Italian journalist union calls for strike at public broadcaster Rai

The journalists' union USIGrai has called for a 24-hour strike at Italian public broadcaster Rai on May 6 and 7, mainly to protest against interference by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

They accused Meloni of wanting to turn the broadcaster into a "mouthpiece of the government."

The background to this is the last-minute disinvitation of the writer Antonio Scurati, who wanted to read a text on the day of Italy's liberation from German occupation and fascism on April 25.

During the performance, he wanted to criticize Meloni's party for its post-fascist origins. The text was eventually read out by a Rai journalist.

Meloni has been at the head of a right-wing three-party coalition since October 2022. Her own Brothers of Italy party, has its origins in the post-fascist political spectrum. The former dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) is still revered by prominent party members to this day.

Meloni has avoided describing herself as not a fascist, despite repeated calls to do so.