Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson, Riikka Purra, stuck her mouth in her foot at a debate with National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) head Petteri Orpo, when she said that it is still the radical-right party’s long-range aim to leave the EU. “Finnish citizens are not in favor of leaving the EU,” she was quoted as saying in Helsingin
Read on »Posts Tagged: EU
The inhumane treatment of asylum seekers at the Greek-Turkish border may reveal what may happen at the Russian-Finnish border
Europe is good at hiding its very big dirty secrets. German news magazine Der Spiegel revealed the inhuman treatment of refugees at European borders by publishing a report on Frontex by the European anti-fraud office OLAF. And that’s not all: The Guardian reports that 92 naked refugees were rescued at the Greek-Turkish border. Writes Der
Read on »European Network on Religion & Belief: Babah Tarawally and the importance of hope and your narrative
I had the opportunity to attend on 6 October the European Network on Religion & Belief’s (ENORB)* General Assembly, when writer and columnist Babah Tarawally gave an inspirational talk on hope and Ubuntu, an African philosophy that draws strength communally. As many migrants and minorities readily learn, hope is the fuel that keeps one from
Read on »European far-right parties are part of a conspiracy to replace our democracies
A paradox: “Liberal” Nordic countries like Finland have large far-right parties that feed off racism. If I were to use the racist rhetoric of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party to solve social problems, I’d be lost. Solutions, like tougher laws, more restrictions, enforcing marginalization, and strengthening institutional racism, would leave me in a bind. Fearmongering and
Read on »European Islamophobia Report 2021: Finland
The recent parliamentary election in Sweden is only one of the worrying signs that Islamophobia is not receding in the EU but gaining strength. Muslims, like other minorities, must work together to challenge Europe’s ever-growing anti-Muslim racism. We must do this not only for ourselves but for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The editors of the
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Francis Fukuyama on Putin and Europe’s far right
In an interview with the Washington Post, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, who authored The End of History and the Last Man (1992), gives his views on the Ukraine War and what it may imply for Russia and Vladimir Putin. He argues that the rise of far-right parties in Europe and Donald Trump in the United States
Read on »I fear nationalism and racism as much as Russia
Apart from tightening laws and plans to build a fence on parts of the Finnish-Russian border, politicians in Finland are debating shutting tourism from Russia to Finland. As I have mentioned previously, one of the biggest fears of the war in Ukraine is awakening Finland’s deep distrust and hatred of Russia. The hatred will not
Read on »Populist European parties and politicians, like rats, will abandon a sinking ship in 2022
This year has been disastrous for the populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* for several reasons. The first hiccup came in last year’s municipal election, when the party, guided by promising opinion polls, expected to win but came in fourth place. Then came an even worse wreck: the county election in January, when its support dove to 11%. Despite these
Read on »Our willingness to help “women and children” Ukrainian refugees is code for anti-Muslim racism
Think about it. Finland’s far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party has had a total change of heart about refugees, which it has attacked and fed its popularity. Not only the PS, but other parties like the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), Center Party, and a “taxi party” Liike Nyt, according to Yle. A taxi party is one where
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Fatima
Leo Honka Who is Fatima? Who is the person wishing us from the Joutseno immigration removal center a kind, “Good night. Loved ones.” Fatima is only a name. It houses no human because it is only a name written on paper by a plane dropping bombs, a tank shelling civilians, and a woman hoping for
Read on »The EU’s double standards on the treatment of refugees are out of step with its alleged values
There is mounting evidence about how Polish and Ukrainian border guards openly discriminate against non-Ukrainians and minorities like the Roma fleeing war as well as attacks by Polish nationalists. The commissioner for home affairs and migration, Ylva Johansson, has only words of praise. “We can expect a lot of EU unity and EU solidarity towards
Read on »Millions of Ukrainians are coming. How long will it take before our goodwill turns into open hostility?
