(The Guardian) Italy’s ruling party drafts law to ‘safeguard’ school nativity scenes
Italy’s ruling far-right party has identified a new battleground in its war to protect the country’s “cultural roots”: the school nativity scene.
A draft law proposed on Wednesday by the Brothers of Italy party (FdI) seeks to clamp down on schools that hold general celebrations in the holiday season thereby acknowledging the growing diversity of Italy’s classrooms. “For some years now we have witnessed unacceptable and embarrassing decisions by some schools that ban nativity scenes or modify the deep essence of Christmas by transforming it into improbable winter festivities so as not to offend believers of other religions,” said Lavinia Mennuni, an FdI senator and primary signatory of the proposed bill.
According to the party, which is led by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the move “is absolutely essential to safeguard and protect [Italy’s] cultural roots, which are exemplified by the nativity scene”. If passed the new legislation would mean headteachers who continued to remove nativity scenes would face disciplinary measures.
The proposal was immediately attacked by opposition parties, who described it as yet another attempt by Meloni’s party to exploit religion for political purposes. “Punctual as a Swiss clock, during Christmas, the rightwing proposals to safeguard Italian Christian traditions return,” said Riccardo Magi, secretary of the leftwing party More Europe (Più Europa).
Alluding to the government’s anti-immigrant agenda, Magi said: “[This is] the same right wing, led by Giorgia Meloni, for whom today, the holy family fleeing from persecution would probably end up in a detention centre, maybe in Albania, waiting to find out from some judge in Italy whether or not they are worthy of setting foot on Italian territory.”
-Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...rafts-law-to-safeguard-school-nativity-scenes
Italy’s ruling far-right party has identified a new battleground in its war to protect the country’s “cultural roots”: the school nativity scene.
A draft law proposed on Wednesday by the Brothers of Italy party (FdI) seeks to clamp down on schools that hold general celebrations in the holiday season thereby acknowledging the growing diversity of Italy’s classrooms. “For some years now we have witnessed unacceptable and embarrassing decisions by some schools that ban nativity scenes or modify the deep essence of Christmas by transforming it into improbable winter festivities so as not to offend believers of other religions,” said Lavinia Mennuni, an FdI senator and primary signatory of the proposed bill.
According to the party, which is led by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the move “is absolutely essential to safeguard and protect [Italy’s] cultural roots, which are exemplified by the nativity scene”. If passed the new legislation would mean headteachers who continued to remove nativity scenes would face disciplinary measures.
The proposal was immediately attacked by opposition parties, who described it as yet another attempt by Meloni’s party to exploit religion for political purposes. “Punctual as a Swiss clock, during Christmas, the rightwing proposals to safeguard Italian Christian traditions return,” said Riccardo Magi, secretary of the leftwing party More Europe (Più Europa).
Alluding to the government’s anti-immigrant agenda, Magi said: “[This is] the same right wing, led by Giorgia Meloni, for whom today, the holy family fleeing from persecution would probably end up in a detention centre, maybe in Albania, waiting to find out from some judge in Italy whether or not they are worthy of setting foot on Italian territory.”
-Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...rafts-law-to-safeguard-school-nativity-scenes
