The surprising matter about the Avarn Security scandal, when (in)security guards used excessive force and humiliated their victims, was that it wasn’t a surprise. Poor selection criteria, lack of proper psychological training, little to no internal and external regulation, and near-blind trust would eventually lead us to the present scandal. The positive side of the
Search Results for: security guards
Alleged dereliction and abuse of duty by Avarn Security guards
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Migrant Tales has written several stories about how security guards on local trains in Helsinki and the Greater Helsinki Area have suffered brought treatment by security guards. The Eastern Uusimaa Police Department announced Monday in a statement investigating assault cases in which at least six employees of Avarn Security are suspected
When poor customer service at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport exposes alleged “overreaction” by security guards
Yassin, a father of a two-month-old daughter, was pinned to the floor by three security guards and handcuffed at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The ordeal ended at 23:30 am after trying, without luck, to get on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. His wife and two-month-old daughter accompanied Yassin. “I have never been handcuffed in my life
Police and security guards acquitted over hijab removal case in Finland
Three judges of a Kanta-Häme district court unanimously ruled to acquit police and security guards of all charges for removing by force the hijabs of two Muslim women, according to Iltalehti. The women, who were applying for asylum at the time, argued that in Helsinki, they didn’t have to take off their hijabs for a picture. The
Facebook (Tito Moustafa Sliem): Assaulted by five security guards in Itäkeskus
Migrant Tales insight: While these types of encounters are usually traumatic, what happened is further proof that security guards are poorly trained. Has this happened to you? Write to us ([email protected]). __________________
Study finds ethnic profiling is a widespread problem in Finland among the police, Finnish Border Guards and security guards
The Stopped research and journalism project, Finland’s first-ever comprehensive study on ethnic profiling, published its finding Tuesday. While there have been scores of stories published about ethnic profiling on publications like Migrant Tales, there is nothing surprising by the study’s findings. If there is something that surprised us it was that ethnic profiling, despite continuous denials
Security guards at Luona’s Pitäjänmäki reception center continue to treat asylum seekers with disrespect
Migrant Tales continues to hear about how some security guards at Luona, a private company that operates eight asylum reception centers in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Hyvinkää, abuse their power. In February, the company’s general manager, Milja Saksi, said that the company has taken the necessary steps to address the racist treatment of its asylum seekers.
More alleged abuses of asylum seekers by Barona security guards
Migrant Tales continues hearing disturbing news about the poor treatment by Barona security guards and the Finnish police of asylum seekers.
Finland’s security business sector must be placed under greater scrutiny
THE STORY WAS UPDATED I always ask if the politician or public official will change anything or keep the status quo. The answer you may get offers rapid insight into the problem. The security business scandal grew Thursday when a former Securitas manager is suspected of aggravated fraud in a fictitious case involving protection for
Media Monitoring Group of Finland*: The Avarn Security scandal reveals a lot about how the media frames minorities
THE STORY WAS UPDATED After reading 77 stories published by Yle (9 stories), Helsingin Sanomat (19), Iltalehti (6), Ilta-Sanomat (30), and MTV (13) about the Avarn Security scandal, only one story alleges racism as a factor in the working culture of security guards. Another story by Ilta-Sanomat, which wrote about excessive force, only mentioned once
Avarn Security Managing Director Niclas Sacklén should step down
The scandal that has rocked and come to public light about Avarn Security gets more incriminating by the day, revealing a culture of downplaying and coverup. Avarn Security Managing Director Niclas Sacklén’s initial reaction to Helsingin Sanomat was disbelief. According to the daily, Sacklén considered the allegations “unbelievable.” Moreover, he initially would not confirm if
The Avarn Security scandal reveals too much trust and too little scrutiny of the system
Helsingin Sanomat has closely followed the story about six Avarn Security guards suspected of assault. In the latest stories, the daily reports that four security guards have now been remanded into custody. It also raises three unanswered questions about the scandal. Mikko Minkkinen, crime commissioner of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, said in a statement Wednesday: “In the
How the police, National Border Guards and white Finnish institutions keep visible migrants and minorities on a short leash
What would you say if the police, the National Border Guards, Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI), Customs, Rescue Department, and City of Helsinki health inspectors came knocking on your door on a Saturday afternoon? Such a thing happened yesterday at the Puhos shopping center of Easter Helsinki, where the majority of customers are visible migrants and minorities.
