Italian school children: “We respected all the rules, why are you taking away the school?”

This March 14, 2021 article published by Larena, a member of the Athesis SpA Company, covers the protest held by parents and children as school closures are reimposed in various regions in Italy. According to the report, almost all schools were ordered closed in 16 out of 20 regions, affecting 6.9 million students.

Parents in the protests have reportedly remarked, “For us, the school has been the safest place in these months, the one where protocols have been most respected – they continue. We consider it an injustice that it is always our children who pay.”

The article attached below is written in Italian, but may be translated through DeepL Translate.

Editor’s Note: There is uncontested proof that school closures have little effect in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 as children are not the main driver of infection [we have numerous resources related to this topic, see the article category School and Children]. There is also huge evidence in Italy that reopening of schools did not lead to increased infection rates. And in addition, where schools adhere to strict health precautions, why are schools being closed again? Didn’t the WHO already say that school closures must be avoided at all costs? [See WHO: Closure of schools should be considered only if there is no other alternative].

Adults are supposed to be the advocates for children’s rights. But at the rate we are going, we are raising children who will have no capacity to advocate for their own children in the future. We are taking away our children’s innocence, and we are asking them to carry the burden of our societies. Instead of sheltering them from harm, we are actually causing them life-long trauma. Why won’t governments keep schools open, when there is no scientific reason to keep them closed? Why are we experimenting with the lives of our children?