Remember 2015, when some 1.3 million million asylum seekers came to Europe from countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia? Europe says welcome! Tervetuloa (welcome)! Meillä on tilaa (there is room for you)! After the initial outpouring of support and understanding for these people fleeing wars that we had started, attitudes took an abrupt turn for
Read on »Ukrainians battle against the Russians but do little with the Poles to fight racism
Shameful and racist treatment. Ukrainian train conductors push back on Africans fleeing the war while Polish border officials don’t permit Africans to enter Poland, reports The Guardian. Just like when Poland fenced out Middle East asylum seekers in November from entering the country, which even led to the death of children from hyperthemia, Africans are facing the same
Read on »Shameless Europe does not care if you live or die
We cannot just snuggle here and see who comes to the border. We must promote the values of the EU with greater determination because without these values we are worthless. Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen We just read about the tragic death of 27 people when attempting to cross the English Channel. One of
Read on »A Russian asylum seeker’s escape to freedom from Russia and Finland
Migrant Tales insight: Ogneslav Shevchenko, 36, is a Russian national with Ukrainian parents seeking asylum in Europe. Once you get to know him a little, you notice that he has traveled for many years, searching for a country where he is free from persecution. His story is like others seeking asylum and traveling in the
Read on »Intimidating Farid Hafez and state Islamophobia in Austria
Islamophobia in all of its forms is cancer that is spreading at this moment throughout Europe. People who attempt to stand up to this social ill are intimidated and attacked. Farid Hafez, whom I know personally and edits the European Islamophobia Report, the most comprehensive report published annually on the topic, is charged for alleged
Read on »How systematic exploitation of stateless persons also happens in Finland
An article in The Guardian on an asylum seeker who asks, “‘Why can’t I be legal anywhere?’ Exploited and left stateless by Sweden.” His story is not an anomaly but reveals what is happening to stateless persons, even in countries like Finland. Helsingin Sanomat and Migrant Tales published a story about the column. The author,
Read on »STATEMENT: European Islamophobia Report 2019
You can follow the panel and publishing of the European Islamophobia Report 2019 here. European Islamophobia Report 2019 – Press Release SETA will publish 2019 European Islamophobia Report on 20th June Saturday after the opening panel of the Report. Edited by Enes Bayraklı and Farid Hafez European Islamophobia Report (EIR) published annually since 2015. The EIR
Read on »Weird Tweets from Finnish politicians: MEP Laura Huhtasaari’s praise of Trump
MEP Laura Huhtasaari is a white supremacist politician from Finland. Her tweets are schizophrenic: for English readers, she has one message and for her Finnish followers another. What would people who can’t read Finnish think about her tweets in that language? In Finnish-language tweets, Huhtasaari commonly praises US President Donald Trump, and Hungary’s strongman, Viktor
Read on »European Islamophobia Report will publish its 2019 findings in early June
The European Islamophobia Report (EIR) will publish in early June its findings. Should we be surprised that the party that is associated with Islamophobia in Finland is none other than the Perusuomalaiset (PS)*? The forthcoming European Islamophobia Report 2019, which will be published in early June, lists the central figures in Finland’s Islamophobia network. In
Read on »Moving to Europe was the right decision in 1978 even if my great grandfather is still turning in his grave
My great grandfather Dante Tessieri and his future wife, Aida Guaimonti, sailed from Italy in the 1890s to Brazil. Dante was a learned man, a physicist, and an anarchist that housed strong political opinions. He was forced to leave Italy, like many millions of his countrymen, because of political reasons. Of all my great grandparents,
Read on »Two of the most shameful medics of Europe: Jean-Paul Miera and Camille Locht
The two French doctors, Jean-Paul Mira and Camille Locht said on television that Africans could be used as guinea pigs to find a COVID-19 vaccine. The suggestion by the two medics unleashed a storm of protests. African footballers Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba and Demba Ba have some words they would like to share with these
Read on »Coronavirus exposes our false senses of security, racism, and propensity for genocide
