'Faces Must Be Uncovered': Meloni's Big Crackdown On Burqa, Niqab In Italian Schools| Firstpost Live

0:00What do you wear, what language you

0:02speak, and how many foreign students can

0:04share one classroom?

0:06Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

0:08wants to put all three issues in the

0:10spotlight. Her government is preparing

0:13new school rules targeting full-face

0:16veils, foreign students numbers, and

0:18language barriers. Let's tell you about

0:21the clothing rule first. Meloni has

0:23proposed a blanket ban on the burqa and

0:26the niqab in classrooms. The burqa

0:28covers the face and body, while the

0:30niqab covers the face but leaves the

0:32eyes visible.

0:34There is also an important distinction

0:36here. Meloni did not include the hijab

0:38in this proposal. Notably, hijab covers

0:41the head and neck but leaves the face

0:43visible.

0:46>> School is a place where people attend

0:48with their faces uncovered, and because

0:50in Italy no one, in the name of a real

0:53or presumed tradition, can decide that a

0:56young woman must hide herself.

0:58Equality between men and women is not

1:01negotiable.

1:03It is not negotiable in our streets, and

1:05it is not negotiable in our schools.

1:10>> Next, her proposal also wants to put a

1:12limit on the number of foreign students

1:14in each classroom. Meloni has not yet

1:17said what the new limit would be, but

1:20she asserts that learning Italian

1:21tantamounts to an essential requirement

1:24in Italy.

1:26>> For us, anyone who comes to Italy and

1:28wants to build their future here must

1:31learn our language, understand our

1:33culture, and respect our rules.

1:36It is the only serious way to ensure

1:38successful integration.

1:41In addition, it would require the

1:43parents of foreign students with serious

1:45integration difficulties at school to

1:47learn Italian.

1:50>> Her argument is essentially this: One

1:53child who doesn't speak Italian can

1:55learn the language from teachers and

1:57classmates, but if a large part of the

2:00class cannot speak the language, it

2:02could pose serious problems towards

2:04integration.

2:05Now, Italy already has a 30% limit on

2:08foreign students in a class under the

2:10existing rules. And Meloni has not

2:13explained exactly how her proposed cap

2:15would alter that system.

2:17Foreign students without Italian

2:19citizenship currently accounts for over

2:2111% of pupils in Italian schools. So,

2:25this is not simply a story about

2:27numbers. It is part of a much bigger

2:30argument in Italy over immigration,

2:32integration, and even national identity.

2:35And that debate is also getting

2:37political.

2:38Italy is due to hold its next general

2:40election in 2027. And Meloni's Brothers

2:44of Italy party is facing pressure from

2:46groups further to the right. One of them

2:49is the National Future Party, which has

2:51pushed for tougher measures on migration

2:53and face coverings.

2:55So, Meloni's new school package lands

2:57right in the middle of that political

3:00battle.

3:01And her personal stance isn't much

3:02different from what she has proposed

3:04either.

3:05The firebrand Italian leader, who has

3:08has her political roots in the far

3:10right, has built her career on a

3:12hardline traditionalist platform. On

3:15multiple occasions, she has framed

3:17uncontrolled immigration not just as a

3:19security issue, but as an existence

3:22existential threat to Italy's national

3:24identity and European civilization.

3:27But she has also evolved politically

3:29over her tenure as Prime Minister,

3:31shifting from a nationalist outlier to

3:34an establishment figure among European

3:36Union politicians. In fact, earlier this

3:39month, her conservative government

3:40became Italy's longest-serving

3:42uninterrupted government since World War

3:44II.

3:45So, any measures put forward by her

3:48right now would naturally aim to cater

3:50to the broader sentiment of the Italians

3:53in order to gain their trust and pave

3:55her path for re-election.

3:58Now, importantly, her new proposals are

4:00yet to become law. Once approved by the

4:02government, the measures would need

4:04parliamentary approval within 60 days to

4:06pass into law. And when it does, it will

4:09lead to Italy joining a pool of other

4:11European countries that have undertaken

4:13similar measures, especially with regard

4:15to Islamic face coverings. Countries

4:18like France, Belgium, Denmark, and

4:20Austria, among others, have all

4:22introduced different restrictions on

4:24face coverings, while Switzerland has a

4:27nationwide face covering ban.

4:29But the rules in these nations are not

4:31uniform. Some apply to public spaces,

4:34some apply to schools or other

4:35institutions, and some are much more

4:37limited in nature.

4:39Now, in Italy, full face coverings are

4:41not currently subject to a nationwide

4:43ban, but for now, it would simply mark a

4:46significant change in the school

4:47setting. And that is why this

4:50announcement is already triggering a

4:52much bigger conversation.

4:54Where does integration end and personal

4:56freedom begin? Should schools be places

4:59where cultural differences are

5:01accommodated, or should the classroom be

5:03a space where everyone follows the same

5:06social and language rules? And Meloni's

5:08government seems to be leaning towards

5:10the second approach.

5:15>> [music]

5:24[music]

5:52>> Mhm.