In a thousand years, if there’s History, America will be remembered as a nasty little Country. Full of Pricks… Allen Ginsberg, Epilogue from “The Fall of America poems of these states 1965-1971” Following the dysfunctionality and cultural war raging in US politics, any sensible person can conclude that the present situation is due to several
Read on »Posts Tagged: Finland
What does Finland’s far-right Perussuomalaiset think of the overturning of Roe and Wade and attack of a gay bar in Oslo?
Setting aside the US Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe and Wade, which effectively took away women’s rights to have an abortion, we saw the cold-blooded attack at a gay bar by a man in Oslo that left two dead and 21 wounded. Meanwhile, in Finland, Yle reported some MPs’ reaction to the Supreme Court
Read on »Sexual harassment scandal takes a political toll on Kokoomus MP Wille Rydman
The scandal that embroiled National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Wille Rydman, has forced him to resign “indefinitely” from the Kokoomus parliamentary and Helsinki city council groups. A Helsingin Sanomat investigative story exposed MP Rydman’s sexual harassment of underage girls to whom he sometimes offered alcohol. The police, who investigated the case, did not bring any
Read on »What’s all the commotion about Wille Rydman? Why is Kokoomus now shocked?
A big question remains after a Helsingin Sanomat investigative journalism piece exposed how National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Wille Rydman treated women – even underaged ones – inappropriately. Some of these women, who were minors then, claimed that Rydman forced them to drink alcohol. A question remains: Why does Kokoomus appear so shocked today, even after the
Read on »Wille Rydman exposes Kokoomus’ hypocrisy and its racist politicians
I wonder if National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Wille Rydman has ever heard of Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation for sexually abusing minors, among other crimes? Helsingin Sanomat exposed in a story Rydman of inappropriate behavior and abusing sexually minors Sunday. Like Gaetz, Rydman is in hot water and denies all
Read on »Kokoomus’ Jussi Halla-aho is suspected of harassing underaged girls
National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Wille Rydman, whose xenophobic views have earned him the dubious label of being Kokoomus’ Jussi Halla-aho, is suspected by the police of harassing underaged girls. He is the same MP pushing hardline policies against asylum seekers because he is worried about sexual harassment. Former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho was
Read on »The PS’ crystal ball racism based on selective scenarios
With the parliamentary election about 10 months away in April 2023 and a disastrous county election showing and equally depressing opinion poll results, it’s clear that the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is desperately trying to connect with voters. One example of these underhanded tactics is a proposal by the PS to close the border with
Read on »Ilta-Sanomat’s message hasn’t changed in the past 30 years: Islam and refugees are a threat to Finland
Ever wondered why tabloids like Ilta-Sanomat continue to publish racist stories? When the first Somalis came to Finland in the early 1990s, the tabloid had a field day (see billboards below). Imagine headlines like “Somalis will remain in Finland,” “Somalis tricked (authorities) to get asylum,” and twenty years later, “10,000 illegal refugees will come this
Read on »Why do the Perussuomalaiset speak in code when referring to Muslims?
Throughout the years, far-right parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* have in recent years mainly used code words to refer to Muslims. Some of the most common ones are sexual offenders, overrepresented in crime statistics, asylum seekers, and, now the latest, vieraskieli, or “people who don’t speak Finnish as their mother tongue.” One article published last
Read on »Twitter (@johanneskoski): The Perussuomalaiset are racist – what of it?
With parliamentary elections approaching in April 2022 in a backdrop of depressing opinion polls, the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is ratcheting its usual attacks against migrants and minorities. The strategy is like a motto used by the Green Berets in the Vietnam War: “Kill ’em all, let God sort them.” The violent saying was used in
Read on »How the Finnish media Others racialized pupils
One of the casualties of the war in Ukraine will be social rights and the recognition of racialized people in Finland. Are we witnessing more aggressive reporting as a result? Helsingin Sanomat published Wednesday a whole spread about how “over half of the students at several schools in Espoo don’t speak Finnish as their mother
Read on »How institutional racism entrenches at a Finnish school
How does institutional racism survive unchallenged at a Finnish school? An anonymous source got in touch with Migrant Tales and pointed out how structural or institutional racism survives at a Finnish school. One of the most crucial factors for its survival aren’t surveys and legal ineffective and false assurances against discrimination and racism but what
Read on »Peddling theories about ethnic replacement in Finland for political profit and blood
I received a call from an old Migrant Tales reader who was distraught about a letter to the editor written by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth of Lappeenranta. The headline? “The nation-state is our best protection.” Is it? The reader continued: “How can Helsingin Sanomat publish something that openly excludes non-white Finns and other minorities in Finland? I’m
Read on »Exposing white privilege in Finland #86: Maryan Abdulkarim and Finland’s amnesia
I can’t remember. It’s not important anyway. Finland’s political amnesia shrowded in denial and hostility comes in the form of knee-jerk reactions. Those knee-jerk reactions may appear by acting dumb to difficult questions or by destroying your credibility in public. I met Maryan Abdulkarim many years ago and commended her bravery in the face of
Read on »Will Nato membership for Finland be good for migrants and minority rights?
If truth Is the first casualty in war, then the second casualty is the loss of your civil rights. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin are due to announce Thursday that Finland should join Nato “without delay,” according to The Guardian. While Finland’s security concerns are valid enough for its giant eastern neighbor
Read on »How the Finnish media frames “good” and “bad” refugees
Länsiväylä is a community newspaper that lives off advertising revenues. One story on Ukrainian refugees raking a park in Kirkonnummi, a city located near Helsinki, is another chapter in framing Ukrainian refugees as “good” refugees. Some who use such stories to feed their racist worldview, use such stories to frame Muslim refugees as “bad” refugees.
Read on »Shadow racism in the happiest country
It is quite true that when people come to a new country like Finland, they have a ”honeymoon” period – everything looks new and interesting. The first few months can feel like an extended holiday, and you experience the seasons, the holidays and the culture. When it came time for me to look for work,
Read on »Not a Muslim “terrorist” but a white Finn belonging to the far-right PS
A 33-year-old driver driving at high speed in the city center ended up hitting several cars and crashing in front of a cafe on Pohjoiesplanadi on May Day Eve, according to Yle News. Three people were injured including the suspect. The suspect, a member of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and a public servant at the
Read on »The Right to Live citizen’s initiative has over 50,000 signatures – parliament has a moral obligation to grant residence permits to undocumented migrants
The Right to Live (Lupa elää) citizen’s initiative passed through the 50,000 signatures barrier Friday. If passed by parliament, the initiative will grant four-year residence permits to undocumented migrants who came to Finland before January 1, 2017. The ministry of interior published its recommendations on what to do with some 3,000 undocumented migrants who came to Finland
Read on »“On the path of Sweden” and other deceptive claims by the Perussuomalaiset and Finnish media
Ever wonder why the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party gets so excited about so-called failed immigration and riots in Sweden? Is it because there isn’t enough news in Finland to spike and spread their Islamophobic message and perpetuate their deceptive claims? The PS is a case in point to study how fake news about migrants is
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Autumn darkness and the midnight sun
By Leo Honka Deep in the forests of Savo, darkness is not always darkness but a state of mind that has learned to remain an image. In such places, time comes and goes but never leaves; its magic maintains you balanced like a trapeze artist without falling thanks to heart-filled joyous moments of memories once
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat treats Rikka Purra with kid gloves – by and large, stenography journalism
If former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* head Jussi Halla-aho were a women, her name would be Riikka Purra. Helsingin Sanomat published Saturday an interview with PS Chairperson Riikka Purra, where she puts Ukrainian refugees on a pedestal and dehumanizes Muslim and African refugees. Instead of just publishing Purra’s comments like a stenographer, why not fact-check? Here are
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 »Exposing white privilege in Finland #84: Suomineidot offers refuge to privilege, white power, whitewashing, the far right and racism
Comments about the Yle television series on far-right young women, Suomineidot (Finnish Maidens), went viral, and for a good reason. Apart from revealing how much in the dark Yle is about racism and the far right, it also exposes white privilege in Finland. In a nutshell, the series is about three young women: Meri Kartta
Read on »Suomineidot is another example of how much Yle is in the dark about racism and the far right
Here is the plot of a new TV series Suomineidot (Finnish Maidens): Meri is a far-right ethnonationalist who hangs out with neo-Nazis. Jasmin is an avid follower of Pentti Linkola, who promoted population decline. Liisa is a member of the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. Apart from the radical political views of the three participants, YLE launched
Read on »How will we treat Ukrainian refugees in Finland?
The interior ministry estimates “tens of thousands” Ukrainians moving to Finland as a result of the war in that country, according to Yle News. There are about 7,000 Ukrainians in Finland, but Anna Rundgren, a ministry of interior senior specialist, believes that the actual figure is several times higher. In 2015, the country saw a record
Read on »Twitter (Ndéle Faye): Systematic racism in Finnish early childhood education
Ndéle Faye is a Finnish Senegalese writer and journalist.
Read on »Hitting refugees below the belt
I talked to a group of students from different national backgrounds today. Two things unite them: they are mostly Muslims and present or past asylum seekers in Finland. While Europe is opening its arms to 2.809 million refugees from Ukraine since Sunday, according to the UNHCR, the two sets of rules for refugees reveal how
Read on »A racist explanation by the chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee of Finland why Ukrainian refugees are better than other ones
Despite all the objections to racism and Islamophobia in Finland, the silence and sub-rosa nods why such social ills continue to take root in the country. The chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Jussi Halla-aho of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, explained why Europe should open its arms to Ukrainians and shut the door on refugees
Read on »Nato membership knocking at the door
As the Finnish launches a process to consider the nation’s Nato membership, while the frightening news from the war in Ukraine floods the media, all of us living in the country need to stop and think how we got into this situation and where to turn now. Perhaps we also need to reflect why we
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 »Other casualties of Ukraine are European far-right parties like the Perussuomalaiset of Finland
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, we are seeing the restructuring of Europe’s security structure and political landscape. The new landscape is bad news for Europe’s far-right and populist parties like Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. The new situation may explain why PS chairperson, Riikka Purra, offered a new image with new glasses that
Read on »PS’ about-turn on Russia is reprehensible
In the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, some politicians, especially from the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, have changed their tune. Don’t be fooled by them, and such moves are nothing more than an opportunistic move to prop up their sinking popularity. Their shift in opinions about the Russians is so reprehensible that it
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #82: Good “refugees” are white and Christian, “bad” ones are Muslims
In light of the Russian invasion and bloodshed in Ukraine, Finland has expressed its readiness to take in “tens of thousands” of “refugees” from that country, according to Yle. Remember last year, when Poland closed its border with Belarus over mostly Iraqis seeking asylum in the EU? Remember the calls to keep out such asylum
Read on »Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin’s invasion “genius and savvy.” Why are the Perussuomalaiset hiding their faces in shame?
While the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are scrambling to prop up their dismal poll numbers, they are also changing their tune on Vladimir Putin and Russia. One of the best ways to understand the PS’ admiration of Putin and the tragedy in Ukraine is through former President Donald Trump. We can cite Jussi Halla-aho’s praise of
Read on »Helsinki court of appeal increases involuntary manslaughter sentence to nine years for stabbing Somali-Finnish youth
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The Helsinki court of appeal* has increased Miro Pesonen’s involuntary manslaughter conviction to a nine-year prison term from five years previously and pay to the parents 10,000 euros for their suffering, according to Yle. Pesonen is a white Finn who stabbed Keyse Abdifatah Maalesh at Kannelmäki Helsinki railway station in April 2020. The mother
Read on »Russian aggression against Ukraine threatens Finland and exposes hypocrisy
It finally happened. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of a sovereign country like Ukraine. Apart from former President Donald Trump, who admires Vladimir Putin like many of the far-right Republicans, in Europe, we have racists and populists who are rooting for Russian aggression openly and silently. Caught with their hypocrisy and political pants down, populist
Read on »Cultural diversity is still a challenge in the Finnish education system
An article in Yle News brings us back again to one of the biggest challenges for multilingual children at Finnish schools: How the Finnish education system treats cultural diversity. Language and cultural interpreter and early childhood educator Nadezda Kärmeniemi admitted that multilingual children are caught between differing attitudes at schools. She is saying that there
Read on »Ykkösaamu interview highlighted Halla-aho’s contempt for Human Rights
Yle’s Ykkösamu talk show exposed to a tee what the parliament’s new foreign affairs committee chairperson thinks of Human Rights. The first question by the host forced Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion, to reinforce his contempt of Human Rights. The interview was
Read on »The far-right PS 1984 logic: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
Riikka Purra, the chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, defended Jussi Halla-aho’s blog writings that are full of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-democratic worldviews. In one of Halla-aho’s writings, he hopes foreigners rape MPs like Eva Biaudet and Tarja Filatov. The former PS chairperson’s blog writings were under scrutiny again after he was named
Read on »Keep it up, Riikka Purra, don’t stop now. Kick out all the migrants and “let God sort ’em out.”
There are a lot of baffled faces at the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. “Did you see our regional election result?!” one asks while the other states: “A Yle poll saw us nosedive by 3.3 percentage points to 15%. and now Helsingin Sanomat reinforces the latter.” In our opinion, the PS is a far-right party that
Read on »Convicted PS MP of ethnic agitation voted to chair parliament’s foreign affairs committee
THE STORY WAS UPDATED The new chairperson of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Jussi Halla-aho, did not get such a warm reception. In a highly unprecedented move by the committee members, 11 voted in a secret ballot in favor of Halla-aho while six abstained. Halla-aho took over the committee’s chair Mika Niikko, its former chairperson,
Read on »If Finland believes in its laws, it must give residence permits to undocumented migrants
The ministry of interior published on Thursday its recommendations on what to do with some 3,000 undocumented migrants who came to Finland in 2015-2016. Of this group, about 300 are children living in legal limbo thanks to a 2016 law that abolished granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds. The number of undocumented migrants rose from
Read on »Racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination, and misogyny are a blow to Finnish police trust
London Mayor Sadiq Khan took a proactive approach to discrimination in the Metropolitan Police. We need the same in Finland to deal with a problematic issue in the Finnish police force. “Last week I made it clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Cressida Dick) the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Sweden is a great country thanks to immigrants
“It always amazes me to hear Finland’s most xenophobic politicians from the Perussuomalaiset* and National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) pointing the accusing finger at Sweden about how the country has failed because of immigration. Sweden has a more dynamic and competitive economy than Finland’s because of migrants. If there are problems in Sweden, the state is
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho, who wanted the Greek army to crush protestors ten years ago, is expected to replace Mika Niikko
According to Helsingin Sanomat, former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-ago is expected to replace Mika Nikko, the chairperson of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, according to Helsingin Sanomat. Niikko resigned Tuesday evening after he suggested in a tweet that the West should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will not join Nato. While Niikko is
Read on »PS chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee resigns after “careless” Ukraine tweet
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP and head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Mika Nikko, resigned today after he tweeted that come Western leader should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine must not join Nato. The tweet, which was in conflict with Finland’s foreign policy, was deleted. Even so, it had created quite a stir and
Read on »Seinäjoki police wrapping up their suspected hate crime investigation. Charges are expected this month.
The Seinäjoki police, which had taken over a year and eight months to investigate a crime when Fares Al-Obaidi was attacked by over ten people from the Western Finnish town of Teuva, plans to bring charges this month, according to the victim. The incident happened on June 6, 2020 when over ten suspected townspeople from
Read on »Sanna Ukkola, if antiracism is the new racism, it shows that you are part of the racism problem
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Of all the newspapers that write about migrants and cultural diversity, tabloid Iltalehti published Sanna Ukkola’s column on how “antiracism is the new racism.” With a headline like that, we could also put together provocative headlines like how “feminism is modern misogyny,” “anti-fascism is the new fascism,” and “how promoting same-sex
Read on »A-Talk exposed further what a poor leader Riikka Purra is and how little respect she has for other politicians
Did any of you watch A-Talk with two government representatives, Iris Suomela of the Green League, Center Party Finance Minister Annika Saarikko, and two opposition representatives, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* head Riikka Purra, and National Coalition Party MP Antti Häkkänen? One matter stood out: Purra’s aggressive style and talking out of turn when Suomela spoke. Her facial
Read on »The far-right Perussuomalaiset head south in the opinion polls
THE STORY WAS UPDATED There’s good news and bad news. Depending on your perspective, bad news can be good news and vice-versa. In the latest opinion poll published by Yle, the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party saw its support nosedive by three percentage points to 15%. While it would be simplistic only to blame the regional
Read on »Getting a job does not scare me, it is what happens after that raises concern
If we look at the many stories of job discrimination that we have published in Migrant Tales, one factor links them: despair and the police, which too often look the other way. Considering the underwhelming effort the police have made in challenging human trafficking, labor discrimination, hate speech, and other social ills, why would a victim trust the
Read on »Do we want an openly Islamophobic prime minister that aims to exclude foreigners? I hope not!
After the disastrous showing of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in Sunday’s regional election, the far-right party aims to win next year’s parliamentary election and have its chairperson, Riikka Purra, as prime minister. Good luck with that, especially after the big election setback. Even if the regional election will turn out to be a watershed for the
Read on »The National Coalition Party wins Finland’s first regional elections
The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) won Finland’s first regional elections after capturing 21.6% of the votes, according to Yle. Apart from the low 47.5% voter turnout, there were two big surprises: the good showing of the Center Party and the abysmal result by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. During the past decade, much of the PS’ success hinges on
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Anti-Perussuomalaiset poetry – an eye for an eye
No room for words today! Said the Finns Party politician that racist fascist hypocrite angry as hell yelling at the top of its voice: Give me a light, scum! Lighting its cigarette soon thumbs, hands, arms and other body parts melt and splash to the ground. In my hidout after that affair the police,
Read on »Mayday! Mayday! The Perussuomalaiset are sinking
The recent poll on the regional elections shows eveals and exposes the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, who suffered a 3.3 percentage point fall, as a one-issue party. The regional elections, which will be held on Sunday, will transfer power from municipalities to regional councils, which will manage health care and emergency services. Sunday’s election appears to
Read on »Remember Jari Sillantie of the Kolari asylum reception center and coming out of the Islamophobic closet
I do, and very vividly. Jari Sillantie was the deputy manager of the northern Finland Kolari asylum reception center that sacked him after some 140 asylum seekers protested his management style. Even if his management style and Facebook “likes” did not reveal his attraction to the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, they did speak volumes about
Read on »The party with the most criminal charges: Perussuomalaiset candidates, who else?
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Guess which party has the highest number of candidates charged with a crime? Correct, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. According to Helsingin Sanomat, 6.3% (8.2% in the 2021 municipal elections) of PS candidates in January’s regional election have been charged for crimes during 2017-2021. That was followed by the Left Alliance (3.0%/4.1%), Christian Democrats (2.2%/2.4%),
Read on »A victory for free speech against the far-right and “racist clowns”
Due process takes a long time in Finland as the landmark Johanna Vehkoo against far-right agitator Junnes Lokka, whom she called in a Facebook “a Nazi clown” and “a racist.” Surprisingly, a Rovaniemi appeal court upheld a prior Oulu district court ruling that Vehkoo had defamed Lokka. Today’s ruling by the supreme court dismissed the
Read on »How we treat terrorism in our society depends on your ethnic and religious background
After creating a big commotion in December about uncovering Finland’s first far-right terrorist cell, the Stakunta District Court ordered the release of four of the suspects on Wednesday, according to Yle News. One of the suspects was released last month. Even if the police consider the arrest of the suspects as the “first” far-right cell, it all
Read on »The PS and its enablers are the wrecking balls of Finland’s social welfare democracy
I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do. James Baldwin If some scholars sound the alarm bells that democracy in the United States could turn into a right-wing dictatorship that has the potential of sparking a civil war. How should Finland prepare for such an eventuality? Writes Thomas Homer-Dixon, a Canadian
Read on »European Islamophobia Report: Finland
The European Islamophobia Report 2020 was published on December 29. Below is the Finland chapter of the report. The editors for the report are Dr. Enes Bayrakli and Dr. Farid Hafez. While the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin has tried to roll back some of the draconian immigration law measures of the previous government,
Read on »Somali-Finn victim’s mother appeals manslaughter conviction
The mother of eighteen-year-old Keyse Abdifatah Maalesh, stabbed to death at Kannelmäki Helsinki railway station on April 26, 2020, by a white Finn called Miro Pesonen, is appealing the involuntary manslaughter ruling on September 7, 2020, by the Helsinki District Court. The mother who said that she had not found the energy to pursue the
Read on »The European Islamophobia Report 2020 will be published on 29 December
Europe’s most comprehensive report on Islamophobia will be published on 29 December. “Considering the scant political, economic, and social power that Muslims enjoy, it’s clear that Islamophobia will not recede for the time being but will grow in Finland.“ European Islamophobia Report 2020
Read on »A question to the Kankaanpää police: Was a proper investigation carried out on the burning of an asylum reception center in 2015?
