“It wasn’t propaganda, but a reflection on the Constitution.” Livorno high school under accusation from the right defends the lesson on migrants

For the teaching staff of the Liceo Enriques in Livorno, the students’ meeting with Tommaso Stella on 16 April was an opportunity to reflect on the values ​​of the Constitution. A way to address, through the story of a direct witness, the current and dramatic issue of the violation of migrants’ rights in the Mediterranean. But for the […]

For the teaching staff of Enriques High School in Livornothe students’ meeting with Thomas Stella of last April 16th was an opportunity to reflect on the values ​​of the Constitution. A way to address, through the story of a direct witness, the current and dramatic theme of violation of migrants’ rights in the Mediterranean. But for the right, local and national, the meeting with the captain of the Mediterranean NGO – who in 2019 saved 54 people from the sea, forcing the blockade imposed by the then Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini – it was just a project of “pro-immigration propaganda”. So that Chiara La Portadeputy of the Brothers of Italy and vice-president of National Youth, filed aparliamentary question to the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara.

The FdI deputy collected the complaints of her party colleague, Giovanni Donzelliand the outgoing League MEP, Susanna Ceccardi, who accused the Livorno high school of “immigrationist propaganda”. In the text of the parliamentary question, La Porta writes that “it is absolutely inappropriate and unbecoming that to the students of public schools the free formation of thought is compressed.” The document speaks of “a dogmatic meeting” which gave “a partial vision of the migratory phenomenon”, instead “of educating young people to legality”. An accusation decisively rejected by the statement released by the over 120 professors from the Livorno high school: “They are describing the initiative as if it were a plot – comments a ilfattoquotidiano.it Maria Luisa Gares, teacher at Enriques -. Instead it is a training project which we have been carrying out for years, without ever having had a controversy. It is absurd that the right accuses us of indoctrination. These values ​​are not the prerogative of any political party, they should be shared by everyone.”

Gares is the contact person for the “April 25th” project. This is a series of activities, approved in September by teaching college and carried out during the year by all classes of the institute. Each year has a theme dedicated to it. The first ones faced the Holocaustthe latter the gender issue and the violence against womenthe thirds the rejection of warthe fifths there history of the Resistance and post-World War II. While the violation of migrants’ rights was the topic addressed in the fourth year: the children explored the understanding of Article 2 of the Constitutioni inviolable rights of man and mandatory duties of political, economic and social solidarity. And article 3 which repudiates any form of racism. Two other meetings were held on this topic, in addition to the one in question with Stella. The first with the lawyer specialized in human rights and immigration, Alessandra Balleriniwho also defends the family of Giulio Regeni. The second saw the participation of Balkan Routes Collective.

This is the third year that the skipper of the Mediterranean NGO has visited the students of Enriques – last year he was a guest together with Cecilia Strada – but it is the first time that his presence has sparked criticism. For the representative of the “25 April” project, the fuss raised by the majority parties should be read in electoral perspective, with the European and local elections in June approaching: “We have never had any problems – comments Gares -. This year evidently the climate has changedjust look at what happened to the Pioltello school”. The teacher’s reference is to the political case triggered by the school’s decision Iqbhal Masih to suspend teaching activities on April 10th, on the occasion of the end party Ramadan. A choice that caused protests from the government majority. “The desire is to limit the constitutional principle of freedom of teaching, but as teachers we refuse to let school be exploited by politics. Even more so on issues as important as those of rights, which are inviolable”, concludes Gares.