Meloni to ban burqas, niqabs in Italian schools — SkimNews
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- Giorgia Meloni announced Italy will ban burqas and niqabs in schools and cap the number of foreign students per class, unveiling the proposals at the Gioventu Nazionale festival (Brothers of Italy youth wing) in Rome.
- Meloni also proposed compulsory Italian language lessons for parents of foreign students with "serious difficulties integrating," telling the crowd: "anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules."
- The measures require parliamentary approval within 60 days once cleared by the government, with immigration expected to be the central issue in the 2027 general election.
- Brothers of Italy (FdI) faces a 2027 challenge from the further-right National Future (FN) party, whose polling has risen since February; FN called for a school burqa crackdown in July.
- A 1975 Italian law already bars garments that make identification difficult without justified reason, and a 2008 ruling permits religious or cultural face coverings when the face is revealed for ID verification.
- A 30% cap on foreign students per class and school already exists under Italian law, but Meloni did not specify how her new limit would differ; foreign students currently account for about 12% of school enrolment.
- The League, part of Meloni's coalition, submitted its own bill earlier this year banning helmets or face-covering garments except in specified circumstances such as sporting events or places of worship.
Why it matters: Meloni's coalition partner the League has already filed a parallel face-covering bill, and the further-right FN has surged in polls since February after calling for the same school ban in July — meaning the announcement functions as competitive positioning ahead of 2027, not the filling of a legal vacuum. With a 30% foreign-student cap already on the books and Meloni silent on how her version changes it, the package's force is political signaling: her coalition needs parliamentary approval within 60 days to convert the proposals into law.
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