Exposing white Finnish privilege #91: The right to generalize and victimize minorities
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Those who are worried about the blow to the credibility of the security guards due to several scandals that even led to the death of a woman in Espoo are quick to point out one should not jump to conclusions and label all security guards and the sector. True, we should
Exposing white Finnish privilege #90: A crime by “people of foreign background” offers more political mileage than one committed by white Finns
We read about the tragic death of a woman at Espoo’s Iso Omena shopping center on Saturday. The woman died while being escorted by four Securitas security guards out of the shopping center. The altercation ended with the woman on the floor, handcuffed, and eventually lifeless. The police announced Sunday that the security guards in
What you are never told and should know about working life in Finland
There are many good tips migrants can get in Finland on how to land a job, write a convincing CV, and give near-perfect answers to a prospective employer at a job interview. Despite the latter, one crucial matter needs to be included: Learning and protecting your rights after you are hired. Because it is difficult
Kanta-Häme court that dropped charges in hijab case against the police will be appealed, according to prosecutor
A Kanta-Häme district court that dropped charges against seven police officials and security guards for forcibly removing in 2017 two Muslim women’s hijabs will not be treated by the court in what remains of the year but in 2023, according to prosecutor Heidi Savurinne. The case is significant from the view of religious freedom and
Dissatisfaction with the district court ruling acquitting the police for removing the hijab of two Muslim women by force will be appealed
Migrant Tales understands that a Kanta-Häme district court ruling acquitted the police and security guards for forcibly removing the hijab of two women in 2017 will be appealed. The present ruling, which allowed the police and security guards to use force, sends a disturbing message. It messages that the police can use force without considering
Tariq: Is there justice in Finland? (Part 1)
Tariq* has lived in Finland for over eleven years. If there is a person who has run into complications with the police, Migri (Finnish Immigration Service), and due process, he is one of them. According to Tariq, his citizenship process has been arbitrarily delayed due to a police fine that was canceled. “In March last
Finnish police physically forced Muslim asylum seekers to take off their hijabs
A group of Muslim asylum seekers in May 2017 charged seven police and security guards with assault and misconduct in the line of duty when they forced the women to take off their hijabs, according to Yle. Apart from the questionable action of the police, it is interesting to note that the court case is
Roma activist and Young European of the Year Leif Hagert: Now is the time to challenge discrimination
Finland’s Romany population got a rude reminder of the racism and ethnic profiling women from that group have to endure daily. You’d think that a country like Finland, which claims to uphold Nordic values, knows that ethnic profiling is not only illegal and insulting to the individual and group. Migrant Tales has maintained for a
Two Afghan asylum seekers in Finland kicked out of their flat while at school
The reception center of Mänttä-Vilpula is closing at the end of 2020. All asylum seekers at the reception center were told that they will be relocating/ transferring to reception centers in other cities. Some of the asylum seekers are currently studying at Mänttä school and are permitted to stay and continue their studies in the
Do you trust the Finnish police?