There is no better example of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) has exposed our misguided senses of security and our mistaken way of life that has given way to endless military spending and wars, tax breaks for the wealthy, disinvestment in our well-being through growing inequality. Sometimes our fears and lust for power cause us to
Read on »The European Court of Human Rights accepts new appeals from Finland
The European Court of Human Rights has accepted two appeals from Finland. One of these is of a Sunni Muslim from Iraq whose asylum application was turned down by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). The second one is of a Somali national living in Finland who was refused a work permit. Miro Del Gaudio, attorney-at-law
Read on »Institute of Race Relations: Asylum in the time of COVID-19
by John Grayson The appalling, overcrowded, unhygienic housing offered to some asylum seekers and their young children is putting them at especial risk of Covid-19. A refusal of insanitary accommodation leads to threats of homelessness. John Grayson of South Yorkshire Migration & Asylum Action Group investigates the reality in Leeds, Halifax and Wakefield. Helen ‘I don’t
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY (Laura Huhtasaari): “The future belongs to Trump-minded nationalist conservatism”
Finnish MEP Laura Huhtsaari of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is at it again. Huhtasaari, like her PS MEP colleague, Teuvo Hakkarainen, and all of the party’s 39 MPs are calling for disunity during a time when we need to pull together. The world will start to be a better place, and far-right parties that spread
Read on »Our incapacity to feel for others, our indifference to their suffering is what is causing our moral downfall in the EU
Some studies claim that vote share for Eurosceptic parties has more than doubled in two decades, according to the Guardian. This problem has many answers. One of these is that Europeans have not done enough to root out all forms of racism. Our colonial legacy still hangs as an onerous shadow that encourages us to
Read on »Greek-Turkish border crisis: Shame on the EU, shame on Turkey, shame on us
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Shame on Greece. Shame on Turkey. Shame on Europe. Shame on President Sauli Niinistö as thousands of migrants are massing at the Greek-Turkish border. The pictures that Europeans are witnessing the humanitarian crisis through their local media are scary. Yesterday, Monday, it was reported that a child aged 6 or 7
Read on »Twitter Joana Morais: Shame and name those Portuguese MEP’s who voted against saving lives in the Mediterranean
Joan Morais named and shamed in a tweet the Portuguese MEPs who voted against the motion in the European Parliament o improve search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean. Morais tweets: “They do not represent us nor who we are as a solidaric & welcoming people. Remember their names. #SafePassage #HumanityFirst #RefugeesWelcome.” Thee Finnish MEPs
Read on »Dedicated to the “let them drown” MEP candidates of Finland
Islamophobes and other racists believe that those they victimize have short memories. Wrong. We remember and will do everything for our children and grandchildren to remember their viciousness. Migrant Tales published a shameful list of Finnish MEP candidates who answered an Alma Media election compass question: “Is it the obligation of the EU to save
Read on »Who needs a commissioner for protecting European values? What are “our” European values anyway?
Why does the European Commission need a commissioner for the protection of “our” European values? Protection of what “European” values need protecting? Are social exclusion and racism European values? What about the over 34,361 migrants who have died to May 2018 while crossing the Mediterranean Sea? What about Islamophobia? Fascism? Our unrepentant colonial past, among
Read on »EU President-elect von der Leyen caves into the threat of fascism and Islamophobia
EU President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented Tuesday her team and the new structure of the next European Commission. Apart from having no minorities on the commission, von der Leyen, raised a lot of eyebrows by nominating Margaritis Schinas of Greece as the new Commissioner for Protecting Our European Way of Life. In a story
Read on »Case Perussuomalaiset Youth: The worst enemy of the far right is the far right
The scandal that blew up in FPÖ leader’s Heinz-Christian Strache’s face and which brought down a government in Austria, Perussuomalaiset (PS)*Vice President Laura Huhtasaari’s participation in a meeting organized by Salvini in Milano with far-right leader Matteo Salvini, and the racist tweet below by the PS Youth are just one of many political setbacks.
