After Muslim pupils refused to sing traditional carols at last year’s Christmas service, one Milanese school has switched to hosting a “winter concert” — but many have reacted angrily to the idea. Headmaster Marco Parma of the Istituto Garofani di Rozzano school was forced to resign his post over the weekend after a number of senior figures in Italian political life — including the prime minister — moved to attack his decision to cancel Christmas for his pupils. Social democrat prime minister Matteo Renzi was uncompromising in his defence of traditional Christmas when he condemned the veteran teacher, remarking: “Christmas is much more important than a headmaster being provocative… If he thinks he is promoting integration and co-existence in this way, he appears to me to have made a very big mistake”. “Discussion and dialogue does not mean to say we can drown our identity for the sake of a vague and insipid form of political correctness”. The politician was more qualified in his speech when he came to Christmas itself, which he insisted was acceptable for both atheists and Christians — missing out mention of Italy’s rapidly growing Muslim population. He said: Italians, both non-religious and Christians, will never give up Christmas”.