Meloni Pledges School Veil Ban as Far-Right Rival Presses From the Flank

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, promised on Sunday to ban burqas and niqabs in Italian schools and to limit the number of foreign students in classrooms, according to Al Jazeera and Politico Europe. "Italian children cannot feel like a minority in the classroom," she said, in remarks carried by both outlets.

Al Jazeera described the announcement as coming from the head of Italy's longest-serving government since the Second World War, and framed it against an election threat from a rival party on the far right. Politico Europe reported the same pledge, placing the emphasis on the two parts of it: the veil ban and the proposed limit on foreign pupils.

Neither outlet reported a draft law, a parliamentary timetable or a text. As reported, the commitment is a political promise made on a Sunday, not a measure in force.