Read on »Migrant Tales omistaa videon suomalaisille “anna hukkua” eurovaaliehdokkaille
Tässä kirjoituksessa jakamamme video, jonka Migrant Tales haluaa omistaa “anna hukkua” suomalaisille eurovaaliehdokaille. Tiestikö, että 36,3%* suomalaisista eurovaaliehdokkaista (85/234) vastasi ”täysin erimieltä,” ”erimieltä” tai ”neutraali” Alma Median vaalikoneen väitteeseen: “EU:n velvollisuus on pelastaa kaikki hukkumisriskillä Välimeren ylittävät Eurooppaan pyrkivät siirtolaiset.” Selko suomenkielella tämä tarkoittaa, että kyseiset eurovaaliehdokkaat eivät välittäneet tai piitanneet jos ihmiset hukkuvat Välimerellä. Heidän
Read on »Migrant Tales dedicates the following video to Finnish “let them drown” Euro election candidates
Here is a video Migrant Tales would like to dedicate to the “let them drown” Euro election candidates. Did you know that 36.3% of Finnish MEP candidates who answered (85/234) Alma Media’s election compass stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree” or are “neutral” (have no opinion) about the following claim: “Is it the obligation
Read on »Vote in the European elections but not for the “let them drown” candidates
Forty-one percent of Finnish MEP candidates who answered Alma Media’s election compass stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree” or are “neutral” (have no opinion) concerning the following claim: “Is it the obligation of the EU to save all those migrants who attempt to come to Europe and who are at risk of drowning in the Mediterranean?”
Read on »Äännestää EU vaalissa mutta ei “anna hukkua” vaaliehdokkaat
ENNAKKOÄÄNESTYS: 15.-21.5. (SUOMESSA) 15.-18.5. (ULKOMAILLA) VAALIPÄIVÄ: 26.5. 36,3%* suomalaisista eurovaaliehdokkaista (85/234) vastasi ”täysin erimieltä,” ”erimieltä” tai ”neutraali” Alma Median vaalikoneen väitteeseen: “EU:n velvollisuus on pelastaa kaikki hukkumisriskillä Välimeren ylittävät Eurooppaan pyrkivät siirtolaiset.” Souce: Facebook. Mielestäni tämä on häpeälistä ja vastuunpakenemista. Väite vaalikonen 13/20 kysymys on selkeä eikä jätä ketään epäilemään mitä poliitikot ajatteleva ihmisarvosta: “EU:n velvollisuus
Read on »Kysymys “anna hukkua” EU vaaliehdokkaille: Onko tämä ok?
Migrant Tales julkaisi tällä viikko lista suomalaisista EU vaaliehdokkaita, jotka eivät välittänet jos siirtolaisia hukkuvat Välimerellä. Alma Median vaalikonella oli seuraava väite:
Read on »A question to the Finnish “let them drown” MEP candidates: Is this ok?
Migrant Tales published this week a list of Finnish MEP candidates who apparently did not care whether migrants drown at sea or not, based on an Alma Meter election compass question that asks the following question:
Read on »Nearly 40% of the Finnish MEP candidates believe that rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean is of secondary importance
Forty-one percent of Finnish MEP candidates who answered Alma Media’s election compass stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree” are “neutral” (have no opinion) concerning the following question: “Is it the obligation of the EU to save all those migrants who attempt to come to Europe and who are at risk of drowning in the Mediterranean?”
Read on »New York Times: Hillary Clinton should blame European racism, not migrants for the rise of populism
Hillary Clinton says that migration is the main reason for feeding European populism. Migrant Tales disagrees. Europe is such a racist region plagued by its colonial and post-colonial history that was and still has its hands drenched in genocide and exploitation. Don’t blame the migrants, Clinton. Blame European racism for the rise in populism.
Read on »Prime Minister Juha Sipilä fuels Finland’s hostile environment for migrants
While I was not surprised by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s comments about migration and the rise of the far right in YLE’s Ykkösaamu talk show, the interview offers a good example of how his government continues to fuel Finland’s hostile environment for migrants. According to Adrian Berry, a leading UK immigration lawyer, defined in in The Guardian, the
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: How anti-diversity and Islamophobic is Finland?
“One of the big denials that one still hears a lot in Finland is its denial of the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, an Islamophobic party that won 39 seats in the parliamentary elections of 2011 from just 5 MPs in previously. There was an ongoing debate after 2011 within the PS on what caused its historic election victory. Then party leader Timo Soini claimed it was anti-EU sentiment while its present leader, Jussi Halla-aho, claimed it was the PS’ Islamophobic stance.
Read on »An active citizen needs to learn at school about two crucial matters: empathy and social activism
If we look at history and today’s Europe and globally, it becomes clear that most people who went to school that too many never learned about empathy and social activism. A positive example of the latter is Elin Ersson, who refused to take a seat on a flight before they removed an Afghanistan deported asylum seeker off the plane.
