular Party for the violence. While no direct link has been made between these incidents and the formation of La Enza Negra, the contrast is striking: within the same region and year, some communities turned inward, while others came together to define their identity through inclusion and cultural hybridity. Underneath the historical symbolism lies a clear left-leaning political agenda. La Enza Negra claims descent from Antonete Gálvez and the cantonalist movement of 1873, which was republican and federal in nature. In his writings, Magius describes the group’s goal as “a leftist republicanism and a federalism of a republic built from the bottom up.” The name itself carries meaning: Enza lacks an exact equivalent in Spanish, but it refers to an inner desire or will, while negra evokes the fertile black soil hidden beneath the furrows of the land. Magius, who has long been a critic of nationalist rhetoric, sees in the group a chance to reclaim a sense of belonging rooted in history and diversity, rather than exclusion. His work continues to challenge the boundaries of identity, both in art and politics.