A 2020 survey showed that 91% trusted the police, down from 95% in 2018, according to the Police University College. Other studies have pointed out that trust in the police is high, even among migrants. Despite the high amount of trust, the police service has not been immune to scandals. The latest one involved a
A black man and his son allegedly get roughed up by ticket inspectors and the police for not having a ticket
A new case of aggressive and dehumanizing treatment of a black father and his son by a Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) train ticket inspector and later on by the police, according to Helsinki Times. The reason: Not having a valid train ticket. Both the father, David Gill, and his teenage son Max were returning
Gay, Syrian, and forsaken by society because of language and depression
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Farid* is a young Syrian who has lived in Finland for the past six years. He claims to have no friends in this country and suffers from depression and spent some time in a psychiatric ward. Farid is also gay. When listening to Farid’s story, it becomes clear that he is
HSL: Systemic racism and systemic denial in Finland
THE STORY WAS UPDATED We have recently read about two cases where security guards use force to handle a passenger that does not have a ticket. In both these cases, there is a link: both are black passengers. Both passengers were also on a transport or at a station operated by the Helsinki Regional Transport
Facebook (Faith Mkwesha): My child “can’t breathe”
Migrant Tales insight: Dr. Faith Mkwesha’s child was was held and mistreated by security guards who handcuffed him and resting his knee on her child’s back. Apart from being a traumatic experience for her child and the mother, all of this happened because he did not have a valid metro ticket, which he thought incorrectly
A station too far: An East African woman gets a sour taste of VR’s “service”
What would you say if you were a black East African nursing student in Finland and were aggressively escorted out of a train by two security guards? One held you by the arm, and the other had her in a chokehold. What about if you are forced out of the train, you end up scraping
Fears of a coronavirus outbreak at Espoo’s Nihtisilta reception center
MTV published today the dire situation of refugees at the Luona-managed Nihtisilta reception center in Espoo. An anonymous Iraqi asylum seeker said there is no soap to wash there hands, and there is a lot of concern about coronavirus spreading. Migrant Tales got in touch with an asylum reception center resident in Espoo who confirmed
Finnish white privilege #57: Finland’s “hostile environment” against migrants
UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s policy nurtured a climate of suspicion called today the “hostile climate” in which people are deemed guilty unless they can prove themselves innocent. Does Finland have a hostile climate against migrants like in the UK? One could answer in the affirmative after listening to a long list of politicians who don’t have anything
Far-right politician Huhtasaari and the PS pull one of the oldest tricks on the media
Anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* vice president, Laura Huhtasaari, hit the jackpot when she attacked a Finnish school project in Tampere for “encouraging hatred.” The poster made by teenage students pitted herself and the PS’ chairperson, Jussi Halla-aho, against President Sauli Niinistö and Green Alliance MP Pekka Haavisto with the following question: towards Finland, or towards death.
Why did Finland allocate so much money on asylum reception centers that treated in too many cases refugees like “livestock?”
In 2015 and 2016 some 38,000 asylum seekers came to Finland and scores of asylum reception centers were established rapidly throughout the country to house so many people. Even if the government’s ever-draconian view of migrants was “not make Finland attractive to asylum seekers” at any cost, asylum seekers helped expose our ineffective immigration and integration policy.
UPDATE: How can a rape of an adolescent visitor happen at the Villa Meri asylum reception center?
Migrant Tales published Thursday a story about a list of complaints of the Villa Meri asylum reception center in Rauma, located 91 kilometers north of the southwestern city of Turku. The reception the story got was quite a surprise considering that present and former volunteers of Villa Meri accused me of racism, hating all asylum seekers, hating all reception center workers, and of having an agenda.
Three men assaulted near Mikkeli three Iraqi asylum seekers with an axe and small shovel
Three men in a red GMC SUV attacked three Iraqi asylum seekers from the Suonsaari asylum reception center near Mikkeli on Sunday at 2 – 2:30 am, according to sources close to the case. The men in the SUV attacked the three asylum seekers with an axe and garden shovel as they were biking to the asylum reception center.
Iraqi asylum seeker Majid*: The Finnish Immigration Service made me lose all hope, that’s why I wanted to take my life
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon of June when Migrant Tales met Majid, an Iraqi asylum seeker who attempted to take his life after he had lost all hope and everything changed for the young man.
Recovering Afghan who attempted suicide wants to leave Finland
The 23-24-year-old Afghan, who attempted to take his life Friday night, is recovering at a hospital and has asked to be deported from Finland after he recovers, according to a source contacted by Migrant Tales.
Abuses at Luona’s asylum reception centers continue – two refugees tried to commit suicide
The right-wing Finnish government, and especially the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which shares power with the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), have been trying their hardest to find ways to deport some 20,000 of the 32, 476 asylum seekers that came to Finland in 2015.
Our image of Finland to asylum seekers is too rosy and full of myths that expose ethnocentrism and hypocrisy
As a sociologist, it’s interesting to note how Finland portrays itself to outsiders. One of these presentations is a three-volume Beginners guide to Finland published by the Finnish Immigration Service (FIS). Just like the populist catchphrase maassa maan tavalla, in Rome do as the Romans do, asylum seekers and migrants are being fed myths about ourselves.
