09/22/2026
Italian Prime Minister announced her plan for a full burqa ban in schools saying "Equality between men and women is non-negotiable" and got a standing ovation and cheers from those in attendance.
"Because at school we show our faces and because in Italy, no one can decide that a young woman must hide herself."
Giorgia Meloni made the announcement on Sunday saying Italy will also require the parents of foreign students with serious integration problems to learn Italian, and will set a limit to the number of foreign students allowed in a classroom
"Italian children cannot be left feeling pushed into a corner because they have become the minority in their own classroom. "
Meloni told the crowd the measure will soon go before the Council of Ministers to set a legal maximum on foreign students per class.
She said that if only one child in a class does not understand Italian, classmates and teachers can help that child catch up.
If the number of children who do not understand the language of instruction becomes large or even the majority, “that is no longer integration; it is neglect.”
A child who comes to Italy, she said, must learn the language, know the culture, and respect the rules.
That, she argued, is the only serious way to welcome them.
The proposal now heads for Cabinet approval and parliamentary passage.
