Italian minister defends 'Italy to Italians' slogan, orders probe into school assignment

Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has defended the slogan "L'Italia agli italiani" (Italy to Italians), stating it is "certainly shareable" as it includes all citizens. The phrase has been used by political movements forming the current government, he noted.

Valditara's comments came in response to an inquiry about two high school students who received a six in conduct for displaying a banner with the slogan. The students claimed it was a prank, but the class council also assigned them an in-depth essay on racial laws and a text titled "Africans are us."

The minister called the teachers' actions "grave" and contrary to professional ethics, ordering an inspection through the regional school office. He wants to determine if the assignment was influenced by the banner incident. Valditara emphasized that disciplinary measures are for educational purposes and to foster responsibility, not to punish free expression. He reiterated that schools should encourage critical thinking and diverse ideas, not indoctrination, to educate students to be free.

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qualora all'esito dell'accertamento ispettivo dovesse emergere un collegamento tra il contenuto dell'elaborato critico e l'espressione utilizzata nello striscione, e non, come richiedono le norme da noi recentemente introdotte, con la violazione di regole di condotta scolastica, sarebbe certamente un episodio grave.