Let’s be honest and expose one of the biggest lies concerning hate speech and censorship that always pops up at interviews like the one Thursday MTV with (the old) Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo and the editor of the party’s magazine, Matias Turkkila.
Both claim that people aren’t allowed to express themselves freely when it comes to cultural diversity because they don’t want to be named racists. Before I respond to this false claim, let’s see who are Slunga-Poutsalo and Turkkila.
Slunga-Poutsalo is one of the persons who signed the Nuiva manifesto in 2010, an anti-immigration proposal to keep Finland white and how to disenfranchise migrants and minorities. She called asylum seekers in 2015 “economic migrants” and “social welfare shoppers.”
Turkkila is an old ally of Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted of hate speech in 2012 and caused the PS to implode after he was elected chairman in June.
Turkkila is also one of the founders of Hommaforum, a racist platform where its members, usually anonymously, make racist comments. Hommaforum could be described as a racist peep show where racism is the erotic attraction.
Both Slunga-Poutsalo and Turkkila had the opportunity in MTV to spread once again a lie that “common Finns” cannot say what they think about immigration.
Watch the full interview (in Finnish) here.
The affirmation is, as we know, one of the biggest lies spread by anti-immigration politicians. On many occasions, the person making such a claim said right after it something racist and bigoted.
Finnish white privilege #36
Let’s make one matter clear: Free speech doesn’t mean that you can say anything you want anywhere you please. Can you go into a crowded hall and alarm falsely at the top of your voice that there is a fire and claim it is free speech?
Certainly not.
Can you spread terror and hatred?
That’s a dodgier question and sheds light on the laws concerning hate speech.
Citing Teuvo Hakkarainen’s conviction for ethnic agitation this year, Turkkila said it was ok for people to express their racism in certain circumstances.
Hakkarainen, who is the PS’ second vice president, got charged after he wrote on his Facebook wall last year after the Nice killings the following: “We’ve got to stop pussyfooting. Muslims out of this country! Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims. We shouldn’t accept Muslims from the Middle East and Africa to our country.”
One of the lies that people like Slunga-Poutsalo and Turkkila try to reinvent over and over again is that the law on what is hate speech and censorship is unclear.
There is nothing vague about what Hakkarainen wrote never mind a long list of other PS politicians who have convictions for ethnic agitation.
With a poker face this week, PS chairman Halla-aho tried to make that very point. Let’s see what he wrote a while back that got him in hot water legally. You can judge for yourself if what he said is hate speech below. Apart from calling Muhammed a pedophile, he claimed:
“Robbing passers-by and living as parasites on tax money are culturally and possibly genetic characteristics of the Somalis.”
Any sensible person can see what is wrong with what Halla-aho wrote.
The intent of these types of racist statement is clear: I want attention and power. Hate speech is the fuel I’ll use to get them.
If you have white Finnish privilege, you can almost get away with such hate speech and argue on MTV that people who make racist statements are judged unfairly.
See also:
- Defining white Finnish privilege #1: I have it and you don’t
- Defining white Finnish privilege #2: Third culture children versus “pupil with immigrant background”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #3 No history, no doctrine, no heroes and no martyrs
- Defining white Finnish privilege #4 Holding the short end of the stick
- Defining white Finnish privilege #5 It’s ok to be a racist
- Defining white Finnish privilege #6 Not having a voice and the media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #7 A definitive guide
- Defining white Finnish privilege #8 Underrated and less intelligent
- Defining white Finnish privilege #9 Mohammad Ali’s insight
- Defining white Finnish privilege #10 I can victimize and make up any story I like about migrants because I’m white
- Defining white Finnish privilege #11: Case Teuvo Hakkarainen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #12: Case Tom Packalén
- Defining white Finnish privilege #13: Case Matti Putkonen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #14: Losing sight of the real issue
- Defining white Finnish privilege #15: Case Halla-ago on the PS
- Defining white Finnish privilege #16: Rosa Emilia Clay and my history versus yours
- Defining white Finnish privilege #17: The Perussuomalaiset and our civil rights
- Defining white Finnish privilege #18: Labeling others according to your prejudice
- Defining white Finnish privilege #19: My rape statistics about your group
- Defining white Finnish privilege #20: Labeling Others to strengthen “us” and “them.”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #21: Who can be a Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to politician without memory
- Defining white Finnish privilege #23: Greater police powers to monitor migrants and minorities
- Defining white Finnish privilege #24: Becoming a heartless accomplice in wars and people’s suffering
- Defining white Finnish privilege #25: This land is my land, this isn’t your land
- Defining white Finnish privilege #26: Are you an ethnic Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #27: White versus Other media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn (Part 2)?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #29: Your family is worth less than mine
- White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news
- White Finnish privilege #31: The Soldiers of Odin and the Finnish media
- White Finnish privilege #32: The white Finnish police and “them”
- White Finnish privilege #33: Appropriating our narrative to maintain the status quo, amass more power and privilege
- White Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism
- White Finnish privilege #35: Case Sampo Terho and the ministry of (dis)culture
* After the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity. One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic.
A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.