Meloni plans to ban burqas and niqabs in Italy's schools
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni told the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party on Sunday 20 September 2026 that her government would soon bring a measure banning burqas and niqabs in schools and capping the number of foreign pupils per class. Speaking at the Gioventù Nazionale festival in Rome, she said the measure would also require parents of foreign pupils having "serious difficulties integrating into the school system" to take compulsory Italian lessons. "For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules," she said to a standing ovation. "It is the only serious way to welcome them." She did not mention the hijab, and gave no figure for the proposed class cap, though CNN reported foreign nationals make up 11.6 per cent of pupils in Italian schools, according to the research institute Fondazione ISMU.