Read on »Dutch foreign minister offers excuses for racism and “failures of multiculturalism”
The interview below with Dutch foreign minister, Stef Blok, is another prime example of why racism, bigotry, and discrimination continue to list high on the European shame board. The interview, where Blok tells us how “multiculturalism has failed,” reveals another excuse why racism is deeply ingrained in Europe. .
Read on »Thailand versus the Mediterranean: Your human value hinges on ethnic and cultural background
We have all been reading about the rescue operation in northern Thailand raises a question: Why so much media interest in the fate of twelve children trapped for sixteen days when between 23,000 and 28,500 of people have perished in the Mediterranean during 1993-2018 while trying to travel to Europe.
Read on »EU summit and “controlled centers” for migrants: Déjà vu, bad excuse to do nothing
My great grandfather left Europe for South America in the late nineteenth century for political reasons. I returned three generations later, and he probably wonders if I’m mad. Europe’s issues with racism, xenophobic scapegoating, and, eventually, war-mongering are entrenched deep in European soil waiting to bud. There is only one word that comes to mind
Read on »The more politicians and racists vilify migrants the stronger we get
No matter how much politicians vilify migrants and continue to attack us, the more desperate their situation becomes.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Racism and social umbrellas
“Racism is like rain. You cannot stop rain but you can protect yourself from it. We need social umbrellas to protect ourselves from racism. This would come in the form of awareness, social policy, and leadership.” Le racisme existera toujours. Le racisme est comme la pluie. Vous ne pouvez pas arrêter la pluie, mais vous pouvez
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The mood is so bad, so unhealthy, that there is no way to talk rationally,” according to Emma Bonino
“Sooner or later, we will recognize that we need them [immigrants],” says former Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino. “For the moment the political mood is so bad, so unhealthy, that there is no way to talk rationally.”
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Populism is like pissing in your pants
“Populism is like pissing in your pants in freezing temperatures. It may feel good for a moment but you soon understand it was a dumb idea. You now have two problems instead of one: freezing temperature and your freezing-cold urine.”
Read on »Camtu Suhonen: How discrimination destroys academic careers
Discrimination is a disease that plagues many organizations and often causes more damage to the organization such as profit loss, economical issues, and natural disasters. This is because discrimination destroys the people who make up the organization and causes damages irreparable by money or promotion. Career paths and patterns are things most affected by such a plague because they damage people mentally, emotionally, and socially. If a person is mentally and emotionally damaged by discrimination, this person becomes paralyzed and unable to function properly within the organization. Also, socially, victims experience role malfunction and resort to isolation for comfort rather than ask for help from colleagues.
Read on »(Announcement) 2017 Summer School Migration in Southern Europe: Solidarity, Crisis and Beyond
This seven-day course “Migration in Southern Europe: Solidarity, Crisis and Beyond” will investigate the developments, challenges and the impact of the migration and refugee crisis on southern European societies and on migrant populations. It will also explore the prospects for improving the current management of issues and relevant social policies. In conjunction with the lectures
Read on »(Migrants’ Rights Network) Dealbreaker: EU migration policy causes more harm and chaos one year after EU-Turkey deal
As we mark the first anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal, the EU’s migration policies are more contradictory than ever, ignoring evidence and by-passing democratic procedures.
Read on »The final countdown of the PS’ return to the political minor leagues begins as Timo Soini bows out as chairman in June
Right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman, Timo Soini, announced Sunday that he wouldn’t seek a new term as party head at the forthcoming party convention in Jyväskylä in early June. He has head the party since 1997.
Read on »Day 18 of the Helsinki demonstration by asylum seekers: What about if Finland’s asylum policy is a cover-up?
The fact that the district courts agree in vast majority with the rejections handed by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) speaks volumes of the serious problem and our responsibility as a nation to grant protection to those who need it.
Read on »w2eu.info: How to stop a deportation
Deportations appear to be on the rise these days. Politically they help give bigoted and racist politicians clout among voters. President Donald Trump has a plan to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and Europe is following the same path.
