Far-right Italian govt announces burqa ban in schools as it prepares for next year’s election

As Italy’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, facing a challenge ahead of next year’s general election, announced plans to ban burqas and niqabs in schools, limit the number of foreign students in classrooms and make Italian-language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students facing “serious difficulties integrating into the school system”.

Meloni declared the proposed measures on Sunday at the national festival of Gioventù Nazionale, the youth wing of her nationalist-conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, where she emphasised the need for steps one should take to learn the language, understand the culture and respect the country’s rules if anyone wished to come and settle in Italy, Al Jazeera reported.

Parliamentary approval shall be required within 60 days of the passing of the proposal by the government for it to be in the law books, while the general election is expected to see immigration widely discussed in political debates.

The proposed restrictions on Islamic face coverings would represent a significant change to Italy’s existing legal framework, under which neither the burqa nor the niqab is explicitly prohibited.

A 1975 law bans helmets and garments that make identification difficult without a justified reason, while a 2008 ruling established that full-face coverings could be worn for religious or cultural reasons, provided the face is uncovered when identity verification is required.

Meloni also announced plans to introduce a legal ceiling on foreign pupils in classrooms, although Italian law already provides for a 30 per cent limit in schools and classes, leaving it unclear how the proposed measure would alter the existing rules. Foreign pupils currently account for about 12 per cent of enrolment in Italian schools.

The proposal comes amid the threat posed by the National Future (FN), an ultra-right group in the country, following the strong momentum it gained in the recently held elections and its call for tougher measures on burqas in schools. Meloni’s government, meanwhile, remains Italy’s longest-running administration since the end of the Second World War.