In 2015, when a record number of asylum seekers came to Finland, a number of attacks were carried out against asylum reception centers. One of these was in Niinisalo, located a stone’s throw from Kankaanpää, where over two weeks ago a group of white Finnish terrorist suspects was detained by the police. While a lot
Read on »The sources of Finland’s far-right problem: downplaying and denial
“The main agents of ideological violence are not isolated ‘lone wolves’ but are usually interconnected with communities, non-violent agents and legal entities, at times even including connections to law enforcement personnel.” Mihai Varga Over two weeks have elapsed since the police announced the detention of five white-Finn terrorist suspects in the Western Finnish city of Kankaanpää.
Read on »Downplaying and whitewashing the far-right threat in Finland
It is disappointing to note that it took Finland’s largest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, five days to write an editorial on the threat posed by the far-right after the detention of five white Finns on Friday. Considering the media attention and general outrage in general that Abderrahman Mechkah knife attack caused in Turku in 2017, a
Read on »The PS was, is, and will be a party with close ties to neo-Nazi and fascist groups
From the days when Timo Soini headed the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party to the present, there’s one denial coming from the party that is an outright lie: The PS is not a far-right party with links to neo-Nazi, fascist and far-right groups. I could list several examples, but let’s look at Kansallismielisten liittouma, a perfect example of the
Read on »A trail of xenophobic and far-right violence in Finland and yet no suspects
The detention of five far-right terrorist suspects in the western Finnish city of Kankaanpää Friday raises many questions. One of these is the collaboration of this group and others in the burning down of an asylum reception center in December 2015. The asylum reception center in Kankaanpää wasn’t the only one that suffered arson attacks.
Read on »PM Sanna Marin is a true leader
An interview published today in The Guardian of Prime Minister Sanna Marin reveals that countries like Finland have not caved into populism, xenophobia, and toxic nationalism. Her leadership is a direct snub at those forces in Finland trying to bring down her government. Marin said in the interview that she believed future governments would continue to promote
Read on »Far-right terrorism in Finland has many direct and indirect supporters
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The main agents of ideological violence are not isolated “lone wolves” but are usually interconnected with communities, non-violent agents and legal entities, at times even including connections to law enforcement personnel. Mihai Varga Five white Finns were detained Tuesday and remanded by a Satakunta District Court Friday, at the request of the
Read on »Five white Finns arrested on suspected terrorism charges
Five white Finns born between 1995 and 1998 were arrested Tuesday by the police on suspected terrorism charges, according to Pori-based daily Satakunnan Kansa. The five suspects are from the Western Finnish region of Kankaanpää. The police did not call the suspects white Finns but stated that they had “ethnic Finnish names.” The police and
Read on »A Finnish Islamophobic party’s recipe for inclusion and ethnic understanding
Since the 2011 parliamentary elections, which saw the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party win 39 starts from 5 seats previously, it has systematically tarred and feathered migrants, especially Muslims, people of color, and specific minorities. Should you be surprised that all PS MPs elected in 2019 based their campaign on an anti-immigration message. The PS demands
Read on »Kirkko ja kaupunki: Security costs at the Helsinki Synagogue soar
It should not surprise us that anti-Semitism is also on the rise in Finland. An article in Kirkko ja kaupunki revealed the cost of security needed at the Helsinki Synagogue has soared between 2017 and 2021. Yaron Nadbornik, president of the 1,100-strong Jewish community of Helsinki, was quoted as saying that the cost of security at
Read on »Racists at the Mikkeli bus stop
I hadn’t heard the statement, “I’m a racist,” for a long time. Even so, two middle-aged women were chatting in Mikkeli loudly about how bad migrants were. I intervened because silence is a total cop-out. “Are you a racist,” I asked one of the women. “Yes, I’m a racist,” she snapped. “You should be ashamed
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 »After using the full n-word on television twice, Esko Valtaoja now calls that host he insulted “white”
Every scar I have makes me who I am. Anonymous It is ok to utter the full n-word on Finnish television, as we saw on Friday on the Marja Sannikka show, which turned out to be a fiasco revealing how little homework the host had done and how polarized and ignorant Finnish society is of
Read on »Marja Sannikka’s talk show on racism is the worst I have ever watched
Last Friday, on the Marja Sannikka show about racism, was a fiasco. It was the worst talk show on racism I have seen in Finland. It was such a flop that the host, Sannikka, allowed one of the guests to say the full n-word twice and did not even object. Before I continue, I would
Read on »The more proof that labor discrimination is king in Finland, the less is done to tackle the problem
Racism is such a big issue in Finland that even white people are discriminated. Another news story. Another example. You will lose out in the Finnish labor market if you don’t have a Finnish name. If there is overwhelming proof that this type of discrimination takes place, why does it continue? Why aren’t there any
Read on »The police give you permission to pry into a person’s background even if these are inappropriate and offensive
Remember Husein Hamiid when he asked in summer a real estate agent about renting a hotel and restaurant? The real estate agent, who was a Perussuomnalaiset (PS)* municipal candidate for the city of Espoo, started to pry into Hamiid’s life: “What kind of family and relatives do you have? What is your religion? Could you
Read on »Finland’s pyramid of hate: Let’s do away with the Human Rights of asylum seekers
Even if opposition politicians from parties like the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), it’s sobering that the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin is holding the line against their onslaughts. It is surprising that how naive the PS and Kokoomus are. No border, no law, will bring a sense of security unless you
Read on »At times like this, I am ashamed of Finland and the EU
The so-called migrant crisis with Belarus offers Lukashenko and Putin an opportunity and EU politicians tools to fearmonger and score brownie points with voters. Isn’t it odd how one-sided the news is about the refugee crisis at the Belarus border? Most of the opposition politicians, especially from the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), believe that harsh
Read on »Police University College: Suspected hate crime cases retreat in 2020 by 5.22% to 852 from the previous year
Suspected hate crimes reported to the police in Finland during2020 totaled 852 cases, which is a 5.22% fall from 899 hate crimes in the previous year, according to the Police University College. As in previous years, the lion’s share (88.5%) of all hate crimes were motivated by national-ethnic origin (649/75.8% of all cases) and religion (108/12.7%).
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: What must be done to speed up adaption?
There are many things that one can do to retard or facilitate adaption of newcomers to Finland. One of the worst is constant suspicion by politicians who have no qualifications or understanding of migration. Good examples are National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma who does not have the faintest idea about migrants but is still
Read on »Twitter: Disingenuous Veikko Vallin
How to describe Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Veikko Vallin’s tweet below? Vallin, who likes to be called the Trump of Tampere, likes posing with MAGA caps and often makes racist remarks about asylum seekers, who are mostly Muslims. He even brags on social media about how he was able to escape taxes in Finland by moving
Read on »Finland’s dark side begins to wake up
This week we learned about how widespread women in the rescue department are victims of sexual harassment and discrimination, according to Yle. We also learned about the ministry of justice’s plans to tackle discrimination and hate-speech awareness with a 52-point program with the help of training increased support for organizations racism and hate crime. Writes Yle News: “In the future
Read on »What did PS’ Veikko Vallin say at the Tampere city council meeting?
Do we need to know the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP’s track record and what he has said about asylum seekers, Muslims, people of color, and other minorities in the past? His tirade against asylum seekers was so racist that the Left Alliance bloc threatened to leave the meeting if Vallin didn’t stop talking. Vallin, an avid
Read on »Why do some politicians, who know better, spread and feed us racism?
There is an old saying that goes something like this: I was a liberal in youth so I would not be a fascist in old age. What motivates a politician to twist and exaggerate facts to stigmatize migrants? National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Heikki Vestman’s speech in parliament Wednesday is a prime example of how
Read on »The cracks are beginning to show
Islamophobia and other forms of racism are for some politicians their gateway to power and infamy. Watching part of the firey debate Wednesday in parliament that led to a vote of confidence for the government, one wonders what some politicians, especially with the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, have in their heads. The saddest matter was the
Read on »A bad week for Helsinki University: Another discrimination case, another question mark
It has been a bad week for Helsinki University with Helsingin Sanomat uncovering an alleged discrimination case by the faculty of theology. The incident comes after the university’s department of geography students dressed up like colonizers of a popular board game, Afrikan tähti (Star of Africa). The Helsinki University geography department gave Tuesday a public
Read on »Amir’s tragic life as an asylum seeker in Finland
I got to know Amir* in 2016 when he was living in the Kolari asylum refugee center. Thanks to his help and those of others, the asylum seekers of the reception center organized a demonstration that ended with the deputy manager, Jari Sillantie, getting sacked. Amir, an Iraqi, came to Finland in 2015 like so
Read on »Oops! Incorrect suspected sexual assault cases for 2020
Sexual assault, especially suspected cases, is heatedly used by anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and public services like the police to demonstrate how some foreigners are. The police admitted today to a mistake in tabulating suspected sexual assault cases during 2020. The mistake originates from a foreigner suspected of sexually assaulting his wife 141
Read on »Finnish government to ease (alas) strict family reunification law
The Finnish government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin plans to overturn the country tightened immigration law and family reunification requirements, which came into force a year later after a record 32,477 asylum seekers came to Finland in 2015. The then government of Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party was a
Read on »PS MP Sebastian Tynkkynen gets a third ethnic agitation conviction
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party MP Sebastian Tynkkynen was convicted for a third time of ethnic agitation, according to Yle News. The two previous convictions were handed down in 2016 and 2017. The Oulu District Court handed Tynkkynen, who is the PS’ third vice president, 70 day fines amounting to 4,400 euros. The PS
Read on »KOTOUTUMINEN #16: Schools should encourage pupils to be proud of their roots
One of the biggest challenges and shortfalls of Finland’s integration law is that it is one-sided: Here is a list of things you must do to adapt to our society. This aim is very general, and if you start to study it closer, you will find no answers. While language is essential, and Finland places
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #81: Racializing crime, perpetuating stereotypes and racism
Treat with tweezers whenever percentage figures are used to depict sexual assault cases by migrants. A government-commissioned study published Thursday concluded that migrants are over-represented in suspected sexual assault crimes, perpetuating a toxic narrative. Such generalizations give ammunition to Islamophobes like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party to maintain and reinforce racist stereotypes. To look at how the Finnish
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #80: Violence against you counts but mine doesn’t
Radical-right Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party MP, Sebastian Tynkkynen, who has two ethnic agitation convictions and a third pending, is trying to get the most political mileage from an incident at an #elokapina demonstration. Some unknown persons at the demonstration allegedly attempted to attack Tynkkynen and shoved him. The police asked if the MP wanted to
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Modes of travel
It is the same feeling of anticipation you have at an airport, where you are in the land of nowhere with a sense of being somewhere else. You are wrong if you if you believe that there is only one way of traveling. As a migrant who has travelled all of his life, I have
Read on »Finnish lawmaker has three ethnic agitation convictions to his name
The Oulu district court found Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Sebastian Tynkkynen guilty of ethnic agitation for his Facebook postings in 2017, according to Yle. While no Finnish media mentioned it, the third conviction for ethnic agitation is a record for a Finnish lawmaker. Hiding behind Islamophobic arguments and that the sentence violated his free speech rights, Tynkkynen said
Read on »Subcontracting social ills to higher pay
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED According to Helsingin Sanomat, Deputy Mayor for Education of Helsinki, Nasima Razmyar, believes that the best way to deal with inequality at Helsinki schools is by paying teachers a bigger salary. Ramyar has a good idea, but it does not even begin to deal with why there is so much inequality
Read on »Dismantle institutional racism and myths if you want people to adapt to Finland
The ongoing discussion in Finland about our ever-growing cultural and ethnic diversity is grounded on two misleading assertions that hide the core problem: language is the magic bullet to become a part of society, and white Finnish society is innocent – if you don’t adapt it’s because of you. Heikki Turkka of Children of the
Read on »The magic word for Finland’s future success rests on change and inclusion
Finland is in a bind, and we have heard these for a long time: Finland’s population is aging, and there is an ever-growing need for foreign labor. Our answer to these challenges is not only disappointing but leaving our future to chance. Why is there such a negative and suspicious attitude towards foreigners in Finland?
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Where happiness lives
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. William Blake (1757-1827) Leo Honka Of all the seasons that pass over Finland, possibly fall is the most magical. But what makes it stand out from the others? Is it the pitch-darkness? Is it the vast universe above and its
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Finland’s hardline and bureaucratic immigration policy is deadly for democracy
“Finland’s hardline and bureaucratic immigration policy based in great part on suspicion and fear of outsiders is partly to blame for the rise of a populist and hostile anti-immigration party in the last decade and even for high migrant unemployment. A systematic policy of exclusion suggests that our plans to bring foreign labor will fail. A
Read on »The Finnish media’s reporting about migrants and minorities is a disappointment
It is surprising, even worrying, that outsiders are the ones that help burst the media’s many bubbles. One such OP-ED published Wednesday in Helsingin Sanomat by Antti Kivijärvi, and Martta Myllyä sheds light on the blind spot created by exceptionalism and ethnocentrism. Should it be a surprise that this state of affairs happens whenever migrants
Read on »PS’ Riikka Purra feeds Afghans to the dogs
The new chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, Riikka Purra, will soon be calling out the knives. In her latest tweet, she reveals her radical cruelty against the vulnerable. In the Tweet below, she feeds the Afghans to the dogs and shows the worst of Finland. No experts, human rights activists, defenders of the
Read on »Finland’s issues with Nazi flags and a too often biased and insensitive media of minorities
Migrant Tales published on Tuesday comments by Yaron Nadbornik, the president of the 1,100-strong Jewish Community of Helsinki, concerning the Helsinki district court’s ruling that carrying Nazi Germany flags in public was not ethnic agitation. If there is one group of people who have a lot to say about Nazi flags and the Holocaust, they
Read on »Riikka Purra and her PS cronies want to make discrimination and racism legal
We all know about Perussuomalaiset (PS)* new chairperson Riikka Purra’s radical views on cultural diversity and migration in general. Yes, she’s the one warning about how Muslims are taking over Europe and how brown and black Finns will replace white Finns. Her latest Tweet below suggests that white Finns should be the only beneficiaries of
Read on »Finland’s Perussuomalaiset party says that the use of the Nazi flag in public should not be criminalized
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Only the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and Ano Turtiainen’s one-man party expressed opposition to criminalizing the use of the Nazi flag in public. The story by Yle was published a day after the Helsinki District Court dismissed ethnic agitation charges agitation against five men of carrying a swastika flag in public on Independence Day 2018. PS parliamentary group
Read on »Insulting migrants is called “discussion” and a privilege of white Finns
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Remember when Center Party parliamentary group leader Juha Pylväs slammed asylum seekers as “parasites” that wanted to live off social welfare? Pretty sickening and lowly on his part. I hope that Pylväs get charged with ethnic agitation. But what is worse? The silence and support for what he said and the
Read on »Hesburger employee debacle: Wake up Finland!
One of the big questions that the Hesburger employee debacle proves is that Finnish unions, the police, and state regulators don’t take the law seriously enough. Migrant Tales has cited numerous cases where employers exploited foreigners. It’s clear that if their employers exploit some migrants, it happens as well to white Finns. A group of former and present Hesburger
Read on »Center Party MP Juha Pylväs just pulled the oldest racist trick by politicians
Center Party parliamentary group leader Juha Pylväs got his brief moment in the media by insulting migrants and minorities. Today, however, he showed us one of the oldest political tricks in the books: say something outrageous, usually racists, and then apologize. He regretted calling some asylum seekers “welfare surfers” or shoppers. He said his statement
Read on »Center Party’s Pylväs cannot resist and swallows the “sweet” pill of racism
Center Party parliamentary group leader Juha Pylväs went on the rampage Wednesday: “We certainly need in Finland skilled foreigners who can live off their work,” he was quoted as saying in Helsingin Sanomat. “We don’t need surfers and parasites that seek a better standard of living.” While we could consider Pylväs’ statement in foul taste, Center
Read on »Riikka Purra’s call to struggle against her ilk
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
Read on »PS’ Mika Niikko: Muslims should be prohibited from having a family
Perussuomalaiset MP and chair of the foreign affairs committee, Mika Niikko, said in Helsingin Sanomat that he’d only want to give asylum to Afghan women and girls. Niikko’s and the PS’ xenophobic views of asylum seekers are exposed. “I am not heartless to not help women and children who seek to come and seek shelter from a
Read on »Riikka Purra is the new leader of xenophobic copycats and plagiarizers
The newly elected chairperson of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, Riikka Purra, did not waste any time attacking migrants. Apart from tightening naturalization laws and family reunification, she stated that the PS will not become a member of a new government that doesn’t “significantly” tighten immigration laws. The timing of her hostile and anti-social statements could not have been worse.
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Riikka Purra, where is your heart?
THIS POEM WAS UPDATED Where is your heart, Riikka Purra? Did you throw it away in a trash can? Or did you hungrily devour it after you saw your first refugee The bricks that line your political path will turn red hot and melt your shoe soles; even if you can only be tall for
Read on »The new PS board is a tinderbox and a liability to their political goals
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED While some reporters are hoping for the downfall of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government, they are also rooting for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, whom they see as a shoo-in to lead or be a member of Finland’s next government after the 2023 parliamentary elections. If you look at the reporting of the
Read on »Riikka Purra and the PS: Grow up! Stop bullying migrants and minorities!
