The Tapanila rape case is a good example of how the Finnish media permitted again its prejudices to get the better of itself. Those who committed the crime had everything against them: They were “Somalis,” or youths with “foreign backgrounds,” who committed “gang rape.” In today’s Finland, where xenophobia is thick in the air, those two words are sure to unlock your darkest prejudices.
Search Results for: Tapanila
Epic failure of the Finnish media in reporting the impact of the Tapanila sexual assault case
The theory that immigration is responsible for crime, that the most recent “wave of immigration,” whatever the nationality, is less desirable than the old ones, that all newcomers should be regarded with an attitude of suspicion, is a theory that is almost as old as the colonies planted by Englishmen on the New England coast….
Tärkeä kysymys vailla vastausta: Olivatko Tapanilan joukkoraiskauksesta epäillyt suomalaisia?
Tapanilan joukkoraiskaustapaus on järkyttänyt monet mutta samalla se on tuonut ilmi ikäviä yhteiskunnialisiä asioita kuten välipitämättömyys sekä rasismi. Keskustelu on jyrännyt eteenpäin valtamedian ja sosiaalimedian avulla. Ihmisten voimakas reaktio sosiaalimediassa ei ole yllättävä, koska yksi Tapanilan joukkoraikkaustapauksen tarkoitus on todennäköisesti ollut vahvistaa meidän ennakkoluuloja toisista ja vahvistaa “me” “heidän” kustannuksella. Erittäin tärkeä kysymys on uhrin…
The question that everyone forgot to ask: Are the Tapanila sexual assault suspects Finns?
The Tapanila gang sexual assault case last week revealed a lot of ugly things about our society like our lack of willingness to help people in distress, and racism. The debate has raged on with the media and social media leading the charge. The violent reaction we have seen on social media to what happened…
Tapanila sexual assault in Finland sends a disturbing signal about our society
Something terrible happened on Monday night after 9pm at the Tapanila train station of northern Helsinki. A group of 15-18-year-olds were reportedly harassing a young woman on a train, who was later sexually assaulted by the same suspects outside the station, according to Helsingin Sanomat. No respectable news organization or police force with integrity should…
Elections are over in Finland – media and social media interest in “youth gangs” nosedives
As Migrant Tales correctly predicted, interest in the so-called “youth gang” problem has tanked in the media and social media after the parliamentary election. Twenty-three days after and before the April 2 election, news on the topic by five media outlets (Helsingin Sanomat, Yle, MTV, Iltalehti, and Ilta-Sanomat) plummeted by 54.5% to five stories from…
Media Monitoring Group of Finland: Will the Perussuomalaiset’s xenophobic campaign help it win the election?
Finland’s parliamentary election is only 16 days away on April 2, and the question is if the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party will capitalize on its Islamophobic campaign message. The assertion that the PS uses a migrant crime topic to attract voters before an election isn’t far-fetched. One of the most interesting discoveries of our first…
Have the Perussuomalaiset succeeded in their quest for a migrant crime story to attract voters?
Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me. The question is neither far-fetched nor provocative: The xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party has used and exploited in the past three elections of 2011, 2015, and 2019 the migrant crime theme. Understanding the success that the Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots, and the Moderate Party in…
A party that is out of touch with the times
A good editorial by Helsingin Sanomat about how the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is the only party against bringing labor migrants to Finland and the threat such intransigency implies for the country. It writes: “When the PS refuses to accept [hard] facts, it no longer makes sense, even from a purely selfish point of view. And…
Finland’s fictitious search for the ideal foreigner
Contrary to the last three parliamentary elections in 2011, 2015, and 2019, the upcoming parliamentary election on April 2 is different for several reasons: war rages in the Ukeraine, Finland has sought Nato membership, economic growth, and chronic labor shortages are just a few. Apart from labeling people from outside the EU as “harmful” migrants,…