BASQUE – People in Hernani town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, rallied Sunday evening to support the Muslim religious minority following an attack that left a local mosque vandalized with hateful messages.

“We do not accept such racist attitudes,” said Hernani Mayor Luis Intxauspe, Yabiladi.com reported

“We want a municipality where everyone can live in freedom,” he added.

The protest was planned after a mosque in Hernani was attacked on Saturday.

According to the Islamic Federation of the Basque Country, racist and xenophobic messages were found on the city’s mosque, El Diario newspaper reported.

Messages like “Get out Arabs” were found on the mosque’s gate next to a tag in the form of a target.

The act was immediately denounced by the Federation, which brings together the main Islamic organizations in the Basque Country.

During the rally held at the town hall square, residents supported the Muslim community with signs saying “No to racism, yes to respect.”

“These signs of racism cannot be tolerated in the Basque society, which has suffered from hatred for many years and in which we try to favor coexistence,» said Ricardo Crespo, socialist spokesman for the municipality.

Spain is home to 1.9 million Muslims, according to figure put by Agence France Presse.