Italy’s far-right premier addresses country’s oldest union

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Premier Giorgia Meloni has become the first Italian leader in nearly 30 years to address the annual meeting of the nation’s largest, oldest and most left-wing CGIL union confederation. Meloni, who heads post-war Italy’s first far-right led government, was met with a chorus of vocal protests as she took the podium Friday, but the audience remained silent during her nearly 30-minute remarks that included her government’s plans to create jobs and ease the overall tax burden on workers. She received one round of applause, when she mentioned extreme-right attacks against CGIL offices, followed immediately by mention of left-wing attacks on Italian diplomatic targets abroad.