Statements about tightening immigration policy by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* elected chairperson, Riikka Purra, exposes her cowardice and the complacency of the Finnish media. The cowardice comes from bullying people who are powerless to challenge her hostility. The complacency of the Finnish media comes from seeing no wrong in Purra’s and the PS’ hatred of migrants
Read on »Whoever is elected as the chair of the PS will perpetuate Finland’s lie
The annual of the xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in Seinäjoki will elect Saturday the party’s next chairperson after Jussi Halla-aho announced in June that he would not seek a new term. While it is a foregone conclusion that the PS’ first vice president Riikka Purra will be the party’s new chairperson, it is also clear that
Read on »A-Studio: Riikka Purra wants to tighten Finnish citizenship law, do away with pull factors
Riikka Purra, the favorite to win the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* leadership at the party’s annual meeting over the weekend, said Wednesday at Yle’s A-Studio was one of the many steps she took wants to tighten citizenship laws. This summer, the first vice president of the PS said that the party would not join any government that would not tighten “significantly” immigration
Read on »How Finland’s biggest daily Helsingin Sanomat loses its teeth and watchdog role
For the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, Helsingin Sanomat gives the country’s largest opposition party the kid-glove treatment. Are fear, agreement, or hopeful naivety the driving forces behind Helsingin Sanomat’s recent articles about the PS? Over the weekend, the daily published in its Kuukausiliite a big story about PS MEP Laura Huhtasaari, who is trying to make a
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #79: Spreading lies at our economic peril
What if most of the anti-immigration talking points spread by politicians like Jussi Halla-aho, Riikka Purra, and most of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party are just outright lies and urban legends? What if those false arguments put Finland in economic and social peril because they are untrue? An interesting paper titled, The 14 Most Common Arguments against
Read on »Federation of Real Estate Agency: “Moreover, the guide to good rental practices addresses discrimination”
Remember the real estate agent from Espoo who asked for a client’s personal information by disregarding the non-discrimination act? The person in question was a candidate for the Perussuomalaiset* party in the June municipal election. He did not get elected. Below, it one message that the real estate agent sent Husein Hamiid, who has lived
Read on »A warning to Tamk international students: If you cheat, “you better go and study in another country”
Some Finns have not received high scores for their subtleness but can be sometimes outright offensive. Taru Owston, a councellor at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamk), gave a stern warning to international students at her talk. It’s not rocket science to understand that cheating is unacceptable in all countries and cultures. It also happens
Read on »Let’s take our identity back from the likes of Kauma, Kokoomus and the Perussuomalaiset*
It isn’t surprising that the National Coalition Party’s (Kokoomus) proposal to tighten social security guidelines between migrants and “white Finns” (kantasuomalaiset) has caused confusion. The answer is simple and hinges on the fact that ethnicity and race are social constructs. The mix-up over the use of the term kantasuomalainen has not only caught Kokoomus by
Read on »A Finnish real estate agent wants a picture of the client’s family and information on his religious background
What would you do if a real estate agent asked you the following questions and demand: How old are you? What kind of family and relatives do you have? Send me a picture of your family! What is your religious background? What year did you come to Finland? That real estate agent, who was a
Read on »Sucking up to the Perussuomalaiset and exposing your hypocrisy
The latest unconstitutional proposal by National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Pia Kauma and her party is an example of how right-wing parties in Finland bully vulnerable migrants. What makes the whole proposal a publicity stunt and a further sucking up to the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* by Kokoomus, is MP Kauma. While the political reasons are clear
Read on »The blood that the PS forced to boil has turned into acid eating away its support
I am certain that I am not the only one whose blood boils every time a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politician makes a racist statement about migration, cultural diversity, minorities, and the EU. In light of the June municipal election, the PS’ result was a disappointment for the party even if they improved their result by 5.6
Read on »Kokoomus gives nod to Perussuomalaiset’s plan to tighten immigration policy
The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Pia Kauma wants to tighten immigration law. It is strange that when most Finns are on holiday in the middle of the summer, Kauma intends to propose such changes. Her party’s proposal should be seen as a green light to the Perussuomalaiset’s plan to tighten immigration policy if they
Read on »Russian asylum-seeker family’s securty compromised by asylum reception center
A Russian family under serious threat of human rights violations plans to complain to the chancellor of justice against the Imatra asylum reception center, which alleges had endangered the Russian asylum seekers’ security. The family lived in Finland during 2017-2020. They are Ludmila*, her elderly mother, husband, and three other family members, including four cats. A
Read on »PS MP Ville Tavio believes in fairy tales like the great replacement “theory” and takes aim at pre-school children
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group leader Ville Tavio shows once again the party’s toxic far-right colors. This is the same politician who wants the PS to follow Marine Le Pen’s line and expresses love for Hungary and Poland’s governments. Even warnings by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) about the so-called great replacement “theory” is
Read on »Education without empathy and moral compass can turn you into a monster
The process to turn Finland’s far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party wants to become “a normal mainstream” party continues. You see, they claim, we’re “normal” because we have physicists and party members, like Riikka Purra, working on their PhDs. Sakari Puisto, who is also vying to be elected chairperson of the PS and Purra, has a Ph.D.
Read on »Tens of far-right vigilantes are marching in Pori – I hope my fascination doesn’t show too much
Wow! Looky here! Tens of far-right vigilantes called the Soldiers of Odin are marching in the western Finnish city of Pori! Quick! Take a picture and publish a story because tens of Soldiers of Odin vigilantes are marching in Pori. The media has a lot of power, but it does not go the extra mile
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: The PS is the party of the nativist racists sprinkled with anti-EU soundbites
“No matter what the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party does, no matter who it elects as its next chairperson, the shadow of racism will follow it. Even if people like Timo Soini said that the party’s anti-immigration wing was only a minor factor in the 2011 parliamentary election, nothing could be further from the truth. Like
Read on »The Finnish Perussuomalaiset who declared their love to Donald Trump and other autocrats
In English, we have an expression, a horse’s ass. A horse’s ass is a person who is stupid and looks like a horse’s ass after their statement. Sometimes, a comment that makes you look like a horse’s ass may appear to be months later. The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is Finland’s party that adores former President Donald Trump.
Read on »Thank you Perussuomalaiset for giving us Ano Turtiainen
Without Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party backing, Finland would have never had to read about MP Ano Turtiainen. From spreading racism, Turtiainen is now a staunch anti-vaxxer who believes that the Coronavirus pandemic is a hoax. From “Pink Floyd” to his accusations to fellow MPs of traitor and committing genocide against the Finns, Turtiainen has come full
Read on »A quote for Riikka Purra – “If you can only be tall because someone is on their knees, then you have a serious problem”
Who is Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party heir-apparent Riikka Purra’s mentor? Is it far-right leader Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally or UK home secretary hardliner Priti Patel? Purra got her anti-immigration inspiration from Jussi Halla-aho’s racist blog postings. “If it’s up to me, the Perussuomalaiset will never form part of a government that won’t tighten significantly Finnish
Read on »Many good studies show racism in Finland, too few give us any solutions on how to tackle the problem
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin (1924-87) In Finland, we read a lot of studies about racism and discrimination. One recent article by Raster gives a comprehensive view of the issues fueling migrant discrimination and unemployment. Who can forget researcher Akhlaq Ahmad’s study in 2019 showed
Read on »500,000+ “DISPOSABLE” LIVES: A performance and installation by Danilo Canguçu and volunteers
Does Finland need critical race theory?
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Aminkeng A. Alemanji, a Cameroonian researcher who defended successfully in October 2016 his doctoral dissertation on anti-racism education, is the closest you will get to critical race theory in Finland. Even if some link critical race theory to movements like BLM, it has been around for about 40 years. Critical race theory, like
Read on »“The world’s happiest country” and its ever-growing moral conflict
Gunnar Myrdal (1898-1987) published his groundbreaking study on the United States’ racism problem in 1944. While Myrdal was a controversial figure and Sweden was into measuring the skulls of the Saami due to a pseudoscience called eugenics, his study leaves us with food for thought. One of these is denial of a serious social problem
Read on »“The world’s happiest country” faces a labor and talent crunch
How is it possible that the world’s happiest country is suffering from a severe labor crunch? Here are some facts: the number of over-65-year-olds per 100 working-age people will rise from 39.2% to 47.3% in 2030; to plug its pensions deficit, Finland needs to double the level of migrants to 20,000-30,000 annually. In Europe’s most
Read on »Finnish parliament improves asylum rights, but there is still a long way to go
Parliament voted Wednesday to lift some of the restrictions it imposed in 2016 during the government of Juha Sipilä, which, among other matters, lowered the deadline for appeals and legal assistance to asylum seekers., according to the Refugee Advice Council. One of these includes the deadlines for appeals originally reduced to 21 days from 30
Read on »Riikka Purra is a poor copy of Jussi Halla-aho
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Jussi Halla-aho’s heir-apparent appears to be the party’s first vice-president, Riikka Purra. While Halla-aho has swung the party to the far-right and encouraging xenophobia, Purra has parroted the PS leader’s racist soundbites but with questionable results. Like Halla-aho, Purra loathes Muslims and people of color. So much so, in fact, that she warned
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho announces he will step down as PS chair in August
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Chairperson Jussi Halla-aho announced Monday that he will not seek reelection as the party’s head at the annual meeting in August, according to Yle News. While some party members expressed sadness about the news, Halla-aho will not be missed by many. No reason was given for his departure. There is, however, some speculation
Read on »Forcing an elderly Russian asylum seeker in Finland to the hospital
Some Russian asylum seekers expressed outrage of the ill-treatment of a single, 64-year-old woman from the Ukraine who was carried away by force from the Eastern Finnish Imatra asylum reception center. “This is not the way to great a human,” said a Russian asylum seeker who got in touch with Migrant Tales. “We are not
Read on »The media must fact-check what xenophobic politicians spread and claim
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED It is a good sign that some Finnish media like Yle are fact-checking what politicians say. However, it is a bit too late because the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* have built their popularity on making false claims about migrants. I’m pretty certain that if we were to do a fact-check on all the
Read on »Wael Cheblak aims to be a strong voice for Helsinki immigrants
Migrant Tales insight: Wael Cheblak, who is running for Helsinki city council, is an old and esteemed activist of Migrant Tales. While we do not endorse candidates in general, we sometimes make exceptions like in the case of Cheblak. If you vote for 1108 you vote for Wael Cheblak. Integration of vulnerable groups and ethnic
Read on »My long journey to Finnish citizenship: Issues and the Supo interview
Ever wondered the source of the strong undercurrent of xenophobia in present-day Finland? The answer is in its history. During independence, Finland has been quite an unfriendly country towards foreigners. The Restricting Act of 1939 speaks volumes. Did you know that Finland passed its first immigration act in 1983 or about 66 years after gaining
Read on »My long journey to Finnish citizenship
Like many children of Finnish parents, I, too, spent summers in the countryside with my grandparents. During all of these years, I thought, incorrectly, that I was a Finnish citizen or had a right to citizenship. I was wrong. Until 1984, children of Finnish men had the right to pass on citizenship to their children.
Read on »Back to square one: To hijab or not to hijab?
Twenty-year-old Fardowsa Mahamoud’s questioning why the hijab, or veil, is not permitted in the Finnish military brought a sense of déjà-vu. About six years ago, Busman Gill Sukhdarshan Singh won after a year-long legal battle to wear a turban at work. In Finland, Sikh bus drivers won the right to use turbans at work, while in
Read on »Al-Hol reveals Finland’s cowardice and paranoia
By Dana Finland is a cowardly and paranoic country that does not believe in humanity. But I respect humanity because GOD is the great Creator of man, and all of God’s creatures are important and valuable to me. Man is a creature of God. I am a disciple of truth, and the truth is my
Read on »Dana’s Alppikulma diary: 10 homeless people and others
MAY 19: Yesterday, in front of the Alppikulma gate, more than 10 homeless people were waiting at 5 o’clock to enter the building. A foreigner from an African country who shaves his head is under so much pressure that he does strange things. But I will only describe his work yesterday. He has to carry
Read on »PM Sanna Marin hits back at the PS’ perverted picture of migrants
Prime Minister Sanna Marin fired back at a session of parliament Thursday at the far-right Perussuomaliset (PS)* party. Making Finland an open and safe country is crucial if it wants to attract newcomers to the country. “Madam Speaker. Violence on streets, violence at homes, violence at schools are all severe matters, severe matters of which
Read on »Dana’s Alppikulma diary (May 18 and 19)
Migrant Tales comment: Our longtime editor, Dana, has promised to update a diary of her life in Alppikulma, a shelter for the homeless. We publish this for others to know what a special woman Dana is but to get an insight into the lives of the homeless. Today, 18. May. 2021 was a rainy day,
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset are dismantling our Nordic welfare state for iliberal democracy (Part II)
Kristian Sheikki Laakso, or Sheikki Laakso, is a Finnish MP for the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party who is, as with his 38 PS MP colleagues, is filibustering the EU rescue package. One of the most “interesting” speeches before parliament was by Laakso, who read excerpts of Little Red Riding Hood. Laakso begins his speech: “Once
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset are dismantling our Nordic welfare state for iliberal democracy
What would you say about a party that openly supports former US President Donald Trump, “loves” Poland and Hungary, supports far-right French politician Marine Le Pen among other iliberal and populist malarkey? What about if I told you that that party has one aim: destroy Finland’s Nordic welfare state and democracy? The filibustering we are
Read on »The suspects of one of Finland’s worst hate crimes in 2020 may face charges in early June
Remember the young Muslim who was violently attacked by a gang of white Finns in June in the Western Finnish town of Teuva? According to Fares Al-Obaidi, the police plan to conclude their investigations into the crime in early June. What happened to Al-Obaidi last year changed his life. He moved away to Espoo to
Read on »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
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset now call migrants “cheap labor”
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party’s hatred for migrants goes through the same path but the accusations and labeling vary. About ten years ago migrants were rapists, after 2015 when a record number of asylum seekers came to Finland, they were “social welfare surfers.” Today, the PS calls migrants “dumb” who want to work for lower wages.
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: God, my commander
By Dana Alone, solo and it is hard to fight, O GODYes, in the depths of darkness and dancing is pain O GOD GOD Tearing under the clutches of enemies and slaveryIt is hard to roll in blood and be silent and shut up, O GOD GOD suffocates the songs of the heart and smiles?Yes,
Read on »Is there a difference between former and present Perussuomalaiset members?
Some of the persons promoting racism, violence, and Hungarian-Orbán-style rule in Finland are former and present Perussuomalaiset (PS)* members. The only difference between these two types of PS supporters is their incitement of violence and racism. James Hirvisaari, who was sacked from the party after he took a picture of a friend giving a Nazi
Read on »The hypocrisy of the Perussuomalaiset revealed in Eastern Finland: racism, white nationalism, ties to the far-right
In my hometown of Mikkeli, the local Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chapter acted against a municipal election candidate that was too offensive even for their taste. It was the usual hateful nonsense against Muslims, visible migrants, and women. The PS sacked the candidate, Jorma T. Hartikainen, for being too racist only after the local daily, Länsi-Savo, exposed
Read on »The police should stop being a gatekeeper of Finnish identity by stigmatizing whole ethnic groups
A stabbing that took place on Monday in Helsinki, causing the death of a 24-year-old victim, revealed the police’s power in labeling whole ethnic groups (usually in a negative light) and its gatekeeping role. Even if the stabbing suspect was arrested, the police statement mentioned that “about ten [suspects] mainly people of foreign background” took
Read on »Immigrants – muted numb objects of the Finnish media narrative
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” ― George R.R. Martin Finland enjoys an image of grandiosity on the shiny outside. The happiest country in the world, a young and progressive female government, low daily Corona
Read on »Anonymous: Do not be silent!
When you are silent, everyone does whatever they want, and you have encouraged them with your silence. Do not be silent, if someone is oppressed in your presence and you are silent, you have helped the oppressor, you have supported him with your silence. Do not be silent, speak, you distinguish good from bad, you
Read on »Is Helsingin Sanomat disingenuous when it calls basketball star Awak Kuier a Finn?
Some Finns will go an exceptionally long way to protect their white nationality and exceptionalism. They even voted in 2011 39 MPs from 5 MPs previously for a party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, to ensure that Finland remains white. Everyone knows that such an aim by the PS, to keep Finland white, is a political pipedream.
Read on »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 (editor@migranttales.net). __________________
Read on »Russian asylum seekers leave Finland and then are eager to return
THE STORY WAS UPDATED For many Russian nationals of diverse backgrounds seeking asylum, the EU can be a house of mirrors, a labyrinth that leads you to dead ends. It isn’t easy to peer too deep into the future since ordinary days appear like years under these circumstances. One such case is of Russian asylum seeker Ludmila’s family that
Read on »STATEMENT: The great replacement theory and playing with fire
It was only in March when the Finnish Security Service (Supo) 2020 annual report warned that the great replacement theory is nothing more than a conspiracy theory used by far-right terrorist groups. Should we be surprised that Finns Party (PS) politicians like its leader Jussi Halla-aho, vice president Riikka Purra, and party secretary Simo Grönroos have spread
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset: Take back Finland and hurrah for Viktor Orbán’s Hungary
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Mari Rantanen, a nurse, and policewoman, is known for her Islamophobic and white nationalist views. In the tweet below, she states that let’s take Finland back in the municipal elections of June 13. Apart from the deception that in city councils we are going to exercise power like in parliament (sic), Rantanen,
Read on »Turtianen is a threat to the PS and an example of everything that’s wrong with the far-right Islamophobic party
THE POST WAS UPDATED Former Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Ano Turtiainen has become a real thorn in the side of the far-right Islamophobic party. Apart from his racist postings of George Floyd, encouraging violence against asylum reception centers, assaulting a fourteen-year-old, wishing that asylum seekers would drown at sea, inciting civil war, anti-vaxxer buffoonery, and other
Read on »Covid-19 is the oxygen that the PS breathes to grow in Finland
How much is the Covid-19 pandemic impacting in a positive manner the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? This is not a trivial question considering that the party, which has built its voter base and message on racism, leads in the polls. What future does the PS have when the Covid-19 pandemic subsides? Will it be a
Read on »A low-income employee from Iraq faces bullying daily; being a victim of Migri
Some foreigners, especially those who came to Finland seeking asylum in 2015 and got a work permit to stay, face a dire situation: either put up with the work or leave Finland. One such case is Majid*, a 24-year-old Iraqi national living in Rovaniemi for the past three years. Apart from the near-constant bullying and
Read on »Is Jussi Halla-aho’s deep voice fake?
Elizabeth Holmes built a 9-billion-dollar company called Theranos from scratch that promised to test blood with a single drop. One of the many deceptions she used to trick investors was her deep voice. As a woman, it gave her more authority. Those who have watched Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho for a few years will
Read on »Finland’s PM Sanna Marin is the target of fierce misogynistic attack by online users
A story published Wednesday in Politico exposed the misogyny against Finland’s woman prime minister, Sanna Marin, and the women members of her cabinet. Considering that Finland’s biggest opposition party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* which is also leading in opinion polls, hate speech has raised its head for many years. Hate speech and the PS are like
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho is a racist, and so is the far-right party he leads
Uusi Suomi, an online publication that played a key role before the 2011 parliamentary elections in giving the racist rhetoric of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party a platform, published today an interview with a cultural researcher, Tuija Saresma, who concluded that Jussi Halla-aho and the PS are racist. While these types of statements are a foregone
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #78: the spread and acceptance of white nationalism
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Events after the storming of the Capitol building in Washington on January 6 exposed white nationalist terrorism as the biggest threat facing the United States. Since the events that took place at the Capitol did not happen spontaneously, are we going to see something similar in Finland’s ever-hostile far-right groups like
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 »Bring in the labor immigrants and climbing out of the xenophobic pit
Center Party chairperson and minister for culture, Annika Saarikko, is the type of leadership Finland needs today unless it wants to climb out of its deep xenophobic pit spearheaded by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. Considering that her party is being targeted by the PS, which bases its support on spreading suspicion and anti-immigration sentiment, Saarikko’s
Read on »The Finnish police’s racism problem and ties with far-right groups like Kansallismielisten liittouma
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Yle revealed in a story today that the far-right Kansallismielisten liittouma has distributed Green League Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo’s and Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen’s home address for harassment purposes. Moreover, Kansallismielisten liittouma chairperson, Tero Ala-Tuuhonen, has been in touch with “a Helsinki police sergeant” who has advised the far-right
Read on »A Migrant Tales style guide to writing about migration: avoid words that hide our racism and denial
After over twenty years in journalism and writing for some of the world’s most prestigious publications and having worked as a foreign correspondent in countries like Finland, Italy, Colombia, and others, I have learned a thing or two about journalistic style and correctness. On top of my journalistic experience, I am a sociologist who has
Read on »What threatens Finland’s Nordic welfare state? Follow the racism, stupid.
