Interior Minister Angelino
Alfano said Monday he would have traditional nativity crib
scenes set up in prefectures across Italy this Christmas amid
ongoing furore over last week's decision by a principal at a
comprehensive school near Milan to reportedly scrap its planned
Christmas concert in favour of a more 'secular' event.
The principal, Marco Parma, handed in his resignation on
Saturday over the controversy, but only with respect to the
school's primary section.
"To those who believe dialogue is assisted by cancelling
our identity today we reply by having the new police
headquarters in Jesolo blessed by the Patriarch of Venice,"
Alfano added.
"Our position is very clear," the minister continued.
"Meeting and dialogue work better and are more authentic if
there is a strong identity. If identity is cancelled there is no
dialogue, no meeting, only confusion," said Alfano, adding that
a nativity scene would also be installed at the interior
ministry this year.
Meanwhile Lombardy regional councillor for education
Valentina Aprea affirmed her commitment to "returning nativity
scenes and religious songs to schools".
The authorities "will check where this is not happening,
even in the absence of direct competence in the matter", the
representative of ex premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia
(FI) party added.
Arena also reaffirmed her availability to sing a popular
Christmas carol at the school in Rozzano at the centre of the
'secular' Christmas controversy.
Also on Monday, a small crowd of Rozzano residents gathered
outside Garofani school to debate the controversy, watched over
by police agents.
Regional FI coordinator and former education minister Maria
Stella Gelmini and leader of the extremist, anti-Europe and
anti-immigrant Lega Nord, Matteo Salvini, were expected to
arrive at the school later in the day.
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