Italy is to ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools and cap the number of foreign students in classrooms. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed on Sunday (September 20) to introduce the controversial measures.
Ms Meloni told the youth wing of her nationalist Brothers of Italy party that the move would also include making Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students having "serious difficulties integrating into the school system".
She said to a standing ovation at the Gioventù Nazionale national festival in Rome: "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.
"It is the only serious way to welcome them."
Italy's leader referred to a ban on the burqa but she didn't mention the hijab, which is a headscarf worn by some Muslim women that leaves the face uncovered.
The burqa is a dress worn by some Muslim women that covers the entire body. The niqab is a veil in which only the eyes show.
Once approved by the Italian government, the measure would need parliamentary approval within 60 days to pass into law.
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Ms Meloni has consistently appeared to be hawkish on migration. Since becoming prime minister, she has evolved politically, shifting from a nationalist outlier to an establishment figure among European Union politicians.
She is also keen to boost her popularity before a general election next year and is introducing a string of policies aimed at achieving that goal, including an exemption from a hated property tax on small and medium-sized cars and scooters.
Critics of banning burqas say women should be allowed to choose what they wear while supporters argue such garments undermine social integration and equality between the sexes.
Full or partial bans on face coverings are already in place in some European countries, including France, Belgium, Portugal and Denmark. Britain does not ban the burqa, niqab or hijab although Reform UK has said it will ban face coverings in public if it wins the next general election.
Earlier this month, Ms Meloni’s conservative administration became Italy’s longest-serving, uninterrupted government since World War Two.