There is a sense of déjà vu as the municipal elections in Finland near on April 18. Once again, the media is not questioning or challenging the toxic message of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, but showing its usual tacit approval. The most notable examples of this type of approval demonstrated by the media are silence
Read on »Slow due justice – if any – plaguing racialized communities of Finland
Hate speech, hate crime, and racism appear to rank low on police’s priority list. Many people who have turned to the police to report such a crime are usually surprised by the following fact: slow response and reaction; your case may never see the light of a day in court. A shameful case is that
Read on »Populism and lack of leadership under Petteri Orpo fuel Kokoomus’ tailspin
The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) received a political bomb that exposed the party’s internal strife between its liberal and populist-conservative wing. Kokoomus’ candidate for Helsinki mayor, Kirsi Piha, and Helsinki city councilor Hanna Gullichsen, both party’s liberal wing, announced they would step aside. Piha stated in a blog posting her decision to pull out from
Read on »Former PS MP Ano Turtiainen gets sacked from the party
It took a while, but, in the end, it came: MP Ano Turtiainen got sacked Friday from the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party after being expelled in June from the PS parliamentary group. The interesting question that the PS board’s decision offers is what it means for the party and Turtiainen’s political future. An incident between PS
Read on »The far right and their rabid show dog in Finland that knows no master
If there is one matter that will bring down the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it is their racist and nationalistic ideology. We already saw this on 22/7 with Anders Breivik and now with political violence against Pekka Kataja of the same party. On July 17, Kataja was paid a visit by three men who attacked
Read on »Kokoomus’ and Finland’s downward spiral
The last opinion poll published by Helsingin Sanomat doesn’t show us any big surprises. A few percentage-point fractions up or down and, end of story. If, however, we take a longer view, the situation of the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) raises some questions. Just like Jutta Urpilainen and the Social Democrats learned before the 2011
Read on »KOTOUTUMINEN #14: Disseminate and vanish
Remember back in the 1990s when Finland brought Vietnamese refugees and dispersed them like pepper throughout Finland? It appeared back then that the main goal of the migration authorities was to disseminate newcomers and make them vanish. One matter that this type of coercive assimilation aimed at doing was to ensure that these Vietnamese boat
Read on »Who is Finland’s Marjorie Taylor Greene?
TOPLINE Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the far-right conspiracy monger who was voted out of her two committee assignments this week. In the age of misinformation, peddling conspiracy theories and racism are rewarded handsomely. Voters are gullible and conspiracy lies are quickly consumed with the help of the eyes and ears. KEY FACT AND
Read on »Don’t give racist charlatans a megaphone
Which Finnish politicians are the country’s biggest charlatans? We all know them by name. Finland’s media has learned to pushback more than before and not give a megaphone to political con artists. It is called media responsibility. Who are these charlatans? They are the ones who always pick on the disadvantaged threatening them with a
Read on »The PS will not succeed at turning Finland into a Hungary or Trumpland
TOPLINE The greatest deterrent in foiling the attempts of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party’s political aims is our fervent opposition to such plans. SOLUTIONS What does the latter imply? It means: voting, getting active in politics, writing, talking, debating, reciting poetry, demonstrating, going on hunger strike, getting constantly informed, busting fake news – living as if
Read on »PS MP Riikka Purra is an opportunist full of white supremacist ideology
MP Riikka Purra is an ethnonationalist with a strong white supremacist ideology of the Perussuoalaiset (PS) party. She is also first vice president of the PS. One of Purra’s biggest message is how Finland is becoming culturally and ethnically diverse. According to her, this is a threat to the power and privileges that white Finns
Read on »27-year-old Iraqi: “An asylum seeker is an animal and becomes a human being in Finland until he gets a residence permit”
TOPLINE In November, an Iraqi asylum seeker called Ziad* from Jämsänkoski heard the court sentence a man who had threatened him the previous year with a knife and called him a vitun pakolainen (f**king asylum seeker) and vitun ulkomaalainen (f**king foreigner). KEY FACT The verdict? A one-month jail sentence and a 700-euro fine paid to the victim. KEY
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #77: The PS are Finnish white supremacists
TOPLINE One of the interesting facts about white nationalism is that it is copied from somewhere else. Thus, white supremacist conspiracy views in Finland are nothing more than copy-and-paste jobs from somewhere else. Some may play down the PS as a “light” version of white supremacy. We disagree. The PS under the leadership of Jussi
Read on »Halla-aho, Purra, Tavio, Niikko and all of you PS politicians: Trump’s stench will linger
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED TOPLINE It is quite extraordinary that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* continues to play down and deflect criticism for their admiration and support for outgoing US President Donald Trump whose most recent crimes included actively inciting a mob to violently assault the legislative branch of government to overturn the election he lost by
Read on »Dr. Gareth Rice: The Finnish happiness myth
When asked about racism towards foreigners in Finland, Finns answer in a culturally approved script: “We Finns are not racist”; “If there is racism in Finland it is not as bad as it is in other countries” and; “Racism is the fault of the foreigners who move to Finland with unrealistic expectations.” Such dismissals require willful ethnic blindness to racism,
Read on »Why radical-right populism will fail in Finland
TOPLINE After the historic election of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party in 2011, when it won 39 seats in parliament from 5 previously, two international events have kept in check the PS’ rise: the bloody 22/7 events that left seventy-seven dead in Norway, and Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol building in Washington. After the historical rise
Read on »A warning to Finland from Washington
TOPLINE One of the big questions to arise from the Capitol storming on Wednesday by hordes of President Donald Trump followers is if the same could happen in Finland and other European capitals. The dust from the Capitol building’s storming by Trump hordes is still settling on a political landscape that appears threatening. Whatever your
Read on »Migrant Tales (24.12.2020): Ask the Perussuomalaiset if they still “love” US President Donald Trump
THE STORY WAS UPDATED TOPLINE Considering the Trump-fueled terrorism in Washington Wednesday, I ask once again the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party the following question: Do you still “love” President Donald Trump? KEY BACKGROUND With the Trump presidency making its rambunctious exit after four years of chaos and moral decay, our attention should shift to Finland. Do
Read on »PS’ Jyrki Åland wishes Corona to kill migrants in Varisuo, Turku
TOPLINE Jyrki Åland, the chairperson of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chapter of Turku, was quoted as saying that it would be a positive matter if Covid-19 deaths would “would do a lot of good” to Varisuo, a neighborhood of Turku where 48% of its inhabitants don’t speak Finnish or Swedish as their mother tongue. The statement
Read on »Migrant Tales 7 years ago…Osaatko suomea? Can you speak Finnish?
by Migrant Tales, under Muhamed Abdimajed Murshid This cartoon by Muhamed Abdimajed Murshid was published seven years ago (18.5.2013) in Otavan Sanomat, a magazine project by the students of Otava Folk High School. The cartoon shows what a lot of migrants face when studying and learning to speak Finnish. Picture one: Studying Finnish in the beginning. Picture
Read on »Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen: Put another fascist feather in my PS cap
Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen is the latest example of the bedfellows of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. The councilperson from Seinäjoki, where she works as a police officer, offers an odd New Year’s greeting, all with a fascist Lapua Movement, Lapua like, (1928-1932) pullover, an ax, and a chain. A publicity stunt of a media-hungry person craving for
Read on »Hall of Shame: Finland’s 2020 Islamophobic and Afrophobic network
Choosing the key figures in the Islamophobic and Afrophobic Hall of Shame wasn’t difficult even during a year ravaged by Covid-19. The task was to choose the most obvious culprits and other ones in the media that fuel and maintain such a toxic environment. In putting together this year’s Hall of Shame, I was quickly
Read on »Finland’s Hall of Shame of its Islamophobic and Afrophobic network will be published on December 30
Migrant Tales will publish on Wednesday, December 30, people, politicians, the media, and political parties that spread Islamophobia and Afrophobia during 2020. If you would like to participate in the making of this list, please send your suggestions to editor@migranttales.net. We believe that social ills like Islamophobia, Afrophobia, and all forms of racism should be
Read on »The PS appears desperate as their source for alternative news dims with the end of US President Trump’s administration
The Perussuoalaiset (PS)* party’s tactics are in a desperate mode as the days in office of their US political mentor, President Donald Trump, ends on January 20. PS MEP Laura Huhtasaari, a staunch Trump supporter who nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, is one of Finland’s most representative white supremacist politicians. Her aide, Olli
Read on »Mayday, Mayday! Two women and six children entering Finland
Following on and off news about the repatriation of Finnish citizens from the al-Hol refugee camp raises a lot of questions about our society. The opposition, namely the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and National Coalition Party (NCP), are working overtime to score brownie points with the voters and fearmongering. The commotion is now stirred by the repatriation
Read on »KOTOUTUMINEN #13: There is no good Finnish word for inclusion just like with integration before
For decades, Finland has been such a far-flung country that it still does not have any good word for inclusion, never mind any willingness to promote it to newcomers. The same happened to the word “integration,” which became part of the Finnish language in the late-1990s. Those were the good old days when foreigners and
Read on »Far-right extremists on the move in Finland and Europe
Is there a connection between what happened in July with Pekka Kataja and his attempted murder by the far right and the latest case involving at least one police officer and a group of far-right extremists to carry out a serious crime against the life or health of others? Expo, the Swedish anti-racism NGO, states
Read on »Remember the Muslim youth violently attacked by a group of enraged townspeople of Teuva?
Remember Fares Al-Obaidi, 19, who was chased and violently attacked on Saturday, June 6, by a gang of angry residents of Teuva, a town in Western Finland? Six months have passed since that terrible incident, and no charges have been brought yet against the alleged attackers. “The fact that I know nothing about my case
Read on »Rosa Emilia Clay finally gets recognition when Tampere names a square after her
THIS POST WAS UPDATED Much of Finland’s history is whitewashed. One of its victims was Rosa Emilia Clay (1875-1959), Finland’s first African-born Finn who received Finnish citizenship in 1899. The naming of Rosa Emilia Clay square in Tampere is a watershed: Finland is slowly but surely awakening its rich cultural and ethnic background. Even if
Read on »The way to stand up to racist bullying by politicians is to challenge them head-on
You would think that Finland, which claims to have one of the world’s best education systems, knows how to deal with racism and bullying. If we look at the last decade and the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it appears that Finland has failed miserably in the task. The PS is today the second
Read on »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
Read on »How the media frames non-white Finns. Shameful.
It isn’t difficult to conclude that many of the stories of how the media frames non-white Finns proves over and over again that they are part of Finland’s racism problem. The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) published Thursday its findings of a comprehensive study on native-born Finnish children with one or two foreign-born
Read on »The PS and its obsession with migrants
If you had the opportunity to listen inside the brain of a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politician, you’d probably hear the following word: migrants, maahanmuuttajat, migrants, maahanmuuttajat… The head of the PS parliamentary group, Ville Tavio, regurgetates that obsessive word in countless tweets and statements. Tavio tweets: “Finnish human rights are threatened as a result of massive
Read on »From Belle Selene Xia to Helena Puustinen and Joy Aalto and the Perussuomalaiset mindset
We read about Joy Aalto, a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party member, who gave us 1 + 1 = 2 advice on becoming a Finn. If such a simplistic recipe for integration – learn Finnish and get a job – worked for her, that is fine, although I have my doubts. Before reading on, this post is
Read on »KOTOUTUMINEN #12: Integration is as easy as 1 + 1 = 2. NOT!
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Having taught many students about Finnish society for many years, two matters surprise me about this teaching line: Are the people giving these courses qualified and simple, 1 + 1 = 2, explanations to a complex matter as adaption. If the integration model is overly simplistic, treat it with tweezers because
Read on »Language is key to changing the way we debate cultural diversity. It is a powerful weapon that xenophobes fear.
Language and how people are labeled are some of the reasons why racism and anti-immigration politicians have exerted power on the national debate on our ever-growing cultural diversity. If we did away with these toxic terms, which label people as eternal outsiders, matters would change radically. First and foremost in the debate, we should dispense
Read on »Two PS Youth members convicted of ethnic agitation
Former Perussuomalaiset (PA)* Youth deputy chairperson Toni Jalonen and Johannes Sipola, the former chairperson Johannes Sipola were sentenced by a Pirkanmaa District Court fines for ethnic agitation, according to YLE News. Jalonen, who announced in February that he is “an ethnonationalist, traditionalist, and a fascist,” was slapped with a 50-day fine (300 euros) for ethnic
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #75: Obsession with race, ethnicity, and us versus them
THE STORY WAS UPDATED If we want to give a massive blow to racism in Finland and parties that promote this social ill, we need to change the language we use when speaking of all those that live here. One label that I have always disliked is “person with migrant or foreign background.” What does
Read on »Sensational stories about youth crime by brown Finns: Tom Packalén in 2014, Lari Malmberg in 2020
What does Lari Malmgerg’s column on youth crime remind us of? In 2014, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Tom Packalén wrote a similar story about how brown Finns were terrorizing white Finns in East Helsinki. At the end of the day, Packalén could not prove his claims, and the whole issue was forgotten even if he succeeded at
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat: Brown people are dangerous and a threat to white society
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Katja Kuokkanen, the reporter who wrote a provocative story about youth crime committed by non-white youths with the following headline: “Over one hundred possibly dangerous youths with migrant backgrounds roam about downtown Helsinki – according to experts, this is a new migrant phenomenon.” The headline in Finland’s biggest daily could not
Read on »Sometimes the media, like HS, waters the poisonous flower of xenophobia
The headline of a Helsingin Sanomat article sparked fear on Tuesday: “Over one hundred dangerous youths wander in downtown Helsinki – according to experts, this is a new phenomenon caused by migration.” When the Helsingin Sanomat story was published, it spread fear and with it xenophobia. Is the newspaper article true? In the first place,
Read on »FGC and the PS: Come on! Let’s bash Muslim women and Islam (again)
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED I’m not surprised that Riikka Purra, a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP obsessed with slandering Muslims, gives misleading statements about female genital cutting (FGC), also referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM). The term FGC is in my opinion less judgemental and value-laden than FGM. Without offering advice and assistance to women who
Read on »Kotoutuminen #11: The teacher asks the student why Muslims kill people
A sixteen-year-old Muslim teenager was approached by her teacher and asked her why do Muslims kill people as we saw in France? I am certain that the question must have surprised and shocked the teenager. Why did the teacher ask her such a question about such an outlandish incident? Certainly, irrespective of his or her
Read on »The tragic deaths in France expose the disenfranchisement of Muslims
I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. James Baldwin (1924-87) Ir, there is one matter that the killings in France have reinforced, it is the disenfranchisement of the Muslim community of France. How
Read on »Kokoomus’ Antti Häkkänen vilifies Islam, claims to uphold human rights
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED In a bid to gain voters, the National Coalition Party’s (Kokoomus) MP Antti Häkkänen and possibly the next chairperson of the conservative party spreads his anti-Islamic rhetoric, again. For those who don’t know Häkkänen, he comes from a small town called Mäntyharju in Eastern Finland and has expressed before his extreme
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho is a fake and his party’s disingenuous and misleading claims
Anyone who has followed Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho’s political career will easily conclude that it was done on the fuel of racism and bigotry, and generous chunks of it. Racism had become such a normal matter for the PS that on the same day when Halla-aho claimed on Marja Sannikka’s talk show that he
Read on »No more PS BS and politicking by French President Emmanuel Macron
“Another underlying message also becomes clear in the meantime: ‘Muslims pose a threat to our society and have to be tamed,’ which is reminiscent of the ‘civilizing’ mission of the French colonial conquerors.“ Farid Hafez* THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Any sensible Muslim or person will condemn what happened in France concerning the beheading of a
Read on »Helsinki Times: A rebuttal to Perussuomalaiset* MPs Veikko Vallin and Veijo Meri
Read the original posting here.
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #74: The anti-Semitic beast inside Jussi Halla-aho
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED In a recent debate with Center Party chairperson Annika Saariko, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party head, Jussi Halla-aho, was put on the hot seat after asked about his anti-Semitic blog writings. He denied being an anti-Semite and said that the claim was a popularity stunt by Lauri Nurmi, who recently published an
Read on »The media has power but it prefers driving a moped when confronting racism and the Perussuomalaiset
If there is somebody to blame for Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)* problem, a big part of the blame falls on the media. In that group, you will find politicians and about 17% of Finns who vote for an openly hostile party to Muslims, people of color, and minorities. A good example of the media’s power was
Read on »What happened in France was horrendous, the reaction of Islamophobes is just as bad
It is dreadful what happened in France when a man beheaded a teacher for showing students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Any sensible person, irrespective of his or her background, would condemn what happened. Even so, Islamophobes from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party were already spreading racism and trying to score political points. Having lived in
Read on »Analysis: What does this year’s hate crime report reveal about Finland and its police service?
The Police University College published this week its latest suspected hate crime statistics for 2019. It showed that while hate crimes, on the whole, had retreated a tad compared with 2018, 87.1% of all suspected cases were due to a person’s ethnic or religious background. Other suspected hate crimes were due to sexual orientation (72
Read on »Suspected hate crimes in Finland near flat in 2019 versus 2018. Only the tip of the iceberg.
Suspected hate crimes reported in 2019 totaled 899 cases, which is 1.21% less from 910 cases in the previous year, according to the Police University College of Finland. As in previous years, the lion’s share (72.3%) of suspected hate crimes was due to ethnic or national background, which rose by 2.52% fro 650 from 634
Read on »Alejandro Díaz Ortiz: Odyssey in the Finnish Immigration System
My name is Alejandro Díaz Ortiz, I am a Puerto Rican artist, musician, songwriter, graphic designer, and filmmaker who has lived in Finland for the past 9 years. I have been creating art and composing music here ever since I first arrived. Therefore, many know me for my performances in public spaces, gigs, concerts, and
Read on »If racism costs the US $16 trillion, how much has it cost Finland?
The Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* have been quick to point out how much migrants (all?!) are an economic burden to Finland. A new study by Citigroup claims that ethnic inequality and inequity have cost the US a staggering $16 trillion! While parties like the PS and other ones who follow their racist tune believe that social
Read on »Why is due justice taking so long in the suspected Teuva hate crime case of Finland?
One case in particular that took place in Teuva on June 6 is still under investigation, and there is no indication when those guilty will face charges. The case involves a Muslim insulted and chased by some townspeople forcing his car off the road into a ditch and assaulted. If you speak to the victim,
Read on »The PS of Finland is harmful
“Immigration from Africa and the Middle East is harmful and becomes more harmful as their numbers grow.” The quote by Perussuomalaiset (PS) chairperson Jussi Halla-aho in today’s session of parliament is an example of his disdain and hatred of people of color. The reason why he and his party victimize people in such a racist
Read on »Kotoutuminen #10: Misleading expectations that will keep you (dis)integrated
Many, if not most migrants who have moved to Finland, have heard the following claim: Learn the language, and presto you are integrated. While learning the language of your new homeland helps, it is only one of many things that will help you adapt to society. Erna Bödström’s dissertation, “Welcome to Fantasy Finland,” points out
Read on »Two bullying cases in Finland, two standards by the police and society
Who can forget the 10-year-old girl allegedly bullied and physically attacked in a Northern Espoo school by her classmate(s) for wearing a hijab? When the incident occurred, the police quickly denied that racism was a factor in the bullying. Considering that too often the police months, if not years, to resolve racism cases, in the
Read on »Bedfellows Perussuomalaiset and the far-right: I’m surprised that you are still surprised
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Playing dumb or dead to the threat of far-right groups is a political statement or reveals you are either lazy, naive, or white.. While it is a positive matter that the Finnish media is shedding light on two long-time bedfellows: the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and far-right groups, even so, the question we
Read on »Now you see Riikka Purra, Ville Tavio and Sebastian Tynkkynen, now you don’t
Tero Ala-Tuuhonen is not a nice guy. Indeed, it depends on your perspective. If you sympathize with Nazis and all the far-right BS, then he is your man. Despite his background, there is a long list of Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politicians who like him. Is it the uniform he is wearing in the picture below, or
Read on »PS MP Petri Huru and his ties with a far-right attempted murder suspect
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Petri Huru states in his Twitter account that his goal is to keep Finns safe. He is a chief fireman and a practical nurse. Noble professions but can trust Huru’s judgement? A question: What are you, MP Huru, doing smiling in a picture below with far-right activist Tero Ala-Tuuhonden? Isn’t he the
Read on »Finland is too white to solve its issues with racism. There must be change.
