Meloni Insciallah. Security and Islam feature in FdI’s programme too. But Mattarella puts the brakes on her: “No to ghettos and barriers in schools”

The sky is growing bluer, but the political agenda is becoming increasingly bleak and security-focused. It is no coincidence that Giorgia Meloni chose to close (to the tune of Rino Gaetano) the eighth edition of Fenix, the National Youth Festival, by speaking of “limits on the number of foreign pupils in classes” and a “ban on the burqa and niqab” in schools. Although President Mattarella appeared to put the brakes on this by speaking at the opening of the new school year in Amatrice, describing a school that “fosters dialogue and culture between people. No to ghettos and barriers”. At the very moment Meloni was delivering her speech, Matteo Salvini and Roberto Vannacci were scrambling as best they could to court the electorate with proposals on security and immigration. The former, in Pontida, even brought a group of anti-Islamic activists dressed in burqas onto the stage. It did little good, given that today the word ‘Islam’ in the newspapers was associated solely with the Prime Minister’s announcement. In recent weeks, there has been a dialogue between Meloni and the Minister for Education, Giuseppe Valditara (a member of the League). This initiative regarding the limit on the number of foreign pupils per class (at Thursday’s Council of Ministers meeting, the existing rule is set to be tightened, though it will apply only to non-Italians who do not speak the language), as well as the ban on the burqa, serves to help the Prime Minister assert control over an area where there has been some unrest to the right of FdI.

At the end of August, the Carroccio made the most of the Venice mosque controversy. It provided Salvini with an opportunity to reintroduce in Parliament a bill being drafted by the Lega, which specifically provides for a ban on new mosques throughout Italy. This battle could intensify with Salvini standing for re-election at the extraordinary party congress (“I’d like it to be held in Milan,” he said this evening). Vannaccia’s supporters have also hammered home this point, including at the counter-demonstration they held in Bari at the same time as the FdI rally celebrating its record time in government. Consequently, Meloni has become convinced that they cannot simply sit back and take it. In addition to the announcement made at Fenix, she has also asked her party to dust off the old draft bill tabled in the Chamber of Deputies a year ago – with Sara Kelany as the lead signatory – which aims to introduce a series of stricter procedures and controls for the opening of new Islamic places of worship. It is a more lenient text compared to the League’s proposal but with the aim of effectively banning the wearing of the full-face veil practically everywhere. It was Kelany herself who had revived the bill by giving an interview to Il Tempo last week, to pave the way for Sunday’s announcement. The ‘Islamisation’ dossier, however, will not be the only strategy to try to prevent losing ground to the right. The majority, in fact, is still working on legislation to extend the scope and application of self-defence. This was a promise made in the wake of the conviction of jeweller Mario Roggero, but it has come back into the spotlight following a new case reported at the weekend in Baldissero d’Alba, in the province of Cuneo. In reality, whilst FdI and the League (and Fn) appear to be in agreement on this point, Forza Italia is the party within the centre-right that is opposing it. Although, ironically, one of the most outspoken Forza Italia members in denouncing the overzealous judicial approach to the Roggero case, the Sicilian MP Tommaso Calderone, has in fact defected to Futuro Nazionale (speaking of Forza Italia, Tajani today apologised for his remark about ‘reliable’ women to marry and less reliable ones in short skirts: “For my part, there was never any intention to cause offence”). What is certain is that, as far as the leadership of Fratelli d’Italia is concerned, they will need to keep emphasising the link between security and immigration for some time to come, particularly as next year’s election approaches. This is another reason why measures against Islamic radicalisation, as well as being approved and championed, could then be incorporated into the electoral manifesto to be presented to the Italian people. The same applies to the entire section on pushbacks and deportations. Provided, that is, that the infamous ‘naval blockade’ (featured in the 2022 manifesto) is not dusted off again. Alternatively, the opening of the Repatriation Detention Centres (CPRs) might be postponed until the next parliamentary term – a move that Interior Minister Piantedosi, despite the lack of cooperation from the centre-left regions that oppose it, hopes will go ahead. These are ways of trying to erode Vannacci’s support. Meloni aims to ignore this: in her speech at Fenix, she never mentioned him, even though she regards him as part of the opposition. This indifference, however, is not one the Prime Minister will extend to Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte, both of whom she has identified as rivals (as was also evident in Sunday’s speech). At least until fuelling a rivalry with both of them leads to heightened suspicions and competition within the broad coalition itself.