Students from the public institutes Narcís Monturiol, Nicolás Copérnico, and Humanejos in Parla gathered on Wednesday to demand the right to wear the hijab and «stand up against Islamophobia and internal regulations» in the institutes.
The protests, organized by the Student Union of Madrid, were sparked by the ban on wearing the veil in two of these institutes.
Coral Latorre, Secretary General of the Student Union: «I don’t wear a hijab, I’m deeply atheist, but this fight is for all of us who stand for classrooms free from Islamophobia, racism, and sexism.»
The fight is the only way! pic.twitter.com/q9yDxxS6Lj
— Student Union 🇵🇸 (@SindicaEstudian) February 26, 2025
According to the union, young women who choose to wear this garment are required to remove it upon entering the classroom and put it back on when leaving. This prohibition, according to the students, has been in place for «years».
They claim that the head of studies at IES Narcís Monturiol is determined to amend the internal regulations to disallow head coverings. The student union believes that this amendment is not aimed at banning caps in the classroom but is a way to introduce a racist attack and cover their tracks, as is the case in other institutes in Parla. It’s not about covering or not covering the head. It’s about Islamophobia and racism, they added.
It’s not about covering or not covering the head. It’s about Islamophobia and racism
The school administrations argue that banning the hijab «frees» the young women and that the prohibition is «a matter of secularism and equality».
The hijab is not a nuisance, Islamophobia is.
Students in Parla rebel against racism in educational centers. Let no one tell us how to dress or how to think.
Public education and freedom 💜✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/yGUt03ruIP
— Student Union of Madrid (@SEMadrid_) February 26, 2025
In response, a spokesperson for the Student Union stated that «commitment to secular education has nothing to do with these repressive measures». «We do not accept impositions or arbitrary control over women’s bodies.
We want to study, work, and live without discrimination, oppression, or impositions,» they point out. They emphasize the goal of ensuring everyone has «the freedom to decide about our bodies and identity». «It’s about defending every woman’s right to dress, study, and work with dignity and without discrimination,» they conclude.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The Student Union asserts that the ban is «undemocratic and racist discrimination».
Just as no student in public education is persecuted for wearing a cross around their neck or a medal with the image of the Virgin Mary, targeting a headscarf that covers your hair is to criminalize, isolate, and humiliate young Muslim women,» they state.
Therefore, they demand that «freedom of expression be guaranteed in public institutions, and that internal regulations be modified immediately so we can dress as we see fit.»
They have also urged the Ministry of Education under Pilar Alegría to «put an end to these regulations that violate fundamental rights and promote sexism, racism, and Islamophobia in our classrooms.»
AUTONOMY OF THE INSTITUTIONS
On the other hand, sources from the Education Department of the Community of Madrid have stated that «there is no specific regulation in Spain regarding the use of the Islamic veil in the educational environment».
A judge in Madrid rules that banning the veil in class does not violate dignity
Therefore, they argue in the department led by Emilio Viciana, «educational institutions, in exercising their autonomy, can regulate everything related to student attire in their internal regulations, such as preventing them from wearing head coverings like caps or scarves during class hours.»
