Silence and complacency are some of the reasons why xenophobia and the rise of an anti-immigration party have been possible in Finland. While there are many common citizens and activists in Finland who have been fighting against parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, chairperson Riikka Purra’s interview on Yle’s Ykkösaamu is a definite reminder that we cannot stand idle.
Here is a list of how Purra and the PS plan to disenfranchise migrants and minorities if they can:
- Produce changes in the constitution so migrants can directly be discriminated by doing away with Section 6, which guarantees that everyone is equal before the law;
- Raise the requirements for citizenship from five to 10+ years;
- Force migrants to take or be graded by “pseudo integration” tests to prove that they are servile and docile enough and no threat to white Finnish privilege;
- Fuel the hostile environment and maintain an atmosphere of suspicion and hatred for diversity.
They also prove that if the PS ever got into power, they would not solve the problems of our ever-growing culturally diverse community but worsen them a million times.
Consensus, sucking up to racists and fantasies by the likes of Purra will not save us from our peril.
Category: Enrique Tessieri