Luona claims that it has zero tolerance for racism but can you teach a racist dog new tricks?
General manager Milja Saksi of Luona, a private company that operates seven asylum reception centers in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, claims to have taken necessary steps to address the racist treatment of its asylum seekers, according to YLE.
Iraqi asylum seeker: The first Finnish word I learned was “vittu”
It’s a Sunday and we’re at a fast-food Middle Eastern restaurant in the heart of Helsinki. I have an appointment with a twenty-six-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker who came to Finland in September via Tornio and who is staying at one of Luona’s asylum reception centers. Like many who have the misfortune of staying at a reception center run by Luona, he too isn’t happy about the poor and humiliating treatment he’s getting.
Does Luona treat asylum seekers with dignity or as livestock?
Finland saw a record number of asylum seekers come to the country last year. These 32,500 people that traveled far from countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia, have found temporary housing in asylum reception centers. Who watches over, never mind defends, their rights?
BOX STORY: Mohammed Saleh Muhsin
Mohammed Saleh Muhsin, 26, is one of the many thousands of young Iraqi asylum seekers that came to Finland in the fall. Like many of his countrymen, he too speaks of the violence and strife strangling Iraq. He spoke to Migrant Tales about his treatment at two of Luona’s reception centers. “I arrived on September 23
Over two thirds of Finnish Roma surveyed said they had experienced discrimination in the past year
A study by the Ombudsman for Minorities of Finland reveals that a bit over two thirds of Finnish Roma that were surveyed said they had experienced discrimination in the past year, according to Turku-based Turun Sanomat.* Two-hundred and forty-nine Roma of different ages took part in the study. Read full story (in Finnish) here.
Racism tells you over and over again: don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. E.B. White (1899-1985), USAmerican writer Being an immigrant and Other all my life, researching and especially writing about racism regularly, or daily for the past three-and-a-half years, have taught me a thing or two about this social ill. Some may ask why
Racist harassment of a black SVT anchorman at a hockey tournament in Turku, Finland
Sveriges Television (SVT) of Sweden anchorman David Fjäll said he would not go to Finland again to cover a hockey tournament due to the racist harassment he received in Turku from fans when he was going to interview the coach of the Swedish hockey team. One of the matters that didn’t become evident in earlier
Migrants’ life in Finland: Some endure intolerance better than others – some hit back, others don’t
The ocean is a desert, with it’s life underground And a perfect disguise above. Under the cities lies, a heart made of ground, But the human will give no love. A Horse with No name, America Intolerance, bigotry, racism, prejudice and a list of other social ills strike their victims in different ways. Some of
Zuzeeko’s blog: Skin color matters in Finland, Yle hidden camera shows
Dark-skinned people in Finland struggle with discrimination on a daily basis. On week days many struggle in vain to find work related to their studies — or even unpaid internships. Some of those who have given up seeking skilled jobs are sometimes mistreated, disrespected and exploited in odd jobs for which they are overqualified. On
Finnish men assault elderly Somali woman (Part 2)
By Roble Bashir and Enrique Tessieri Migrant Tales met on Thursday the elderly Somali woman who was assaulted in April by Finnish men at Helsinki’s Myllypuro metro station. This is part two of the interview with Abdulle Korad Musse, 63. For the elderly Somali woman, who speaks to us with the help of an interpreter, racism is a
The scars of ethnic profiling
How serious is ethnic profiling in Finland? Denials that it doesn’t occur at all by the police suggest that it may be a much wider problem than believed. The Ombudsman for Minorities has received a number of complaints from immigrants and visible minorities claiming to be victims of ethnic profiling. Statements in April by Christian
Migrant Tales Literary: Canary of light
By Dana رقناری آی قناریها برایم آواز بخوانید چون من اسیر دست فنلاندم، گرفتارم در یک قفس در بندماین قفس جنس آتشی دارد، بی نور و پنجره، نگهبان و پلیس های زشت وحشی و پا پتی دارد. فنلاند کشور سیاهچاله هاست، کشور شکنجه و قحطی و درد و مرگ و بلاست.من در این کشور بدام افتادم، بالهایم را شکستند و پاهایم
Liliana Belatti’s humanity in times of war
“[Leon] Trotsky once said that if the anarchists did not exist they’d have to be invented because they have done a lot of good things for humanity with their incorruptible opposition. They demonstrated having a principal that they never abandoned.”. Osvaldo Bayer (1927-2018) As the late Argentinean historian points out, social movements like anarchism in
Does the Finnish police really care about online hate speech?
