February 10 was the first anniversary of the #TheRightToLife movement that raised awareness and concern over Finland’s asylum policy. The date aimed to host a lecture-performance at the Kiasma Finnish national gallery of Helsinki by Riikka Theresa Innanen called Touch and Revolution.
The plan of the performance was, however, changed 24 hours before it debuted. All the sudden, Innanen was the only artist allowed to go on stage due to an unclear security threat.
“We even planned to invite the audience to come on stage for tea and conversation,” said a statement by the organizers of the lecture-performance. “Considering the presence of asylum-seekers in our team and their vulnerability, it was a shock for us to be confronted with consequences such as arrest, if we did not comply. We felt that not only our artistic freedom but also our safety is being jeopardized.”
According to the artists, Kiasma, which was instrumental in helping the #RightToLife movement, did not at any moment make clear what the security threat was.
And here lies the problem, according to Hami Bahadori, a local artist who was part of the artist group. He said that he is not the representative of al migrant communities in Helsinki and was simply a part of the lecture-performance group.
“The fact that our group was diverse and made by artists with different backgrounds, privileges, and roles, brings this issue more into attention,” he said. “We were simply a group of artists trying to do our job in an art museum”
“Instead of exposing the sources of these [far-right] threats,” he continued. “Kiasma is outsourcing its responsibility to companies to hide the threats. If there is a threat, it’s the job of a democratic society like Finland to stand up to such intimidation.”
The #RightToLife movement helped asylum seekers to have a say in their dire situation.
White Finnish privilege #50
Who controls the narrative and what is said and how are good examples of white privilege in any society.
The fact that Kiasma did not specify what group(s) were threatening the performance show, unfortunately, that Kiasma caved in to pressure and intimidation.
We should challenge far-right groups instead of giving space to them. It is no secret that one of these extremist groups is Finland First, which spreads hatred against asylum seekers and other minorities.
A democratic society cannot function if we drown out the voices of minorities like asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, and migrants in general.
Their voices must have space and their voices protected.
This did not, unfortunately, happen on February 10.
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
- White Finnish privilege #36: Hate speech and censorship
- White Finnish privilege #37: The master of near-everything
- Defining white Finnish privilege #38: Cultural appropriation and racism are quaint discussion topics between white Finns
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #39: The Hollywood ending of racism that will never happen in Finland
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #40: To whitewash or to disenfranchise
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #41: An Islamophobic politician and gender equality
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #42: Labeling and shaming
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #43: White versus dark skin
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #44: Defending Nazis’ rights to march is ok as long we agree on the common enemy
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #45: Do blondes have more fun?
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #46: Teuvo Hakkarainen = white racism and sexism
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #47: President Sauli Niinistö’s “culture inside four walls”
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #48: Allow me to smear your religion so mine can shine
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #49: When white privilege backfires
As always you invent far right threat while right info is available.
She told kiasma that there will be lecture but didnt tell about performance so kiasma couldnt update their security plan, what they always do.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10071213
“Kiasma sanoo maanantaisessa tiedotteessaan, että erinäisten kommunikaatiokatkosten ja väärinymmärrysten vuoksi luentoesityksen muuttuminen kollektiiviseksi performanssiksi ja esityksen tarkka sisältö välittyi Kiasmassa liian myöhään, jotta turvallisuussuunnitelma olisi ehditty päivittää.”