Read on »(Institute of Race Relations) “No one accepts responsibility:” thirteen refugees dead in Greece
As refugees and migrants die in Greece’s ‘hotspots’, military camps and in transit, the EU, the UNHCR and Greek institutions must be held to account.
Read on »Migrants’ Rights Network: Walls and borders
Are walls and tighter border controls the answer to the big questions on immigration? Do they achieve what their advocates set out to do? Or should the world aim to return to a time when less xenophobia and more trust in people was the order of the day?
Read on »Ethnic profiling in the EU is illegal and discriminatory
Please share: #EthnicProfiling is unfair & discriminatory. @EU_Justice we need EU standards on #FairPolicing #SingledOut When police use ethnicity as a basis for a stop & search it is #discrimination. EU member states must stop #EthnicProfiling #SingledOut #EthnicProfiling can damage trust & alienate local communities. EU must develop standards on #FairPolicing @EU_Justice #SingledOut 39% of
Read on »Migrant Tales begins cooperation with Asylum Corner
Migrant Tales will begin cooperation by beginning to publish stories by Asylum Corner, the newsletter of Lai-Momo, an Italian cooperative society based in Bologna, Italy, and Brussels. Like Migrant Tales, Asylum Corner writes about topics like migrants’ integration, asylum seekers assistance, intercultural and anti-discrimination education. Lai-Momo information and communication officer Claudia Mará took a moment to explain
Read on »How a well-managed asylum reception center should be run
We have written a lot about poorly managed reception centers in Finland since January. We, therefore, thought it would be a good opportunity to pull together our expertise and offer some best practices on how a well-managed reception center is run.
Read on »Discurso del escritor Jari Tervo en la apertura de la Feria del Libro de Helsinki
Jari Tervo es, sin duda alguna, uno de los escritores más conocidos y leidos de Finlandia. El 27 de octubre, Tervo fue el encargado de abrir la Feria del Libro de Helsinki y su discurso ha despertado interés público. El discuros de Jari Tervo está cargado de humanismo, respeto a los derechos humanos y de
Read on »UNITED List of Deaths presented at MoMA exhibition
UNITED’s List of Deaths, which includes the details of over 22,000 migrants and refugees who died due to the fatal policies of Fortress Europe, has been included in the exhibition “Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Read on »Finnish government party Perussuomalaiset MEP claims ethnic profiling needed to fight terrorism
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who hungers for public attention, tries to surprise us with the following suggestion: The police should be allowed to ethnically profile Middle Easterners, North African and Central Asian people irrespective if it is in infringement of these people’s fundamental rights and human rights.
Read on »Migrants’ Rights Network: Lessons of Paris – Borders won’t protect us: Solidarity with refugees remains the best hope
The Friday 13th attacks in Paris are being interpreted by many commentators as politicians as a watershed moment in public attitudes towards refugee policies in Europe.
Read on »How will the far right and anti-immigration parties in Europe try to exploit what happened in Paris today?
Terrorism is a sign of how dysfunctional our society an countries are at dealing with global conflicts. I’m so saddened by the violence and watch with manifest unease how the far right and anti-immigration populist party will exploit what happened for their own benefit. We still haven’t got confirmation on which group is behind the attacks. My condolences go to the victims and their families.
Read on »Finland’s and fortress Europe’s razorblade chicken feed response to the refugee crisis
Finland and Europe are looking more lost than ever concerning the refugee crisis and this has been shamelessly exposed in the raw at the EU’s Malta summit. If we fail in resolving the crisis as a region we will face another problem that will be many times worse than what is happening now: Fuel and stoke the fires of xenophobia at the cost of our values.
Read on »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.
Read on »Europe has been put in harm’s way by Europeans
Can Europe honestly look at itself in the mirror today and say it is still a beacon of hope, cultural understanding and respect as we bar refugees, permit the children of these people fleeing war to die on our beaches while thousands die trying to reach our shores?
Read on »Alan on Alan: A picture is worth a thousand words
Alan Anstead We had the same name, Alan. But apart from that our worlds were completely different. Alan Kurdi was a Syrian Kurd, escaping with his family from war and terrorism. I’m a working class Peckham (London) boy and 50 years older than my namesake was. What the photograph of Alan’s lifeless body washed up
Read on »A cemetery called the Mediterranean
This will be one of the shortest posts ever published in Migrant Tales thanks to a picture published on the front page of El País of Madrid. Those dots on the water are people who got shipwrecked off the coast of Libya.