A total of 31 ethnic agitation cases were placed on the desk of the public prosecutor in 2019, which is a 59.2% drop from 76 cases in the previous year, according to Yle. The number of ethnic agitation cases looks even more somber if we compare them with the cases that ended up in court.
The Soldiers of Odin threaten to take over and defend by force the northern Finnish border checkpoint of Tornio
The head of the far-right Nazi-spirited vigilante group Soldiers of Odin, Mika Ranta, threatened in a statement to take over the Tornio border checkpoint and defend it by force if the Swedish authorities let in asylum seekers as in 2015. Center Party MP Mikko Kärnä states in the Center Party newspaper Suomenmaa that he has
A white supremacist terrorist strikes again in Norway. White supremacist terrorism is the biggest threat to Europe and Finland.
THE STORY WAS UPDATED It is surprising that in Norway, one of Europe’s wealthiest and whitest countries has suffered some of the worst terrorist attacks in Europe. Eight years ago, on 22/7, Anders Breivik emerged and killed 77 people. The most recent terrorist attack by an alleged white supremacist in Norway on Saturday attacked with
Exposing white Finnish privilege #52: Having no privilege is dangerous
A report commissioned by the Finnish ministry of the interior revealed that migrants are 2.5 times more likely than white Finns to be assaulted, reports YLE News. Another study published in 2014 by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), showed that first-generation immigrants at school are more likely to experience bullying, physical threats and sexual
From Black February 2012 to the brutal attack of a Pakistani migrant in 2018 – are these hate crimes?
Is it a coincidence that Black February, which took place in 2012 and involved the violent deaths of three members of the Muslim community of Finland, happened on the same month when a Pakistani was brutally attacked by three white Finns in Vantaa? While the timing may have happened by chance, there are similarities between what happened in February 2012 and on February 23.
We have only to blame ourselves for the rise of vigilante gangs, racism and fascism in Finland
Shortly, we’ll look at this period as the
UPDATED: Iraqi asylum seeker takes his life after getting a negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Service
Migrant Tales has heard that an Iraqi asylum seeker took his life on Sunday after the Finnish Immigration Service turned down his request for asylum. The death of the man, which was posted in Facebook, shows how difficult the situation is for some asylum seekers.
Migrant Tales published in August a story about a young Iraqi asylum seeker who attempted to take his life spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Obviously, there’s a big difference between the situation now and the situation [in Finland] 7 months ago,” he said. “In the past, we heard that applications for asylum were never rejected. But now, out of a hundred people… only two to four get asylum. We are not told why.”
Uyi Osazee: The reality of ethnic and racial profiling in Finland
I remember clearly the first time I was profiled by the police in Helsinki. It was the evening rush hour in the city and I had just made my way down the crowded escalator that leads to the underground metro platform in Hakaniemi, just two stops from the city center. As I got off the escalators, a metro was blaring out alarms, signaling it was about to depart. I quickened my steps, half running, half walking, determined to get on it. I rushed forward, hoping to beat the soon closing metro doors. A few paces off the doors, I was stopped by two individuals. They literally jumped in front of me, forcing me to stop abruptly to avoid colliding into them.
Institute of Race Relations: A secret punishment
An important new report by Medical Justice, ‘A Secret Punishment’ – the misuse of segregation in immigration detention, highlights the human damage caused by the use of segregation in immigration detention, as well as its political purposes.
A disgraceful era we should never repeat in Finland
If there was a disgraceful period on how Finland treated foreigners, that period would be the cold war era. Even though Russian troops never took control of Finland such as countries like Poland, Hungary and others, the shadow of the for former Soviet Union hung deep in Finland. This period, 1945 to the early or mid-1990s, should never be allowed to happen again.
Recent Comments