Meloni government bans burqas, caps foreign students in Italian schools
Italy is a front-line country for migration, with integration a hot campaign issue ahead of its 2027 election.
Italy’s government has moved forward with plans to ban face coverings in schools and cap the number of foreign students in classrooms. It has also threatened to exact fines of up to $1,140 for breaches of the new rules.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni outlined the proposed changes on Sunday at a gathering of the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) party. On Thursday, Meloni’s cabinet adopted the decree-law, rendering the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools illegal and introducing a 30-percent cap on non-Italian speakers in classrooms starting next year.
The measure is a decree-law, meaning it can take effect immediately, but it must be ratified by parliament within 60 days.
FN, which has made schools a central battleground in its campaign advocating “remigration”, called for a crackdown on burqas in schools in July.