After the bombshell news that one of the suspects arrested Friday who brutally attacked Pekka Kataja of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in July, the new chairperson of the Center Party, Annika Saarikko, said on Ykkösaamu Saturday that she could form a government with the PS. In light of the PS’ links with far-right groups, Saarikko’s response
Read on »Case Pekka Kataja of the PS: I’m surprised that you are surprised
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED It is revealing to read comments from the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party about Friday’s bombshell news: the police detained a former PS politician and a far-right Nazi-spirited activist on suspected attempted murder charges against Pakka Kataja. Starting from PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and
Read on »Pekka Kataja’s attackers are two far-right activists. Have the Finnish authorities awoken to the threat of such groups?
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED In April, I had the opportunity to interview Yaron Nadbornik, the president of the Jewish Community of Helsinki. One of the matters that struck me of the interview was that in 2018-2019 the authorities started to recognize anti-Semitism as a problem. Today the police took into custody two far-right activists charged
Read on »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
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset picks on vulnerable single mothers and migrant men
“Since leaving the White House in 1981, Rosalynn and I have strived to advance human rights in countries around the world. In this quest, we have seen that silence can be as deadly as violence.” Jimmy Carter Some sectors of the media and other people like teachers believe that silence is the best response to
Read on »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
Read on »MP Veikko Vallin and the Islamophobic PS pull another “fast one” on the media
Perussuomalaiset MP Veikko Vallin tweeted an apology for the “mistake” of publishing pictures of children and workers at a nursery school. Even if he is sorry, he stated that his “critical opinion” of women using a chador at nursery schools has not changed. Vallin’s action of taking pictures of children and workers at a nursing
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #73: Stoking and exploiting white suspicion
Few of us will forget the 2011 parliamentary election when an Islamophobic and no-holes-barred racist party saw the number of MPs rise to 39 from 5 in 2007. Even if the result was a wake-up call for Finland, the reaction to the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) as a major political force. Some shrugged off
Read on »Return back to Finland’s “good old days?” No thanks!
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED When some Finns and parties talk about returning to the “good old days,” they are saying that they’d like to return to the days when foreigners had practically no rights and where racism was king. It was also a time of appeasement to the former Soviet Union, media self-censorship, impunity, and
Read on »Dear White People of Finland: What happened in Kannelmäki last April?
Migrant Tales insight: This story was written by a member of the Somali community and edited by Migrant Tales the following week after a young Somali Finn was knifed and killed at the Helsinki Kannelmäki train station. The letter will be published as charges against the suspect will be apparently made public by the police
Read on »Ano Turtiainen, the Finnish MP who mocked George Floyd’s death, gives thumbs up to Greece’s “open sea” policy
If politicians like MP Ano Turtiainan lived under the Nazi regime, it pretty clear what his view of the Holocaust. The disgraced politician, who mocked George Floyd’s death, now offers his “understanding” for Greece’s decision to secretly round up over a 1,000 asylum seekers and abandoning them on the open sea. Turtiainen tweets: “It’s a
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 »Was the stabbing of an eighteen-year-old Somali Finn a hate crime?
Migrant Tales asked in April after the tragic death of an eighteen-year-old Somali Finn in Helsinki on April 26 is treated by the police as a hate crime. What is equally surprising is the total news blackout on social media by the police as if communities affected by what happened don’t have the right to
Read on »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
Read on »The toothless response of the police and society to human trafficking is similar to other social ills like racism
A column by Helsingin Sanomat gave a realistic view of human trafficking and why there it continues unhinged. One problem that the column cites, and which is a problem concerning other racist crimes committed against migrants and minorities, is fear of the police. The column, which exposed some of the shortcomings of protecting victims of
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #72: False police reporting is an example of violence and open hostility
White Finnish privilege is powerful since you can use the police to project the need for defense and protection. In the United States, we saw two viral examples (see below) involving Amy Cooper and Lisa Alexander. For those who don’t remember, Cooper is the “Central Park Karen” for false reporting to the police. She falsely
Read on »Trump and Huhtasaari: White supremacy in the US and Finland
If we look at US President Donald Trump’s makeup and that used by Perussuomalaiset* MEP Laura Huhtasaari, we can conclude that their personas are different shades of white supremacy. We all know about Trump’s white supremacist views and we know about Huhtasaari’s feelings on the matter. Her posts and hashtags (#proudtobeFinn and others) speak for
Read on »Perussuomalaiset: The shameful a**hole party of Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED “What are you without racism? Are you any good? Are you still strong? Still smart? Do you still like yourself?” Toni Morrison (1931-2019) Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Mauri Peltokangas, a far-right politician and member of the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu association, labeled government ministers “a**holes” for not expressing concern about the attack against
Read on »The Norwegian mass murderer, 22/7, and Jussi Halla-aho
Hateful and racist words can turn into bullets. THE STORY WAS UPDATED Two days and nine years had gone by when Norway and Europe witnessed the horrific events of 22/7 that left 77 people dead and many others with physical and psychological injuries for the rest of their lives. One of the matters that we
Read on »The Pekka Kataja account of his attackers’ identity changes again
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The Pekka Kataja story, the Perussuomnalaiset (PS) councilor of Jämsänkoski, is constantly changing. First, he claims that “Arab-looking” men assaulted him. That has now morphed into “possibly” it was the far right or far left. Kataja even claimed that he was attacked due to his opinions of an asylum reception center,
Read on »Islamophobe warning: Look out for the “Arab-looking” and “bearded minor!”
THE STORY WAS UPDATED On Friday, we read about an assault against a Perussuomalaiset (PS) politician in Jämsänkoski. Pekka Kataja, who was rushed to the hospital to treat his head wounds, broken ribs, and a concussion. The PS politician, who has made a name thanks to his anti-Muslim opinions, claims that the men who attacked
Read on »Condemn the attack, but don’t blame “Arab-looking” people
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Pekka Kataja, a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* campaign manager from Jämsänkoski, was brutally attacked Friday at his home by what he called two “Arabian-looking” men. He claims that the attack was political because, as an ardent Islamophobe, he was in favor of shutting down the Jämsä asylum reception center. While all forms of
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat editorial on the police service and media raises questions
According to a new survey on the police service, an editorial in Finland’s largest daily Helsingin Sanomat claims today that trust in the police runs high, even if the survey showed that confidence in the police had fallen by four percentage points to 91%. The editorial also puts in a favorable word for the media, which it
Read on »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
Read on »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
Read on »Hotel & Spa Resort Järvisydän refuses Roma entry to the resort. Shameful and scandalous!
The year is 2020, and still, people of the Romany minority are refused entrance to a hotel and spa in Rantsalmi, located in the region of South Savo. Jim Crow is alive and well in some parts of Finland. The receptionist of the Hotel & Spa Resort Järvisydän refuses entry in the video below to
Read on »Sorry Seida Sohrabi, not all of us want to adapt to your myopic little world
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Bewilderment emerges whenever Seida Sohrabi, who identifies herself as an expert on Kurdish affairs and elementary school teacher, comments on her narrow views of how migrants should adapt in Finland. Having read her opinion pieces, I feel sorry for her Muslim students at the school she teaches. I hope their parents
Read on »The story of the Finnish Air Force swastika is still not over
We wrote Wednesday that the Finnish Air Force quietly dropped the swastika as the symbol of the Finnish Air Force Command. But not so fast. The swastika continues to adorn the Air Force Academy. An article in DW of Germany asks how an anti-Semitism symbol like the swastika made its way to Finland. Writes the BBC: “The symbol will always be intrinsically
Read on »#BlackLivesMatter and Finland’s air force issues with the swastika
I remember right after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, I spoke with a commander of the Finnish air force and asked him if there were plans to replace the white-blue-white roundel again with the swastika. Taken slightly aback by my question, he answered that there were no such plans. Even if swastikas
Read on »Case PS MP Juha Mäenpää: Racism, bigotry, and fascism give another blow to the Finnish parliament’s credibility
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The Finnish parliament voted Friday not to lift Juha Mäenpää’s parliamentary immunity, which needed a five-sixths majority; 121 voted in favor and 54 against. A total of 24 MPs were absent. Those who voted against were 37 Perussuomalaiset Party MPs, 6 Center Party MPs, 5 Christian Democrat MPs, 4 National Coalition
Read on »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 on being forced out of the train, you end up on
Read on »Bye-bye to the racist Eskimo name
The US owner of Eskimo Pie ice cream will change the product name and marketing because it is derogatory, according to CNN. Foneri Finland, the Finnish company that makes Eskimo ice cream, is expected to follow suit. “We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is
Read on »Facebook (Đỗ Gia Lộc): Let me spit in your face
Looking like a person from the Far East and not speaking Finnish fluently enough can drag you into a racist incident, like what happened to Đỗ Gia Lộc. The white Finnish women not only spat at his face but demanded that he speak fluent Finnish since he lives in this country. These two women and
Read on »Two Islamophobes in a pod: Juha Mäenpää and Ano Turtiainen of Finland
MP Ano [1] Turtiainen’s tweet mocking the death of George Floyd sits together with Juha Mäenpää on Facebook. You may ask why? Mäenpää is a member of the Perussuomalaiset party* and Turtiainen was expelled. One called Muslims “an invasive species” in parliament and the other mocked in a tweet George Floyd’s death. Turtianen, like Mäenpää,
Read on »The Mäenpää “invasive species” case is an example of how disenfranchised are Muslims and migrants in Finland
There is one matter that is clear about Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Juha Mäenpää: he hates Muslims so much that last year he compared them to an “an invasive species.” He is also close ideologically with Ano Turtiainen, who mocked George Floyd’s death. According to the National Geographic, “An invasive species is an organism that is
Read on »Taking down statues, raising new ones and systematic whitewashing in Finland
Slavery is the next thing to hell. Harriet Tubman 1822-1913 Statues are being toppled left and right, some with permission others without. TV shows and movies like “Gone with the wind” are taken down because of their racist content. All of this indicates that we have reached some sort of tipping point. Long live #BlackLivesMatters!
Read on »Migrant Tales little emagazine
Finnish MP who mocked George Floyd: You are not suspected of ethnic agitation, you are suspected of ethnic agitation
The news continues to roll in for MP Ano Turtiainen, who was suspended from the Perusuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group for a tweet that mocked George Floyd’s death. After the police carried out their investigation last week and decided not to charge Turtiainen for ethnic agitation or defamation, the police changed course Monday after Prosecutor General
Read on »The PS jump from one scandal to the next
As the dust settles over this tumultuous week for the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, the question to ask if business will be back to “normal” in the PS? The first scandal was MP Ano Turtiainen’s tweet that mocked George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police. Apart from ending Turtianen’s short-lived career as
Read on »Apologize now Ano Turtiainen, the Finnish MP who mocked George Floyd’s death
Finnish Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtiainen’s tweet mocking George Floyd’s death is a disgrace. Still, even a worse shame is that he has not apologized to George Floyd’s family, #BlackLivesMatter movement, and also People of African Descent in Europe and Finland for the tweet. The only matter that appears to have concerned Turtiainen is that
Read on »Some of Ano Turtiainen’s most racist and repugnant posts
Former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party MP Ano Turtiainen suffered some big blows last week: he was expelled from the far-right PS (quite a feat for a person who is multiculturally/interculturally challenged), two powerlifting groups in the United States and Canada terminated their business relationship with his company, Metal Sport & Ger (GoMetal). Let’s not forget all
Read on »Ano Turtiainen and Finland’s #BlackLivesMatter movement
THE STORY WAS UPDATED While what we see in the United States with nationwide protests is remarkable, what happened last week with former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party MP Ano Turtainen was equally significant. Before mocking the death of George Floyd in a racist tweet, Turtiainen should have understood that there is a lot of sensitivity and
Read on »Ano Turtiainen’s career as “a dark comedian” and politician go down in flames
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Perussuomnalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtiainen [1], who was expelled from the parliamentary group Thursday, but could rejoin the group after the end of the year if he had changed his racist ways. To this offer, Turtiainen gave a redundant no. “I am not going to request joining [the parliamentary group] again,
Read on »The two peas in a pod: Perussuomalaiset MP Mauri “Perkele” Peltokangas and Benito Mussolini
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Does Perussuomalaiset MP Mauri “Perkele” Peltokangas give you the creeps when he rants on YouTube? In one recent 2:36-minute monologue, Peltokangas used the following swear words every 20 seconds: Shit (paska): 2 times Fucked (perseestä): 2 times What the hell, hell (mitä helevetti, helevetti): 2 The devil (perkele): 2 A Peltokangas
Read on »MP Ano Turtainen gets expelled from the party until the end of the year for his racist tweet against George Floyd
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group unanimously expelled Thursday MP Ano Turtiainen [1] until the end of the year for posting a racist tweet about the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. “The suspension is permanent,” PS parliamentary group leader Ville Tavio was quoted as saying in Yle. “We had a discussion that
Read on »Ilayta’s and her family’s new life in Finland is a message full of resilience, hope, and courage
Migrants search for hope. Their searching offer us hope. Fourteen-year-old Ilayta’s family history and her drawings offer a glimpse of what hope is. They were searching for five years for a new home in Greece, and four years in Finland finally paid off in July 2019, when they were given a residence permit in Finland.
Read on »The awkward timing of PS’ and Turtiainen’s racist tweet against George Floyd
Poor timing by Ano Turtiainen? Today, people in Helsinki demonstrated in solidarity with George Floyd and #BlackLivesMatter, according to Yle News. At the same time, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtianen mocks at the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Today’s demonstration to show support for George Floyd was a great show of
Read on »Update: The tragic ending of Majid’s journey back to Finland
Migrant Tales insight: The story below was published by Migrant Tales in June 2018. It is about a Moroccan who married a Finn but deported to his native country. We received on April 23 from “Majid” the following message: “My wife died.” We will update this story after they perform an autopsy on his late
Read on »Riikka Purra is the ugly Finn who even sees Muslims under her bed
Perussuomalaiset (PS) vice president and MP, Riikka Purra, likes to talk tough against Muslims and people of color. Her whole political message hinges on one overriding matter: spreading hatred and suspicion of Muslims. Purra’s Islamophobic rants and prejudices expose in the raw her political opportunism and self-deception. Her Twitter page is peppered with anti-Muslim racist
Read on »Keep on sticking your foot in your mouth Jussi Halla-aho
Perussuomalaiset (PS) chairperson Jussi Halla-aho is on a roll: Heading south in opinion polls, he now wants Finland to ditch the euro “immediately.” That follows another demand: exit international refugee agreements so that no Muslims can seek asylum in Finland. If Halla-aho, who is considered Finland’s number one racist politician, has his way, it will
Read on »Racializing news and reinforcing stereotypes and racist attitudes
The lead story on the Yle website on Wednesday kicks off with the following headline: “Latest coronavirus news: 70 people are in quarantine from a Vantaa school, a record number of infections globally.” It seems like a standard headline, but wait. For some reason, there is a picture of a black person wearing a facemask
Read on »Finnish citizenship test, kansalaisuustesti
There are a lot of fakes out there imitating the Finnish coat of arms and distorting and corrupting what it stands for. If you are going to become a naturalized Finn, you cannot fail this part of the citizenship test. On paljon feikkejä, jotka imitoivat olevansa Suomen vaakuna ja vääristävät ja korruptoivat mitä se edustaa.
Read on »How anti-Semitism and racism see another day in Finland
The myth of an ideologically unified Finland isolated from the attitudes and practices of its ally, the Third Reich…the insensitivity toward these silenced histories provides a condition of continued racism and antisemitism. Finland’s Holocaust: The silence of history (2015) Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Mauri Peltokangas is a racist hothead who has rage issues when opening his
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary (Suomen Silta 1990s): Mistaken identity
We don’t see thins as they are, we see things as we are. Anaïs Niin The date and year are not important, but it is a weekday, not too long ago. Spring has arrived and spreads its magic to these sub-arctic latitudes after a long slumber. Leaves are budding everywhere; trees are stretching out their
Read on »How does the Perussuomalaiset party resemble the coronavirus or vice versa?
Here are some symptoms of the coronavirus: fever, dry cough, sore throat, tiredness, headaches, loss of taste, and smell. Here are some symptoms of the PS virus: racism, Islamophobia, bigotry, climate denial, conspiracy theories, mediocracy, pro-Putin, and incompetence. Like Covid-19, which fools and infects healthy cells, the PS virus also enters and infects institutions like
Read on »Finnish foreign ministry: visa denied to a son’s father and brother from Iran
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 16 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights Hiwa Haghi is an Iranian Kurd who has lived in Finland since 2004. In many respects, he’s the ideal migrant: speaks Finnish fluently, is employed,
Read on »Perussuomalaiset support heads south
There was good news if you are against us-and-them rhetoric, Islamophobia, and support for US President Donald Trump’s policies and persona. A poll published Thursday by Yle showed that the southward direction of the Perussuomalaiaset (PS)* party continued to head south. Compared with a similar poll on December 9, 2019-January 8, 2020, support for the
Read on »Finland’s tabloids are the worst when it comes to spreading bigotry and racism
Racism sells. Us and them sell. Spreading and reinforcing prejudices sells. Bigotry and racism sell. Biased journalism sells. These examples sum up pretty well how tabloids like Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat make money by reinforcing old hatreds and suspicions of Others. One of their latest stories on the far-right vigilante group, the Soldiers of Odin, is
Read on »What happened and led to the death of a Somali Finn? Where do we go from here?
How would we tell the events that led to the death of an eighteen-year-old Somali Finn youth last Sunday at the Kannelmäki railway station? According to one account, supposedly the victim’s witness that experienced the whole horrific event, which has shocked many, especially Somalis and other black people. According to one account, the victim and
Read on »Number of coronavirus infections at the Espoo asylum reception center soar to 97
Coronavirus infections at the Luona-managed Nihtisilta reception center in Espoo now stand at 97, according to Luona’s Business Director Suvi Salonen. That compares with two cases at the beginning of April and up to 25 during the middle of the month. “We tested 207 people [of the Nihtisilta reception center] on Monday and Tuesday and
Read on »Who killed the 18-year-old Somali Finn? Was it a hate crime or not?
There are pictures and names of the two suspects killed by knife stabbing an eighteen-year-old Somali on Sunday. The police are tightlipped and have not given any other information than “the investigation is ongoing.” If, and there is a big if here, the identity of the suspects is correct and have Finnish last names, the
Read on »Coronavirus cases at the Espoo asylum reception center surge from 2 to 22
After two coronavirus cases to mid-April, Helsingin Sanomat reported Monday of 22 infections at the Luona-managed Nihtisilta reception center in Espoo. Haidari Ehsan is an asylum seeker at the Nihtisilta reception center, which houses 410 refugees. “I’m not happy with the way Luona has informed us about the outbreak at the reception center,” he said.
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho is President Donald Trump’s Finnish cheerleader
The Islamophobic and populist Perussuomalaiset (PS) is a party that attempts to revindicate far-right racists on the rampage and its leader, Jussi Halla-aho, is US President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic cheerleader. Halla-aho, who has a conviction for ethnic agitation, breaching the sanctity of religion and being a racist smartass, stated his undying admiration for a president
Read on »It’s high time for Finland to yank those roots of racism from the ground
This blog entry is dedicated to the late Donald Fields, Helsinki correspondent of the BBC, The Guardian, and Politiken to 1988. As a journalist writing from Finland for some of Europe’s biggest dailies in the 1980s like the Financial Times, there is one matter that stands out from those days: censorship. The censorship that Finland imposed
Read on »Jewish Community of Helsinki: Anti-Semitism is now recognized by the authorities as a problem in Finland
According to Yaron Nadbornik, president of the 1,100-strong Jewish Community of Helsinki, the Finnish authorities acknowledge that there is anti-Semitism and it is a problem. “The authorities have recognized during 2018-2019 that there is an anti-Semitism problem in Finland,” he said. “Before it was [for them] pretty unclear if such a matter existed.” According to
Read on »Ali’s journey back to Finland: “How long before I can be by my beloved wife’s side?”
