Meloni to Fenix: “We will ban the burqa and the niqab in classrooms.” She also attacks Schlein and Conte

Wearing a blazer and white trainers, Giorgia Meloni opts for a youthful outfit to address the young members of her party at the close of the eighth edition of Fenix, the Gioventù Nazionale festival in Rome. “I am immensely proud of you; do not be afraid,” the Prime Minister begins, following a speech by Gioventù Nazionale secretary Fabio Roscani. “What is politics – real politics – if not the stubborn, some might say unrealistic, insistence that our time here is not in vain?” she continues. “That is why I genuinely needed to be here. You thought you were here to take something from me, but it is I who will take something from you. You give meaning to the hard work and the hopes.” The FdI leader spoke at the same time as Matteo Salvini was addressing the crowd in Pontida. A sort of new habit.

“In an age when you’re told to stand out, you’ve chosen to belong,” the Prime Minister praises her youthful audience in a speech touching on various topics, from education to respect for rules and competences, right through to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. “Let’s finish at five then, lads,” she jokes after the initial applause slows her speech down. The rally is briefly interrupted by the arrival of paramedics attending to a girl who has fallen ill. Then she turns her attention to schools: “It is unacceptable for Italian children to feel like a minority in their classrooms. This cannot be allowed. This is not integration but neglect. We will table a decree in the Council of Ministers setting a maximum limit on the number of foreign pupils per class. It will also ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs at school. Equality between men and women is non-negotiable,” announces the Prime Minister, who believes there can be no “first-class and second-class schools”.

Then Meloni brings Elly Schlein (“dear Elly”) into the fray over university funding, which the government claims to have increased: “Is it really possible that you can’t find a single genuine criticism to level at us? I’ll slip one past you under the table.” She then turned to the presidents of centre-left regions and to Giuseppe Conte: “You say we ran an election campaign on the road tax. But how dare you, after the mess with the Superbonus?” The expression used for the road tax cut is: ‘bollo ciao’. “They don’t want us to sing about it.” There was, however, not a single reference to Vannacci or Futuro Nazionale.

The Prime Minister then speaks about artificial intelligence, social media and the limits to its use. “The most precious thing you possess is your freedom. If you have been able to leave a mark of your passage, you will be a spark of eternity, and eternity cannot be consumed,” she concludes, followed by her trusted (but not for much longer) Tommaso Longobardi, who is recording a video behind her. Before the selfie from the stage with the audience. Before a “I love you all”. And before the Italian national anthem. Before “A mano a mano” and “E il cielo è sempre più blu”, sung by Rino Gaetano.