Italy’s Islamism Crackdown: School Veil Ban in Force, Wider Bans Only Proposed

ALERT Breaking Alert

Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) shared a viral claim Sunday that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced a “MAJOR crackdown on Islamism,” writing: “Thank God. It appears Europe just may wake.” The post he quoted, from @Trumpjrusaq, says a new law to ban burqas and niqabs is underway, with mosques facing regular monitoring and inspections.

Part of that is real. Italy’s government banned face coverings in schools by decree on Sept. 30, and Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is campaigning for a wider ban in public places and tighter rules on mosque funding. But the wider ban and the mosque rules are still proposals, not law, and we found no new Meloni announcement this weekend.

Thank God. It appears Europe just may wake. https://t.co/Dy8T5xEOLu

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) October 18, 2026

One legal hurdle: Italy’s Council of State ruled in 2008 that wearing a full veil for religious reasons is a “justified reason” under the 1975 law against covering the face in public, a precedent ANSA noted could clash with the government’s plans (ANSA).

What’s confirmed vs. what’s claimed

Confirmed by outlets and official texts:

• School veil ban is in force, pending Parliament: Italy’s cabinet approved a school decree on Sept. 24 that the government presented as a ban on the burqa and niqab in schools, plus a 30% cap on pupils with little Italian in first-year classes (BBC). Decree-Law No. 170 of Sept. 30, 2026 took effect Oct. 1. Its text bars taking part in school activities with the face covered, except for certified health or teaching reasons, and does not name the burqa or niqab (Diritto e Religioni legal analysis). The hijab, which leaves the face visible, is not covered.
• Still needs a vote: a decree-law must be ratified by Parliament within 60 days. The Senate set an Oct. 20 deadline for amendments, with floor debate expected from Nov. 3 (Orizzonte Scuola).
• Meloni did announce it: she announced the school ban on Sept. 20 at Fenix, the youth festival of her Brothers of Italy party (Euronews).
• A wider ban is proposed, not passed: Brothers of Italy’s bill “against Islamic separatism” would ban face coverings in public places, offices, schools, universities and shops, with fines of 300 to 3,000 euros. It would also track funding for places of worship, let prefects temporarily close places of worship where religious hatred is spread, raise penalties for forced marriage and make virginity certificates a crime (Euronews, Corriere della Sera). It was presented in October 2025 and has not passed. A Chamber of Deputies committee has heard expert testimony on several bills of this kind (Chamber of Deputies).

Only claimed in the posts, or overstated:

• “Meloni announces MAJOR crackdown” as breaking news: we found no new announcement by Meloni this weekend. The measures being shared date to her Sept. 20 speech, the Sept. 30 decree and the party’s earlier bill.
• “A new law to ban burqas and niqabs is underway”: partly true. The school ban is in force pending ratification. A ban in all public places is only proposed.
• “Mosques facing regular monitoring and inspections”: not national law. What exists is proposals (funding transparency and closure powers in the party bill, and a regional League bill in Lombardy) plus local checks such as Livorno’s (see below).
• The video: the 10-second clip in the quoted post shows Meloni speaking at a podium. We could not confirm when or where it was filmed or what she says in it. The quoted post comes from a commentary account named “newsDonald Trump jr Q” (@Trumpjrusaq), which describes itself as not affiliated with any official entity.
• “Italy is in safe hands” and “Europe just may wake” are opinions.

Similar recent stories on Italy

• Oct. 8, European Parliament: a resolution on an EU strategy against Islamist terrorism and Muslim Brotherhood influence included a Brothers of Italy amendment backing national bans on full-face veils in public. It is not an EU-wide ban (ANSA).
• Oct. 16, Lombardy: the League, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, presented a proposed regional law: no new mosques without an agreement with the state, more power for towns to check buildings used for prayer, and more transparency on funding (Milano Notizie, il Giornale).
• Oct. 17, Livorno: the prefect again asked the city to inspect premises suspected of being used as unauthorized mosques, after a formal complaint from the League (Il Tirreno).
• Oct. 17, Siracusa: police expelled a 38-year-old North African man who called himself an imam, after he showed signs of radicalization and tried to recruit other inmates in prison, by order of the courts (La Sicilia).
• Oct. 18, Palermo: Brothers of Italy collected signatures for its anti-separatism bill as part of a national campaign called “Nessuna resti nascosta” (“No woman stays hidden”) (ANSA).

Sources

• Glenn Beck on X (post), Oct. 18, 2026
• BBC: Italy ministers agree to ban burqa and niqab in school and cap foreigners in class (Sept. 24)
• Euronews (Italian): Meloni announces burqa and niqab ban in schools (Sept. 20)
• Diritto e Religioni: legal analysis of Decree-Law No. 170 (updated Oct. 1)
• Orizzonte Scuola (Italian): School decree in the Senate, amendments by Oct. 20
• Euronews (Italian): Brothers of Italy bill on full veils, forced marriage and mosque funding (Oct. 2025)
• Corriere della Sera (Italian): Brothers of Italy bill against Islamic separatism (Oct. 2025)
• ANSA (Italian): European Parliament amendment on burqa and niqab (Oct. 8)
• Milano Notizie (Italian): League bill on mosques in Lombardy (Oct. 17)
• Il Tirreno (Italian): Livorno prefect asks city for mosque checks (Oct. 17)
• La Sicilia (Italian): Radicalized inmate expelled from Siracusa (Oct. 17)
• ANSA (Italian): Brothers of Italy campaign in Palermo (Oct. 18)