If you had the opportunity ever to know Ali, one of the first things you’d know is his arduous journey from Finland to Iraq and hopefully back. During the roughly three years lived in Finland, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) to tell him that he isn’t wanted here. This is his situation today: Ali left
Read on »Twitter (Amin A Alem): COVID-19 and the racialization of Others
As xenophobic parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party blame visible minorities for growing coronavirus infections, the same is being spread by people by people who should know better. The rise of a racist party like the PS during the 2010s, which reinforced many Finns’ xenophobic views, suggests that labeling and racializing will continue to pick
Read on »Finland’s populist party’s #coronavirus kiss of death to minorities it wants to oppress and forsake
One of the matters that the coronavirus has exposed as well. is how populist anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* assail migrants and minorities, especially Muslims. Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori was quoted as saying in statement that he is concerned by the rapid rise of coronavirus infections among the Somali speaking community. “Close to 200
Read on »UPDATED: How many coronavirus infected refugees at the Espoo asylum reception center?
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED After MTV broke a story about coronavirus infections at the Luona-managed Nihtisilta reception center in Espoo, Migrant Tales got confirmation Wednesday from the company that there are two infected asylum seekers with coronavirus. We had reported Tuesday, citing a source at the reception center, that the possible number of infected asylum
Read on »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
Read on »Albanian construction worker: Being the father of a child is not a valid reason for Migri to grant you a residence permit
Separation or divorce from a partner can be an especially trying matter in Finland if you are a foreigner and a man. We have learned of a new case that was brought to our attention. This is how it usually how events pan out: A foreigner gets married to a Finnish woman, they have a
Read on »Ahti Tolvanen: coronavirus and us
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The closure of hundreds of schools, theaters, gymnasiums, and restaurants as well as the closing off of the Province of Uusimaa very much gives the appearance that the government is serious about doing everything it can to protect the country from the COVID-19 epidemic sweeping the world. It seems to show
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 »Kotoutuminen* #9: Spreading half-truths about integration
If the learn-Finnish-and-you’re-integrated promise is misleading, so are many others spread by people who should know better. “The best way to eliminate racism is to get people to know each other,” goes the affirmation. It is like the claim that traveling opens your eyes to the world. After we do all these things, will we
Read on »Chiara Costa Virtanen: Gender-based violence in Finland through the eyes of the immigrant women community
By Chiara Costa Virtanen Due to the Coronavirus spread throughout Europe, people are required to stay home in safe. Same in Finland, where also the hashtag #stayhome is in trend. Unfortunately, for many women, home doesn’t mean safety. On the contrary. According to a 2012 study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA),
Read on »NoHateFinland: Rashid and Sobia commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
On this date of March 21, 1960, the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire on a group of peaceful protestors demonstrating against that country’s apartheid laws. In commemoration of the 69 people that were killed on that day, the United Nations called on in 1966 the international community to intensify its efforts to banish
Read on »PS MP Purra is as phony as the fake news she maliciously spreads
Populists like Perussuomalaiset MP Riikka Purra are desperate for attention in the face of the coronavirus pandemic because fewer are interested in their Islamophobia broken record. MP Purra, who is also the PS’ first vice president, pulled a fast one on Yle’s A-talk by stating that she has doubts about Finland’s health infrastructure. “I have
Read on »Shame on the Finnish media for stereotyping Muslim women. It’s called biased and racist journalism.
Why are Muslims, especially women, usually pictured covering their faces? Do these types of images in the media reinforce our stereotypes about Muslim women? Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s leading daily, is one representative of the media that reinforces stereotypes about Muslim women. While the article is important because it talks about forced marriages, why can’t it
Read on »Trump’s and Pence’s soul mates in Finland are Halla-aho and Purra
It is surprising how much political mileage one gets from bullshit. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic that has exposed the leadership vacuum left by US President Donald Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence. If we go back to 2015, when, Finland saw a record number of asylum seekers entering the government, the
Read on »Living in the PS Outokumpu bubble – beware of Muslims even if there are hardly any foreigners
There is one matter that bonds all the Perussuomalaiset (PS) MPs in parliament: They use migrants, especially Muslims and asylum seekers, to get votes. Their ads and rhetoric reflect well their racist disposition. Take, for instance, the ad below that promises that she will make “Finnish well being and security” priorities. Some of her pet
Read on »A step in the right direction: Suomalaisuuden liitto denied funding this year
Suomalaisuuden liitto or the Association of Finnish Culture and Identity (AFCI) will not receive any funding this year from the ministry of education and culture, according to Ilmari Rostila, the chairperson of the association. He is also a member of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party. For some, the news is welcome. One of the main aims of
Read on »Kokoomus’ perilous path, caving into far-right populism and xenophobia
Conservative parties like the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) are on a dangerous path putting in peril human rights and the rule of law. The latest suggestion by Kokoomus parliamentary group leader, Kai Mykkänen, to pass legislation so Finland could suspend asylum applications like Greece is worrying. The Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party clutched political power in
Read on »(Part 2) At the mercy the faculty process: Staff well-being in the University Of Helsinki
By Dr. Gareth Rice* The Urbaria Document The URBARIA document delineates the results of a workplace well-being survey conducted by the occupational healthcare provider Mehiläinen. It is bulletproof evidence that those who abused their power were not held accountable. The results were shared with staff in an “info coffee session” on 12th June, 2019. The
Read on »(Part 1) At the mercy the faculty process: Staff well-being in the University Of Helsinki
By Dr. Gareth Rice* This article has been almost one year in the making. What it reveals will, I hope, move the academic community to stop looking at Finnish higher education through rose tinted glasses, and to raise its brow and express earnest concern about the abuse of power and lack of accountability within one
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho and PS press kit is now available
Check out our constantly updated page about Jussi Halla-aho and the Perussuomalaiset. The aim of the page is to keep in the spotlight the racist and far-right matters that Halla-aho and the PS say on a weekly basis. We will also publish anti-immigration quotes from parties like the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), and Christian Democrats.
Read on »Wake up Finland! Is the PS far-right political agenda who we are?
The Toni Jalonen story of the former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* second vice president who resigned because he said he was a fascist, is an opportunity for Finland to take a long and deep look in the mirror. Above all, it is an opportunity to look at the hypocrisy within the PS and political culture. It also
Read on »PS Youth’s candid racism and fascism forces it to split from the party even if both adhere to the same far-right agenda
Not obtaining the two-thirds majority needed to change the bylaws, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth turned down a motion from the party to change its bylaws 56 votes in favor to 45 against. The vote was a definite setback to PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho. Even if the party will make a decision in early March on
Read on »Abdisalam Mohamed Abdulah: Returning to Finland’s Black February 2012
Migrant Tales insight: The story below was one that was published in February 2012 about “Black February,” when three Muslims died and a Finn committed suicide after killing one Muslim and wounding another. As with the Pakistani who was viciously attacked in February 2018, there were a lot of question marks about how the police
Read on »The PS’ and Jussi Halla-aho’s “circus” tour continues after fascist Toni Jalonen resigns as PS Youth vice president
THIS POST WAS UPDATED Some may believe that the big news from the weekend is that the former second vice president of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth, Toni Jalonen, admitted publicly to being “an ethnonationalist, traditionalist, and a fascist.” Reaction to what Jalonen affirmed came fast and hard after it hit social media. National Coalition Party
Read on »Disingenuous Jussi Halla-aho, disingenuous fascist-spirited Perussuomalaiset
It is justified to consider the Nürnberg trials a farce. Guilt was decided in advance, and the justifications for the sentences were absurd.[1] Perussuomalaiset* (PS) chairperson Jussi Halla-aho (2010) Isn’t it incredible how PS Youth second vice president Toni Jalonen put himself in the eye of a political storm when he admitted over the weekend
Read on »The PS playbook of how to spread racism, disinformation and fake news
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* first vice president and MP, Riikka Purra, is at it again. During the postal strike, she misled people by stating that 98% of early morning mail carriers were migrants. Early morning mail carriers are a small part of the postal company’s services. According to Posti, 80% of postal workers in Finland and 70%
Read on »PS Youth vice president: “I am an ethnonationalist, traditionalist, and a fascist”
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Toni Jalonen, who is the second vice president of the Perussuomalaiset* (PS) Youth and member of the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu, states openly in a speech below that “I am an ethnonationalist, traditionalist, and a fascist [clapping].” Yes, you heard, right. Politically matters appear spinning rapidly out of control in the PS
Read on »MP Ano Turtiainen: A shovelful of PS violence and rage
I doubt that anyone of us wants to see a [civil] war in our country. PS MP Ano Turtiainen The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP with a curious first name, “Ano,” [1] Turtiainen is another dangerous example of how the Islamophobic party fuels the hostile environment against migrants and minorities like Muslims. Recently we saw a deadly
Read on »MP Mauri Peltokangas is an example of the PS’ far-right rage and hateful narrative
Mauri Peltokangas is an MP for the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and a member of the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu association. In the hostile video below, the PS MP with close ties to neo-Nazi groups, uses the following terms to cry us a river about bringing to Finland 175 children from the Lesvos refugee camp. If
Read on »A warning from Germany: Far-right and populist rhetoric can turn into bullets
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED An analysis piece in the Guardian looked at the international and local links that lead to the deadly incidents that led to the deaths Tof nine people in Hanau, Germany at the hands of a far-right killer. Patrik Hermansson of Hope Not Hate, a UK-based far-right monitoring group, correctly warns us
Read on »Iltalehti does it again: Spreading hatred and degrading asylum seekers
Finland’s tabloids, Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat, are part of the country’s racism and Islamophobia problem. Back in 2015, Ilta-Sanomat stated on a billboard that 10,000 “illegal refugees” will come to Finland. This biased and racist journalism exposes how biased and unbalanced some Finnish media is. In their ever-alarming way to boost sales, Iltalehti led a story
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat plays down the far-right, claims it is “an essential part of democracy”
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED After almost a year after the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* almost pulled off the parliamentary elections of April, Finland’s largest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, treats the Islamophobic far-right party. A story by Tommi Nieminen correctly points out that the violence called by some PS MPs is unacceptable but then blows his speak-out-against-the-far-right-with-one-hand-and-support-it-with-another with this
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat’s Saarikoski should seek facts and not rely on his prejudices
The tweet by Saksa Saarikoski of Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s biggest daily, represents to the tee how our society has changed and become ever-suspicious of asylum seekers. Finland’s interior minister, Maria Ohisalo, has correctly criticized the EU for its lame and disastrous asylum policy. The suggestion that Ohisalo wants to bring refugee minors from the island
Read on »Is Matias Turkkila a part of Finland’s Islamophobic network? You bet!
One matter is for certain: You don’t need to prove somebody is a racist because that person does it for you. Racists also think people are stupid and can’t see through them. While I am not suggesting that Turkkila is a racist, he’s had a big role in helping the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and its politicians
Read on »MEP Henna Virkkunen: Kokoomus, EU and Finnish refugee policy in crisis
Some Finnish politicians condemn racist acts with one hand but with another encourage them. National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MEP Henna Virkkunen stated in a tweet lofty European values after an MP of the same party said Saturday that it would be easier for Kokoomus to work with the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party than with the
Read on »(Migrant Tales 14.12.2015): How long will reception centers and asylum seekers be under attack in Finland?
Migrant Tales insight: Remember 2015? It was the year when over 30,000 asylum seekers, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, came to Finland. Do you remember the reaction of some Finns who attacked fourteen asylum reception centers? Why weren’t these acts of violence classified as domestic terrorism? This disgraceful story is dedicated to Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ano
Read on »Facebook Daniel Malpica: Unjustified trouble with the Finnish Immigration Service
Migrant Tales insight: Daniel Malpica is an artist who, like many, has been wronged by the Finnish Immigration “Service.” Malpica is an old friend of this blog. Below are some of his earlier writings: Daniel Malpica: Tottelemattomuus. On the Finnish Immigration Policy (14.9.2019) Milliklubi night club makes the headlines and for all the wrong reasons.
Read on »Turku Synagogue: The vandalism is a sign of a general trend in Finland
The vandalism that took place on Sunday against the Turku Synagogue did not come as a surprise, said Harry Serlo, a spokesperson of the Jewish Community of Turku. “What happened is a general trend [in Finland] and should be seen in such a light,” he said. “I don’t like to talk just about anti-Semitism but
Read on »Petteri Orpo’s double hate-crime standards expose political hypocrisy
National Coalition Party chairperson Petteri Orpo tweets that “I condemn the vandalism against the Turku Synagog and I’m satisfied that the Turku city council signed a motion [condemning] what happened.” Orpo’s support is important, but the question that arises from what happened is if there are different scales of importance when it comes to vandalism
Read on »Mehdi Ghasemi: Towards inclusive and culturally diverse literature in Finland
Migrant Tales insight: A few days ago, I got an email from Mehdi Ghasemi, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tampere and Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura (SKS). He says that he’s working on a project that aims to increase the “visibility, readability, and research on immigrant authors in Finland.” His latest book, Opening Boundaries: “Toward
Read on »The Finnish police, politicians and the media live in deep denial about the threat of far-right ideologies
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you the Soldiers of Odin, a far-right group with close ties with neo-Nazis. When they appeared, the media seemed to be amazed and swept off its feet, while the police played down the problem, just like the previous government did. Just like in the Oulu sexual assault cases,
Read on »PS MP hides behind his party to absolve him of ethnic agitation charges. Chicken!
“Part of the problem seems to lie with Finnish politicians who truly believe that having a dialogue – any dialogue, regardless of who is on the opposite side of the table – is better than having no dialogue at all. So you can easily end up with the equivalent of a businessman trying to reach
Read on »Kotoutuminen* #8: Let’s do away with “us” and “them”
In many schools where there are people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, they may be asked to participate in “cultural events” where the pupils are obliged to represent their perceived country and or culture. Is this ok? Is the problem too much emphasis on “us” and “them?” One matter that gets lost or forgotten
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Racism in Finland? You ain’t seen nothing yet!
When I came to live permanently in Finland over 40 years ago, people like me were seen as an ethnic anomaly. Sometimes having a different skin color or looking “foreign” meant receiving microaggressions like people shoving your child with a lighted cigarette that burns them, or hearing a perfect stranger saying something racist to you
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Yaseen Ghaleb – Execution celebration, Teloitusjuhla
Migrant Tales insight: A couple of days ago with got a message from Yaseen Ghaleb, who wants to share his poetry with us. He published a novel, which will be in the Cairo book fair in January and called +15, which highlights how migrants and Finns can find common ground. The book will be present
Read on »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.
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: Shirlene Green Newball chats with poet Muhaned Durubi about his latest work, Rusty Sketches Book
Muhaned Durubi. is an Iraqi refugee who finds meaning and peace in poetry. His latest book, Rusty Sketches Book, attempts to look at his otherness and being exiled. Correction: The poet’s correct first name is Muhaned, not Muhamed.
Read on »Kotoutuminen* #7: How do we deal with our prejudices and exceptionalism?
One of the reasons why so many integration courses are a failure is because those teaching them to believe that teaching “culture” and “adaption” are simple matters that any person can do. Wrong. In 2008, I came up with this adaption guide for Russians who move to the Kymenlaakso region. Have perceptions changed since then?
Read on »The arguments used by the PS are deceptively aimed to hide their hostile agenda against migrants and minorities
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* First Vice-President, MP and ethnonationalist alarmist Riikka Purra is at it again. In her latest tirade, she blames the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin for looking the other way concerning the exploitation of migrants in the labor market. If we want to understand why Purra and other PS politicians want to raise
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #68: The party that injects Finland’s Islamophobia with steroids and other hate-enhancing drugs
One matter is clear: Opinion polls, which place the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* as the most popular party, have not only encouraged the party’s far-right stance but given it the hubris to spread and implant with its hatred social ills like racism. Finland is, alas waking up to the threat of the PS. In his New Year’s
Read on »Media coverage of the women and children refugees of the al-Hol camp is a low for Finnish journalism
The Finnish media should stop using a bazooka to kill an ant. Is the Finnish media fair when it reports about migrants and minorities like Muslims? Is its reporting biased and unbalanced? The Oulu sexual assault cases and the debate surrounding the al-Hol are the latest examples. Certainly, State Broadcasting Company Yle’s coverage of the
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #67: Pirkka-Pekka Petelius’ apology exposes deep-rooted white Finnish supremacy
Helsingin Sanomat carried out a survey asking if Pirkka-Pekka Petelius did the right thing to apologize to the Saami for mocking them in a racist manner in the Hymyhuulet show (1987-88). The survey showed that 57% thought that Petelius was wrong to apologize, while only 29% said that he did the right thing; 14% had
Read on »Tampere police highlight in a statement that the suspect isn’t “a person of foreign origin.” WTF?!
A 10-year-old child in a department store in Tampere was attacked by a man with a knife. The suspect took two swings at the child but his father was able to stop the attack. Even if the suspect was a white Finn, and fearing a social media storm on social media, the police announced that
Read on »Seriously, #HelsinginSanomat, let it go!
Finland’s biggest daily Helsingin Sanomat published a story about a Finnish woman who impersonated a Japanese tourist asking dumb questions to Finns. The show was so popular that it even won a Venla award, a Finnish version of the USAmerican Emmy Award. That was in 2014. Why would Helsingin Sanomat, a newspaper with vast resources
Read on »Prime Minister Sanna Marin: the government will help repatriate children but no obligation to help their mothers
Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced today that Finland would assist in the repatriation of some 30 Finnish children in the al-Hol camp in Syria, according to Yle. She said that Finland had no obligation to help the mothers. While the announcement was expected after President Sauli Niinistö stated his view on the matter Sunday, it’s
Read on »President Sauli Niinistö’s announcement about the fate of the al-Hol Finns in Syria will most likely be the government’s
President Sauli Niinistö announced Sunday that Finland must help the Finnish children in the al-Hol camp in Syria but not the mothers. What does this mean in practice? It suggests that Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government will take the same line as Niinistö. One of the interesting matters to ask about the whole affair is
Read on »Finance Minister Katri Kulmuni’s grotesque Internet poll is a symptom of a wider social problem in Finland
The Center Party of Finland is a liability to the future of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government. We already saw how they forced former Prime Minister Antti Rinne to resign. And then, we witnessed Finance Minister Katri Kulmuni’s Instagram poll. Kulmuni’s post not only exposed her total disregard for human lives and the country’s international
Read on »When will Finland have a black or gay prime minister?
The hostility that Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government has faced is a good example of the misogyny that still exists in Finland. While Finland has made important strides in gender equality, women still make, on average, 20% less than men. Even if women in Finland became the first to have the right to vote in
Read on »Stop bickering and repatriate the wives and children of ISIS fighters now
The reaction to what Finland should do about 10 Finnish women who are alleged wives of ISIS fighters and their 30 children at the al-Hola camp in northeast Syria has all the characteristics of social media lynch mob populism and Islamophobia. The biggest trolls are not anonymous persons but opposition politicians of parties like the
Read on »Iraqi asylum seekers vow to continue demonstration in front of the Finnish Immigration Service building
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED After a setback on Sunday, Iraqi demonstrators in front of the Finnish Immigration Service building have vowed to continue their protest, according to Walid Sahib, one of the organizers of the demonstration. A total of four demonstrators were detained by the police on Sunday and released from custody three hours later.
