Violence against asylum seekers is nothing new in Finland. We’ve read about arson attacks against asylum reception centers and now the head of a reception center in Lahti, who claims that between five and ten residents have been physically attacked by groups of Finnish men, according to YLE News.
Like in many countries in Europe, hate crimes go underreported in Finland and are only the tip of the iceberg, according to a recent shadow report by the NGO European Network Against Racism. With this in mind, attacks against asylum seekers in Finland go mostly unreported.
Two matters caught my eye about this story. The first by YLE News quotes Häme Police Service Detective Inspector Martti Hirvonen as stating that they “are taking this seriously and will react vigorously if more cases come to light” but in an MTV3 story he plays down what happened.
“Hirvonen doesn’t believe what happened is widespread,” he said.
Here’s the question: If investigations into the matter are at a preliminary stage, how can he conclude with certainty that such crimes aren’t more widespread than believed?”
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Read full story here.