Italian schools protest banner removals over student quotas

Teachers' unions, including FLC CGIL in Tuscany, Lucca, and Florence, are protesting against the removal of banners from schools that read “Qui nessuno è straniero” (Here no one is a stranger) and “La scuola è aperta a tutti” (School is open to all).

The protest follows a decree that proposes a 30% cap on foreign students in classrooms. Union representatives have denounced attempts to remove these banners as an act of censorship and an attack on Article 34 of the Italian Constitution, which guarantees the right to education for all.

Similar incidents of banner removal and subsequent repositioning have been reported in other Italian cities, including Genoa and Pinerolo. The FLC CGIL has called for a collective response, urging schools across the country to display messages of inclusion and pluralism to resist political interference.