Read on »Asylum seekers start indefinite demonstration in front of the Finnish Immigration Service
A group of present and former asylum seekers decided to hold an indefinite demonstration in front of Helsinki’s Finnish Immigration Service’s (Migri) on Thursday for better rights and security in Finland. Walid Sahib, one of the persons taking part in the demonstration, said that the most important matter is to raise awareness for the plight
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: How to celebrate Finland’s Independence Day
The best present that we can receive on Finland’s Independence Day is an inclusive society that respects everyone irrespective of their background. Mutual respect is the bridge that unites this society. So set aside your medals, distinctions, and invitations to the President’s Independence Day ball because social equality and respect for diversity is the only
Read on »Some good news concerning the bed bug problem at the Jämsä asylum reception center
Good news! The management of the Jämsä asylum reception center decided today to throw away all the furniture, some mattresses, and buy new ones deal with a bed bug problem that has persisted since before November 2018. The reception center, located in central Finland about 4 kilometers from the nearest market, is run by Pihlajalinna,
Read on »Kotoutuminen* #6: The white Finnish teacher and the migrant adult child. Stop infantilizing!
Red lights should start flashing whenever a person teaching integration 101 to newly arrived migrants states: “These students are my children.” It is important to note, however, that there are many good and inspiring teachers who do wonders for their students and make them feel welcome. But for those who see their students as “children,”
Read on »Bed bugs are a constant problem at the Jämsä asylum reception center
Pihlajalinna, a private company that offers social and healthcare services in Finland for the public sector, was in the news earlier this year concerning the negligent care of its clients in elderly homes. The company also runs an asylum reception center in Jämsä, which has a bed bug (lude in Finnish) problem. Bed bugs (Cimex
Read on »What is better: Scoring high on the World Press Freedom Index or uncritical reporting?
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Finland will wake up too late when incompetent populist parties, their politicians and policies lead us to the doorsteps of hell just like what happened in Germany after 1933. Even if Finland ranks second in the World Press Freedom Index after Norway, how high does it score when it writes about
Read on »MP Riikka Purra’s and her Perussuomalaiset party’s trolls and helpers in the postal strike
The postal strike is over but not the foul Perussuomaaiset (PS)* stench that lingers from the usual scapegoating and lies about migrants. When the postal strike started, MP Riikka Purra and the PS had nothing better to do but to blame migrants for the labor dispute. Migrant Tales wrote about Purra’s and her party’s victimization
Read on »Divorced Moroccan with a heart condition asked to leave Finland within 30 days
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Youssef Hemdani, a 32-year-old Moroccan national, received a visit on Friday from the police at the hospital where he’s been interned for about three months due to a heart condition. The police told him that he has 30 days to leave the country. According to a hospital diagnosis, Hemdani suffers from
Read on »Dedicated to all the Finnish and EU let-them-drown politicians
Migrant Tales will not remain silent concerning those shameful let-them-drown politicians from Finland and the EU, which are an example of the very worse in us. In May, four let-them-drown MEPs from Finland were elected: Teuvo Hakkarainen, Laura Huhtasaari, Petri Sarvamaa, and Henna Virkkunen. In October, the European Parliament rejected Thursday a plan to step-up
Read on »Finland: The high democratic and social price of being too alike
When the media turns a blind eye to racism, prejudice, and social exclusion, when politicians suck up to those very policies that reinforce such social ills, it is time to take a long look in the mirror. What would we see? A country still in the trenches of World War 2 (not the Continuation War),
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat is still a predominantly white newspaper with a white slant on things
Helsingin Sanomat, the country’s biggest daily, celebrated its 130th anniversary on Saturday. Congratulations on your important anniversary but the picture below reinforces what I knew about the daily and Finnish mainstream media in general: It’s too white. Considering that Helsingin Sanomat is the newspaper of Finland’s capital Helsinki, it is surprising that there are no
Read on »Second AfroFinns Achievement Awards
Shirlene Green Newball Photos: Jukka Luoma The Afro-Finns community gathered in Helsinki for the 2 nd AfroFinns Achievement Awards, which took place at the Forum Theatre last week on Saturday. The grand open of the AfroFinns Achievement Awards (AAA) 2019 was lead with a video of several remarkable black figures quotes and pictures such as
Read on »Why are some Finns still turned on by Nazism and Zyklon B
In a bar in Lappila, located some 20 km from the city of Lahti, there is a sign on the wall the epitomizes all the hatred and mass murder committed by the Nazis: Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Sets you Free). Why hasn’t any newspaper asked the owner of the bar, Juha Koskinen, if he will
Read on »The “migrant problem” shouted in Finland by the PS is a panacea to all of our problems
Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. Reino Eddo-Lodge Watching last Thursday’s parliamentary question time was a repulsive experience. If the opposition Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is to be believed, all of Finland’s problems hinge on migrants. An article in Verkkouutiset claims that since Prime Minister Antti Rinne’s government began its mandate on
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: The Finnish media and fueling the hostile environment
When I was a young journalist, the editor of the Buenos Aires Herald approached me and gave me some sound advice. “Remember,” I recall him saying to me, “words are like bullets. Fairness in reporting a story is important. You don’t need a bazooka to kill an ant. Following what the media is writing about
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #66: Abdirahim Husu Hussein and dealing with racist passengers in a racist environment
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein has been in the eye of a storm over a passenger who harassed him in a racist manner and who he was planning to leave the car at a bus stop but took the person to his final destination. Hussein posted on Facebook on Sunday
Read on »Mika Koskinen: How much does your racist journalism cost Finnish tax payers?
Mika Koskinen is an Iltalehti reporter for a tabloid that likes to write sensationalist stories about migrants, especially asylum seekers. Usually citing himself and other unreliable sources, Koskinen was at it again when he tried to figure out in a column how much do asylum seekers cost Finland. In a video interview in mid-January, he falsely
Read on »Police University College: Hate crimes in Finland in 2018 were down 21.9%. Is it a good sign?
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Suspected hate crimes reported to the police in Finland during 2018 totaled 910 cases, which is a 21.9% fall from 1,165 hate crimes in the previous year, according to the Police University College. As in previous years, the lion’s share (86.8% versus 89% in 2017) of all hate crimes were motivated
Read on »Case Abdirahim Husu Hussein (again) and the racism of the Perussuomalaiset party
Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein has a lot of grit against racist parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and its band of followers. The latest incident proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the PS is a racist party. Hussein is a courageous politician who gets stronger with every racist death threat and harassment
Read on »What Yle leaves out when it tells us why labor discrimination exists in Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED If there is one matter that shines brightly from the editorial standards of Yle, it is its whiteness and how little regard they have for our people to voice the concerns of our ever-growing culturally diverse community. OK, true, there was a lot written this week about job discrimination and how
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #65: Racism exists because our society profits from it
What thoughts race in your head whenever a politician, public official, or white Finn rambles on about how social justice is a key value of our society and why racism and discrimination, which are illegal, have no place in Finland? While the latter is important for newcomers to know, the issue is how such topics
Read on »MP Wille Rydman’s racist malarkey is a copy-and-paste job of the Perussuomalaiset
Wille Rydman is a National Coalition Party (NCP) MP who has built his career on xenophobia and racist soundbites. For some in the NCP, he is known as the Halla-aho of the party. Perussuomalaiset (PS) chairperson Jussi Halla-aho is largely responsible for steering the party further to the far-right. He was convicted of ethnic agitation
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #64: The cancer of institutional racism in Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED There are many types of social ills that are cancerous, but the one I want to speak now is about institutional racism in Finland. Institutional racism is a racket, a criminal conspiracy, to exclude people by ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Institutional racism is a racket that maintains a system that
Read on »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
Read on »The high social and economic cost of xenophobia and doing very little about it
As Finland faces an ever-worsening labor shortage due to the greying of its population, the number of EU nationals that want to work in Finland has taken a nosedive, according to Seura. The number of EU nationals that were granted work permits in 2018 totaled 4,179, which is a 28.1% fall from 5,699 in 2015,
Read on »Kotoutuminen #3: To touch or not to touch
Many times I wonder where people who work and assist asylum seekers and migrants get their cultural training. If you are a teacher, is it stated, for example, in the national curriculum, how cultural diversity is supposed to work in the classroom? If you are a social worker, how do you promote two-way adaption? These
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 »The MV-lehti case should be made into an important watershed against hate speech
Former Islamophobic and pro-Putin MV-lehti editor Ilja Janitskin, who was sentenced in October to 22 months in prison on 16 criminal convictions, is hoping to reserve charges against him, according to Yle News. Janitskin, who was MV-lehti editor between 2014-2018, denies responsibility for the numerous defamation and ethnic agitation cases brought against him. Writes Yle
Read on »PS MP Ville Tavio is a good example of how hazardous Islamophobia is to one’s perception
I once had the opportunity to write a rebuttal in the Helsinki Times to Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group leader Ville Tavio. In his usual far-right fiery language, he suggested outright that Finland must treat migrants as second-class members of society. He suggested in an op-ed piece in Uusi Suomi that the Finnish Constitution should be amended
Read on »Kotoutuminen* #2: A tool of white fragility to rule you
Migrant Tales launches a new series called kotoutuminen, or integration. Readers are encouraged to send their personal experiences, comments on integration programs, and policies. Send your comments and observations to editor@migranttales.net KOTOUTUMINEN #2 Kotoutuminen, or integration, functions in many ways like white fragility. It is a weapon and tool to subjugate newcomers and migrants who
Read on »Kotoutuminen* #1: A good synonym for kotoutuminen is too many times the reinforcement of structural racism
Migrant Tales launches a new series called kotoutuminen, or integration. Readers are encouraged to send their personal experiences, comments on integration programs, and policies. Send your comments and observations to editor@migranttales.net KOTOUTUMINEN #1 A suitable synonym for kotoutuminen is structural racism. In the process of integrating into Finnish society, newcomers are rarely taught the racism
Read on »African woman killed by her former white Finnish husband in the city of Lahti
THE STORY WAS UPDATED A 53-year-old white Finnish male fatally shot his African wife in Lahti on Sunday, according to tabloid Ilta-Sanomat. The couple had been separated and were at fighting in court over legal custody of their only child. The woman was 38. The woman was allegedly from Zambia. The couple got married in
Read on »Hate speech study and story by Yle: Interviewing the wolf guarding the sheep
Ovem lupo commitere. The saying in Latin, To set a wolf to guard sheep, raises the right question about a YLE news story on a hate speech study and how it intimidates politicians from expressing their opinions. The study reveals that 75% of the messages come from anti-immigration groups, with the rest coming from left-liberal
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: Shirlene Green Newball chats with writers Shashank Mane and Hope Nwosu
Leaving one’s first home country, one acquaints herself and himself to new worlds and ways of thinking. For a writer and artist, this source can be used to give new perspectives and meaning. Both Shashank Mane and Hope Nwosu write about their experiences and the challenges that migrants face when they move to a new
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: Shirlene Green Newball talks to Rami Thawi
Shirlene Green Newball talks with Rami Thawi, a musician who has lived in many countries from Venezuela to Syria to Finland now. What inspires him to compose music and be from many places simultaneously. Rami songs are full of power and expose the challenges and power of being from many places.
Read on »Neo-Nazi Kansallinen vapaustaistelu before and after
On my daily walk, I saw a number of far-right vigilante group Soldiers of Odin stickers last week on lampposts. This evening, I encountered two neo-Nazi Kansallinen vapaustaistelu* stickers in Mikkeli. They ended up having the same fate as the Soldiers of Odin stickers. *Unofficial translation: National Struggle for Freedom.
Read on »Syrian refugee: Parting is hard, but the hardest is to remain separated
Migrant Tales insight: This short letter to the Finnish public is an example of Finland’s inhumane immigration policy. As a refugee, you will get a residence permit, but the price will be a high one: You will have to live alone, separated indefinitely from your loved one. The Syrian refugee story is one of the
Read on »Soldiers of Odin before and after
On one of my nightly walks on Tuukalankatu in Mikkeli, I see a Soldiers of Odin sticker on a lampost. Since these types of groups are toxic and hazardous to society, I scrape off the sticker. Now you see it, but now you don’t.
Read on »Facebook Abdirahim Husu Hussein: The death of an asylum seeker called Taher
The cruel arm of Finland’s asylum policy is not only Migri (The Finnish Immigration Service) but too many politicians who lack the courage to show their humanity and empathy for others. One of the consequences of one’s journey to Europe is not only many years of waiting and despair, but death.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Teaching integration or institutional racism?
Finland puts a lot of effort into its integration program. Earlier this year, with the sexual assault cases in Oulu, we saw the then government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä blame asylum seekers for not integrating and that our integration problem was a failure. All of these accusations had one matter in mind for then
Read on »Halla-aho’s anti-immigration soundbites and why we should not relax hate speech laws
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho gave us on Yle Ykkösaamu his usual anti-immigration blah blah and why Finland should relax its hate speech laws. In the interview, Halla-aho, who was convicted of ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion in 2012, defended the Nazi-spirited Suomen Sisu association and played down PS MP Juha Mäenpää’s
Read on »Daniel Malpica: Tottelemattomuus. On the Finnish Immigration Policy
Daniel Malpica* A couple of months ago, as part of the Writers for Peace Committee, the Finnish PEN was commissioned to write a resolution regarding migration on behalf of The Assembly of Delegates of PEN International. That resolution – written in a collaboration between Veera Tyhtilä, Shashank Mane and I – was focused on the problematic suffered by migrants and
Read on »The real MP Jani Mäkelä and how the PS also waters the poisonous fruit of anti-Semitism in Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED A tweet, which alleges Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Jani Mäkelä, stating that “without SS troops, Finlan would have lost the Continuation War (1941-44), is from a fake account. If this is true, we apologize for the mix-up. I wrote a comment to PS MP Mäkelä below after he asked me to “Stop
Read on »Council of Europe: Mayday, Mayday, Finland must get a grip on rising hate speech, racism, and implement trans rights
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED In the face of rising hate speech, racism and the lack of trans rights, the Council of Europe Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) called today on Finland to tackle such social issues. ECRI added: “[t]o tackle growing racist and intolerant hate speech, better coordinate integration activities for immigrants and review
Read on »The dark racist side of Finland, the Nordic country with the best education system, home of equal rights and all that blah blah
Helsinki City Councillor Abdirahim Husu Hussein, who is now giving racists and parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* a taste of their own medicine proves a point: There is too much racism in Finland, and too little is done to counter it. Disagree? How many hate speech, hate crime, and cases involving racism ever reach the
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY (Riikka Purra): “Finnish culture is better than many others”
A racist is an individual, always an individual, who does not like people based on race – must be conscious – and who intentionally seems to be mean to them. Robin DiAngelo, sociologist THIS STORY WAS UPDATED In English, we have a lot of words for bullshit: baloney, hogwash, crap, wise tales, poppycock, malarkey, snow job,
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY (Riikka Purra): Human scum and racism
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Perussuomalaiset (PS)* First Vice- President Riikka Purra asked in a tweet: “In your opinion, is it racist to call an African rapist human scum?” Indeed, it is racist! It is especially racist if you are a white politician who is a member of an Islamophobic and Afrophobic party. Can a human,
Read on »Yle opinion poll: PS support surges, about 20% of Finns suffer from social ills like racism
Migrant Tales does not usually publish opinion polls. However, the latest one published by Yle warrants a quick response. White Finnish newspapers headlined the news as, “Support for the Perussuomalaiset* party surpasses 20%.” I and many of my friends see it differently: “Support for the PS shows that Finland has a serious untreated racism problem.
Read on »The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman recommends swimming halls to lift burkini ban
Migrant Tales wrote a story in 2013 on how the City of Vaasa, in cooperation with the Suomen Uimaopetus- ja Hengenpelastusliitto (SUH), the Finnish swimming instruction and lifesaver’s association, deemed the burkini “a security risk and not hygienic.” The decision led to the banning of the burkini at Vaasa swimming halls. Despite the initial eagerness
Read on »Why Yle is partial and toothless: Purra, the stellar rise of a white Finnish supremacist
The critical reporting and credibility of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) have suffered in recent times star reporters quitting and parties like the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* influencing editorial content from the board. There is no better example of Yle’s partiality and toothless reporting than a recent political human interest article about Riikka Purra, PS first
Read on »PS MP Mäkelä wants to gag the free press
Finland is a country that enjoys the greatest amount of press freedom, according to Reporters without Borders. I suspect that one way that Finland has attained such a high ranking in the press freedom index is because politicians are not directly manipulating what the media should do and write. A rude example of such abuse,
Read on »Finland should have more police monitoring hate speech on the Internet, not less
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The Finnish police have at the most 10 Internet police officers who monitor hate speech, reports Yle, citing police inspector Måns Enqvist of the National Board of Police of Finland. The news was published after the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party claimed that too many police resources are being wasted to monitor
Read on »Twitter Abirahim Husu Hussein: 27 PS members filed charges to the police
Abrirahim Husu Hussein tweeted that 27 members of the far-right Perusuomalaiset (PS)* party filed charges against the Helsinki city councilperson for tweeting in July that all the PS, its voters, and supporters are racists. Of all the Finnish political parties, the PS is the most racist. Under Jussi Halla-aho’s leadership, the party has steered to
Read on »Facebook Tiina Wiik: Deflecting and trolling. She should know that foreigners can be racists, too.
Tiina Wiik is the wife or girlfriend of Junes Lokka, a Moroccan native and Oulu city councilperson who has been convicted of ethnic agitation among other things. She claims in the tweet below that the death threat sent to Abdirahim Husu Hussein could not be written by a native Finn but by a Somali due
Read on »Finland and the police should wake up to the menace of hate speech and hate crime
Helsinki city councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein received a letter Wednesday with a death threat and a piece of rope tied as a noose. While it is clear why this happens, we should ask why it continues to happen and with such impunity. Having lived in Finland for many years, one matter I learned at an
Read on »PS MP Mauri Peltokangas is “on a roll” again. Check out his latest tweet.
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Mauri Peltokangas is on a roll Tuesday. First, he demands the Swedish-Finnish border should be closed, and now he tweets and insults history researcher Oula Silvennoinen. Folks, this hothead Islamophobe represents the second-biggest party in parliament. Imagine, is people like him would call the shots in Finland? I wonder where MP Peltokangas
Read on »From the Oulu sexual assault cases to Finland’s descent into the Islamophobic pit
After the Oulu sexual assault cases came to light at the end of November and rapidly spiralled out of control in the media, is one sad example of Finland’s Islamophobia problem. Not only are politicians from parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* trying to reap the political benefits, but the media, and police, too. All of
Read on »The Porvoo shootings reveal the depth of our society’s xenophobia and ultranationalism
Just like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party exploited to their benefit the Oulu sexual assault cases earlier this year, the same was happening after two gunmen shot two police officers in Porvoo over the weekend. Rumors about a conspiracy theory by the police were rife and being spread by PS politicians, who believed that the suspects
Read on »Radical right 101 (lesson 1): Is the Perussuomalaiset a radical right party?
Migrant Tales will start publishing news about how the far-right, specifically the radical right, is dupping half a million Finns. I consider the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* as the biggest menace to Finland’s democracy, our Nordic way of life, and vibrant cultural diversity. Former PS party secretary and MP, Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, disagrees. She said on A-studio (31.8)
Read on »Milliklubi night club makes the headlines and for all the wrong reasons. Is it a coincidence?
