Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara stated during a question time at the Chamber of Deputies that the phrase "Italy to the Italians" has "nothing censorable" and is "certainly agreeable, since it includes all citizens of our country." Valditara noted that the expression has been repeated several times by the political movements that make up the Government.

The minister was responding to a question from MP Rossano Sasso (Futuro nazionale) regarding an incident at the Liceo Vincenzo Monti in Cesena, where two students displayed a banner reading "Italy to the Italians." Following the episode, the students received a grade of 6 in conduct and were assigned a civic education essay titled "Who made Italy?" to be submitted before their graduation exam, as provided by the reform introduced by Valditara himself.

Valditara announced that he has launched an ongoing review with the Regional School Office of Emilia-Romagna regarding the decisions taken by the class council. The minister specified that the ministry cannot intervene in the class council's assessment, and that the review aims to clarify the relationship between the violation of school rules and the content of the essay assigned to the students.

Valditara also recalled that "in no case can the free expression of opinions that are not in conflict with the freedoms of others be sanctioned," and that a circular has been issued urging schools to "counter every form of indoctrination."

The Democratic Party (PD) expressed criticism of the minister's statements, calling the situation "serious."

Regarding the episode, some newspapers had initially reported that the students, in addition to displaying the banner, had also chanted references to the X Mas (Decima Mas). However, one of the students involved, interviewed by Corriere di Bologna, denied this account.