Read on »ENAR: Racist crime continues to be a significant problem in all European countries
There were in the European Union in 2013 a total of 47,210 racist crimes, according to a first-ever report that doesn’t use official sources but those provided by NGOs, according to the European Network Against Racism (ENAR). The anti-racism Brussels-based NGO states that the amount of officially recorded racist crimes is only the tip of the
Read on »Jallow Momodou: Invisible ‘visible’ minority on the European political agenda
Jallow Momodou* ‘Numbers count’ is a statement we often hear, especially when speaking of democratic weight and power as a means to influence a group’s socio-economic conditions. So far, however, people of African descent and Black European are the most invisible ‘visible’ minority on the European political agenda. This despite the fact that there are
Read on »Institute of Race Relations: Roma – fascism’s first victims, again
Liz Fekete Anti-Roma violence draws strength from fascist ideas that linger on in mainstream European thought. On 15 September, a Roma man from Romania, homeless in Sweden, died of injuries sustained on 31 August, when a fire broke out at a Roma temporary tent camp in Högdalen, southern Stockholm. We will probably never know whether
Read on »What does PS membership in the European Conservatives and Reformists group reveal about the Finnish populist party?
One of the matters that one notices about the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is how it has metamorphosed and continues to do so. Even so, its stand on our social welfare state isn’t clear never mind what it thinks about EU membership, even if its leader, Timo Soini, now says that the party wants Finland to continue being
Read on »Der Spiegel International interviews National Front leader Marine Le Pen
Der Spiegel International published an interview with Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front. While her views on the EU and cultural diversity don’t surprise us, what she says should concern us. One matter shines through in Le Pen’s message: France must leave the EU and stop immigration to realize her greatness as
Read on »The euro elections have shown parties like the PS to be hostile to development aid, immigrants, minorities and gays
It’s clear that if we allowed ourselves to be spoon-fed by the populism and anti-EU, homophobic and anti-immigration rhetoric of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, minorities would always be threatened with social exclusion. PS MP Maria Lohela, who is said to turn into a Ms Hyde if you mention the word “Islam” to her, offered in
Read on »Announcement: Aalto University Student Union’s debate on the future of Europe Thursday 5pm-7pm
Event: Aalto University Student Union’s (AYY) EU debate: The Grand Debate on the Future of Europe Time: Thursday, 8 May 2014, 5pm–7pm. Come and meet the representatives of political parties at Design Factory before the debate from 4pm onwards. Location: Aalto Design Factory (Betonimiehenkuja 5, Otaniemi Espoo)Social media: #EUdebate You may wish to also share
Read on »It’s time for Finnbay to answer some questions
As everyone tries to figure out who Finnbay is and why it’s been singled out by the Finnish foreign ministry, we could ask why is so much attention given to its director, Onur Yalcintas? What is he guilty of? Read full story here. Is he guilty of slanting news in order to get reputable global publications
Read on »Mulitucltural Ireland’s vision should be ours as well
Why is it that we don’t hear Finnish politicians speaking in the same manner as Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins, who said that a major task of the country’s EU presidency should be to remove ignorance and misunderstanding, which lead to “incipient forms of racism,” writes the Irishtimes.com. Speaking at the launch of the Neighborhood
Read on »Suomi on väkivaltainen maa
Onko Suomi väkivaltainen maa? Vastaus riippuu siitä kuka olet: valkoinen suomalainen, mies, nainen, maahanmuuttaja, näkyvään vähemmistöön kuuluva tai vammainen. Ennen kuin perustelen väitteeni, haluan tehdä muutamia selvennyksiä Susanna Kinnusen blogiin. Olen ”pieni vihainen mies.” Uskon, että ne, jotka tuntevat minut henkilökohtaisesti olisivat aika paljon erimieltä. Harrastin paljon mm. koripalloa ja tunnetusti pelaajat ovat hyvinkin kookkaita
Read on »Finland also locks up asylum seeker children
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- A child in the Joutseno Immigration Removal Center.
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