For some foreigners or Finns who are not white, Milliklubi (Kaivonkatu 12, 00100 Helsinki) is not the top night club on their list. In 2013, a Yle documentary on discrimination showed how the bouncers at the night club denied entry due to ethnic background. Daniel Malpica, an artist who lives in Finland, states in a
Read on »Parties like the PS spread hate while Finnish society becomes more polarized
I was surprised that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho posted on his Facebook page what I consider inciting ethnic hatred against Muslims, which he refers to as “harmful immigration.” The fact that far-right politicians like Halla-aho feel free to insult and incite hate against Muslims shows that the work of the police on this front
Read on »Islamophobia is the biggest menace facing Finland and its institutions today
Even if Islamophobic parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* rarely mention the word “Muslim(s)” in their hate messages and campaigns, Islamophobia is without a doubt the most significant threat today to Finland’s institutions and society. Apart from the steady rise of hate speech and hate crime, Islamophobia is spearheaded by parties like the PS. It, if
Read on »Good synonyms for “racism-free zone” are hypocrisy, approval of institutional racism, let’s play hide racism and go seek with denial
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Today is a politically charged day In Turku, where neo-Nazis, other far-right members like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) will join hands to remember the second anniversary of the Turku stabbings when a then eighteen-year-old Moroccan went on the rampage killing two and wounding eight. One of our writers, Reija Härkönen, will give
Read on »Silence is a statement, acceptance of racism in Finland
Silence is the first thing after hate that is dangerous…silence is not the answer, hate is not the answer. Holocaust survivor There is one form of racism that stands out a lot in Finland and elsewhere: silence. Silence, if anything, is a political statement. Those who answer with silence are not only ordinary citizens but
Read on »Name one PS MP who didn’t get elected without the help of Islamophobia, racism, and misogyny
Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussain tweeted in July: All the Perussuomalaiset* and their voters/supporters are racists. Yes i said it. Do you need proof? Take a look at your [party’s] history and how you became Finland’s second-biggest party [in parliament].” In addition to Hussein’s tweet: “Name me one Perussuomalaiset MP who was not elected
Read on »Like Trump, like Halla-aho
The closing of US borders to Latin American asylum seekers, detaining minors, vilifying Latin Americans and Muslims, emboldening white supremacy and relegating and maintaining migrants and minorities as second-class members of society are some of the things that we have seen and read about President Donald Trump’s presidency. One will find many similarities if we
Read on »The Finnish media should check their facts better when it comes to news about migrants
Migrant Tales has published a lot of stories about how the Finnish media portrays migrants and minorities in its stories. In 2015, we published a series of articles called Migrant Tales’ Hall of Fame of Poor and Sloppy Journalism. Finland has a lot of top-quality journalists. Even so, the coverage of migrants like asylum seekers
Read on »The PS and its Riikka Purras: Spreading hatred of minorities and migrants is ok
THE STORY WAS UPDATED One far-right politician who has eagerly spread white Finnish supremacist ideology is Perussuomalaiset (PS)* vice-chairperson and MP Riikka Purra. In her latest Facebook post, she attempts to defend her views with a chart that is misleading and racist. One of the problems with Purra’s argument is that she speaks of white
Read on »After spreading white replacement pseudo-theories, PS MP Purra is silent whether the carnage in El Paso could happen in Finland
Ethnonationalism and “white Finnish replacement” pseudo-theories are being eagerly spread in Finland by politicians like Riikka Purra and Jussi Halla-aho, vice-chairperson and chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. An important question arises in light of the tragic weekend when a white supremacist killed 22 victims in El Paso, Texas, and another man killed 9
Read on »Abdirahim Husu Hussein is absolved but Maiju Tapiolinna may have allegedly incited hatred against an ethnic group
It was clear that the request to the police by Perussuomalaiseet (PS)* Councilperson Maiju Tapiolinna to investigate whether Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein for ethnic agitation and slander would not make it to first base. And that is what the police announced today. They said they will not investigate the complaint against Hussein for
Read on »Daniel Malpica: Problems with the Finnish Immigration Service
So here is the story… Two years ago I applied to the Migration Office for a residence permit under the base of entrepreneurship (toiminimi). Later on that same 2017, I received a full-time working grant from Koneen Säätiö – Kone Foundation for my literature project Mutanttikieltä. I informed Migri about it arguing that my situation
Read on »Facebook: Pizza delivery car vandalized in a small town near Kuopio
THE STORY WAS UPDATED A local pizzeria’s delivery car was vandalized a week ago in a small town in Eastern Finland located near Kuopio. Is it a coincidence that the owner of the pizzeria isn’t a white Finn. The last time we published a similar story was in March of a pizzeria in Espoo. Just
Read on »Exposing white Finnish privilege #53: Why is our tolerance for racism at street level
When US President Donald Trump viciously attacked “The Squad” (Congresspersons Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar), when he told them to leave the country (see tweet below), there was dismay and outrage from politicians and other sectors of society. In Finland, a politician like Maiju Tapiolinna can tell a Helsinki city Councilperson,
Read on »Abdirahim Husu Hussein gives the PS on Ylen aamu-tv a taste of their own toxic medicine
After near-constant hostile labeling of Muslims, Somalis and other people of color in Finland by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it is a positive sign that people are speaking out. One of these persons who has been in the news is Helsinki city councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein. Watching him deflect the usual rhetoric from people, who
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: What does populism à la Perussuomalaiset say about Finnish society?
The far-right anti-immigration populist party, the Perussuomalaiset, is leading the polls. What does the success of an Islamophobic party reveal about Finnish society and how can we contain it?
Read on »A 13-year-old former asylum seeker’s letter about her family’s new life in Finland
Migrant Tales wrote back in January a moving story about a Turkmen Iraqi family of three who feared deportation. Their brave 13-year-old daughter, Ilayta S., who speaks five languages, got in touch with me this month. She gave me the good news: Her family was granted a residence permit to stay in Finland. One of
Read on »Perussuomalaiset a racist party? You bet!
A racist is an individual, always an individual, who does not like people based on race – must be conscious – and who intentionally seems to be mean to them. Robin DiAngelo, sociologist THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Using DiAngelo’s definition, the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* their politicians, their voters, and followers are racists because through such a party
Read on »Thank you Abdirahim Husu Hussein for exposing white Finnish fragility
Social Democratic Party Helsinki city councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein tweeted that all the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and their supporters are racists. If you think of it, he has a point. The PS is not only an Islamophobic party, but it is also a far-right party as well. A PS councilperson from Nurmijärvi, Maiju Tapiolinna, filed charges
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: An Afro-Nicaraguan in Finland
Shirlene Green Newball is an Afro-Nicaraguan activist who moved to Finland 13 years ago and lives today in the capital Helsinki. Shirlene tells us in the interview about her life in Finland and those of Afro-Nicaraguans and other minorities. Is Finland a good country to live in if you are a black woman from the
Read on »A Migrant Tales classic from 2012: Don’t trust, don’t give the benefit of the doubt to populist and Islamophobic parties like the PS
The cartoon was originally posted on May 26, 2012. Ever since he 2011 parliamentary elections, when the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party won 39 seats from 5 seats previously, we have never trusted this party even though the Finnish media gave it the benefit of the doubt. Not only did the Finnish media give the PS the
Read on »Why was former PM Sipilä’s government so xenophobic? Will the new government change matters?
Only MP Ozan Yanar, Jani Toivola and for about two years Nasima Razmyar, or 1.5% of all 200 MPs during the 2015-2019 term, were the only visible minorities in parliament. In the present 2019-2021 term, matters aren’t much better: Bella Forsgrén and Hussein al-Taee, who is on sick leave, are the only MPs who are
Read on »White Finnish media story of the day*: Use words that promote inclusion and public spaces to people of color and other minorities
A headline in a Helsingin Sanomat news story about US President Donald Trump’s racist tweets to “the Squad,” four progressive women elected to congress in 2018, highlights how the media racializes non-white people in Finland. While the story uses the Finnish News Agency (STT) and AFP as sources, the copy editors at Helsingin Sanomat could
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Fighting racism made harder (but not impossible) in Finland
If racism is not an idea to be debated but a social ill that we must fight, how do we challenge such cancer if the second biggest party* in parliament is racist? How do you challenge such a party that is hellbent on redefining racism and fascism to suit their aims and with the help
Read on »Spreading lies and racism in Finland with the help of conspiracy theories and hearsay
Racism is not an idea to be debated, it is a social ill that we must fight. Wouldn’t you know it? One of the whitest countries in Europe, Finland, is afraid of being taken over by Muslims and other people of color. Who else but members of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party are pushing these types
Read on »A Perussuomalaiset nightmare and the shadow of the Danish People’s Party
Migrant Tales wrote Monday a piece about the catastrophic election result of the Danish People’s Party (DPP) this month and why the result sent shivers up the Perussuomalaiset’s (PS)* spine. In early June, the DPP saw its popularity nosedive by 12.4 percentage points to 8.7% (16 MPs) from 21.1%(37 MPs) previously. The PS and DPP
Read on »The Danish election result sent shivers up the Perussuomalaiset’s spine
After the good showing of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in April’s parliamentary election, it is surprising how little media attention the national media gave to the dismal showing of the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party (DPP) in this month’s election in Denmark. The DPP, which is a close ideological ally of the PS, lost 21 of its
Read on »Migrant Tales Podcast: Ethnonationalism and white supremacy in Finland
In Finland, there are parties and groups whose sole aim is to defend Finnish white supremacy, a concocted lie to justify one’s racism and oppress and exclude people of color. Who are these groups and how do they operate?
Read on »Ethnonationalism, racist soundbites, and arguments to justify and promote white Finnish supremacy
In Finland, there are parties and groups whose sole aim is to defend Finnish white supremacy, a concocted lie to justify one’s racism and oppress and exclude people of color.
Read on »A Migrant Tales guide to biased and racist journalism in Finland
After over twenty years working as a journalist and foreign correspondent in countries like Finland, Spain, Italy, Argentina, and Colombia, it becomes routine to spot fishy stories that are fake. Fake news can encompass a lot of things. One area where it appears a lot is in stories about asylum seekers, migrants, especially people of
Read on »The media does Jussi Halla-aho’s campaigning for free. The alternative media can stop it.
Ever wonder why there is an obsessive interest by the Finnish media of Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho? Most of his views are centered on anti-immigration rhetoric and white supremacy (fear of becoming a minority) as well as conservative views on topics like economic policy and the environment. The media’s interest in Halla-aho is one
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #62: On free speech and scared white men
It is amusing to hear how some people, usually white Finnish males, are so concerned about free speech. From rock bands like Eppu Normaali to politicians from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and others, the message is clear: the state is undermining our free speech. Really? How can people who grow up with privilege and power
Read on »Will the new Finnish government bring an about-turn in asylum policy?
Social Democratic Prime Minister Antti Rinne’s government promises sweeping changes in asylum and immigration policy as well as a shift in the polarized debate. Green League Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said she is not only confident that asylum policy will change but how it is debated by society. “We can counter hate speech,” she was
Read on »MP Aimo Turtiainen’s ignorance and 1 + 1 = 2 views permit his foot to end up in his mouth
“The inhabitants of Juva are quiet about [MP] Ano Turtianen.* It is a sign that there is a lot of shame.” A Juva resident Ano Turtianen is an MP from the town of Juva (pop. 6,500) in Eastern Finland. Anyone who has visited Juva will most likely note a lot of pensioners walking with rollators.
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset is a far-right party. Finland will sleep safer if we call them out.
The Perussuomalaiset* joins the newly formed Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the EU led by far-right politicians like Matteo Salvini, and Marine Le Pen. This is one of many examples of the PS’ far-right colors. One of Finland’s most significant acts of denial is not fully acknowledging that the Perussuomalaiset (PS) is a far-right
Read on »Migrants, minorities, and Others must stand up to Finland’s hostile environment
A poll by Yle shows that the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party enjoys the most support with 19.5%, according to Yle News. Since 2011, when the PS won its historic election victory, we have seen the party come and go in the polls. Of all the Finnish parties in parliament, the PS is the most hostile
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: When the PS reaches the end of the political line
“No party is immortal and there are clear signs of the Perussuomalaiset* party’s vulnerability. Their success hinges on how much they can scapegoat migrants and play down global warming. The fact that migrants are not a threat to Finland and that global warming is a very serious threat ensure an eventual fall from political grace
Read on »The “let them drown” list of MEP candidates reveals our moral decay as a society
“Harmony makes small things grow. Lack of it makes big things decay.” ― Sallust Migrant Tales published recently a list of “let them drown” European election (MEP) candidates who felt that it wasn’t the EU’s obligation to save the lives of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Three of these candidates got elected on May 26: Teuvo Hakkarainen and
Read on »The use of ankle tags is another example of Finland’s hostile environment against migrants, especially Muslims
Seeking asylum and/or a better life is not a crime. What is one to think of plans by the new government to use electronic ankle tags to monitor the movements of asylum seekers whose asylum application is rejected. Is it ok? How would you like to wear an electronic ankle tag? Would it enhance your
Read on »We will not forget who is Halla-aho, Huhtasaari, Salvini, Le Pen, Farage and other past and present far-right politicians
Even if far-right parties made some gains in the European elections, their party was crashed by the Green wave that swept Europe.
Read on »Three “let them drown” MEPs were elected from Finland on Sunday
The European elections on Sunday elected 13 MEPs from Finland. Three of them were Migrant Tales “let them drown” Euro candidates.
Read on »Case PS Youth: Another racist ad, another provocation, another attempt to get attention
The racism that originates from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and their youth chapter is no surprise. The latest posting by the PS Youth is just another example of how they get attention.
Read on »Another firework is thrown at the Al-Ikhlas mosque on Thursday
Another firework was thrown late Thursday evening at the Al-Ikhlas mosque of Espo, Finland, reports Supapress News from Finland in Arabic.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Only regret but no apology from PS Youth’s racist tweet
After publishing a tweet on Saturday that people should vote for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to keep Finland and Europe white, the far-right party’s youth wing vice chairperson Toni Jalonen offered after six days the following statement but without an apology:
Read on »Case Perussuomalaiset Youth: Crocodile tears from the PS and holding one’s breath
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* leader Jussi Halla-aho is shedding crocodile tears concerning the scandal with the PS Youth’s racist tweet over the weekend.
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 »Don’t vote for “let them drown” EU candidates, give them the thumbs down
A total of 234 Euro election candidates answered Alma Media’s election compass, a total of 85 (36.3%) stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree” or are “neutral” (have no opinion) about the following claim:
Read on »Austria’s far-right scandal and Laura Huhtasaari selfies with Matteo Salvini
What a Saturday! Austria’s far-right FPÖ vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache resigns after a video published by two German newspapers offered damaging evidence of him allegedly offering government contracts in return for political support from Moscow, reports The Guardian.
Read on »Part 2: Mental impact and reality of everyday exclusion
In a Migrant Tales’ recent article based on a Maailman Kuvalehti report about the mental suffering of daily racism, we promised some “no filtered” outtakes from interviews with those affected. You can read the first piece, Part I: Racism causes trauma and mental suffering,here. Eight cases, eight migrants, eight stories, about life in Finland: “You
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 »What message does the prank against the Al-Ikhlas mosque in Espoo send?
What are we to think about the event late-Friday when two unidentified Finns threw a firecracker, according to the police, outside a mosque where people were celebrating the holy month of Ramadan?
Read on »Länsi Uusimaa Police: Artefact that exploded near a mosque was “a firework”
The Länsi Uusimaa Police tweeted two and a half days later after the Al-Ikhlas mosque was targeted by a firecracker that thrown late Friday night next to the Al-Ikhlas mosque in the Espoo neighborhood of Leppävaara.
Read on »Suapress News from Finland in Arabic: Two sound grenades hurled inside a mosque in Espoo
During Friday prayers during Ramadan, two Finns drove next to the Ikhals mosque in the Espoo neighborhood of Leppävaara and threw at 23.20 two sound grenades, according to Finnish-based online publication Suapress News from Finland in Arabic.
Read on »EVENT: Global Art Point 25th of May 11:00-14:00
Interested? Go and check it out on Saturday May 25.
Read on »I am a migrant and I am proud of who I am
With all the demonizing of migrants by xenophobic and Islamophobic parties, one is required to yell louder and more determinedly: I am proud of my roots, I am proud of my migrant background.
Read on »A Perussuomalaiset lawmaker who shows no regrets in breaking the law
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* newly elected MP Ano Turtiainen [1] was quoted as saying in Mikkeli-based Länsi-Savo that he has no regrets about publishing in December 2015 a post where he asks people to commit vandalism against the Red Cross and its asylum reception centers.
Read on »The Social Democrats should not form government with far-right parties like the PS
Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said in Yle said that just because a far-right party like the Sweden Democrats get 17.5% of the votes in an election, it does not mean an automatic ticket to government.
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Words are overrated
By Suva Words resonate distinctly affecting the dichotomous semblance that we face in our assumptions, in our perceptions that we get triggered most often by getting the signal that misleads the essence of what is displayed hereon. Someone said earlier that- in the beginning is the word – possibly can be replaced with- in the
Read on »Case Hussein al-Taee: The Finnish media should end its double standards and hypocrisy
Indeed, the racist and homophobic writings of Social Democrat MP Hussein al-Taee, which came to light after the April 14 parliamentary election, are shameful. However, what is even more shocking are the media’s double standards.
Read on »Presidentti Sauli Niinistön sitaatit maahanmuutosta ja moninaisuudesta paljastavat jotain ikävää hänestä
Joka kerta kun Presidentti Sauli Niinistö kommentoi turvapaikkahakijoista, maahanmuutosta, maahanmuuttajista, kaksoiskansalaisuudesta, rasismista tai perussuomalaisista, hän useisti päästä samakkot suusta.
Read on »Is Oulu, Finland, a safe place for Muslims?
Maters have calmed down in the face of sexual harassment cases in Oulu after the April 14 parliamentary elections. Even so, many visible minorities and migrants don’t feel safe in public.
Read on »Part I: Racism causes trauma and mental suffering
Maailman Kuvalehti, a periodical which often takes up issues of xenophobia and racism in Finland more bravely than the mainstream media, cited the article Häpeää, itsesyytöksiä, masennusta – toistuvan rasismin vaikutukset mielenterveyteen voivat olla vakavat (Shame, self-blame, and depression – continuous racism encounter impact on mental wellbeing can be severe). Dated April 24th to a study by Robert T. Carter (University of Columbia), it stated that day-to-day exclusion encounters cause mental depression and symptoms similar to war trauma. Read the article here.
Read on »The Finnish media should refer to the Perussuomalaiset as a far-right party
Helsingin Sanomat goes to some length in a story about the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* being referred to by the chairperson of the Social Democratic Pary (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, as a “far-right” party. We could not agree more to Pedro Sánchez’ description of the PS as a far-right party.
Read on »Finnish President Sauli Niinistö’s disinformation bubble about racism and Others
Is it surprising that whenever President Sauli Niinistö comments on asylum seekers, Muslims, and the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, he sticks his foot in his mouth?
Read on »Tapani Brotherus: The present refugee atmosphere in Finland “is part of a phase”
Former ambassador to Chile (1971-76) Tapani Brotherus, 80, is a hero to many. Thanks to his efforts, many enemies of Augusto Pinochet’s military junta would have ended imprisoned, tortured, and dead today.
Read on »Actions of the Finnish police and Yle reveal multicultural incompetence in coverage of Oulu sexual assault cases
It is odd how little Yle takes the blame for being the facilitator of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment in regards to the sexual assault cases of Oulu. Migrant Tales documented 77 stories published between November 27 and February 13. On January 14, Yle published in one day 13 stories about the topic!
Read on »PART II: Migrant child custody in Finland aren’t always open-and-shut cases
The ongoing drama of the Muslim family continues: three of the girls, aged 9, 7 and 2, are in a foster home while another one, who is 14, is in another one. The mother, who is an Iraqi and who moved to the country in the early 2000s, is without her children but lives again with her husband.
Read on »Does the Press Freedom Index give us a complete story about freedom of the press?
Freedom of expression is a human right. To express oneself without fear of being persecuted, killed, harassed and/or jailed, is a fundamental right. While the 2019 Press Freedom Index ranks countries according to how journalists can conduct their work safely, the index isn’t comprehensive, even misleading.
Read on »The Finnish media’s ongoing fascination with Islamophobes and racists like Jussi Halla-aho
What has surprised me about Finland is how the media and others appear fascinated by Islamophobes making racist statements. It gets media attention and is the fuel to parliament. Is it because these types of people speak directly to their hearts?
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset of Finland’s hubris and arrogance are their political soft spot
The good showing of the Islamophobic and xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, reveals a party blinded by hubris and hatred of migrants, especially Muslims. They are now out for blood but the blood they seek may be their own.
Read on »The election result in Finland was what it was. Stop acting surprised.
Sunday’s election results should not come to any surprise. Far-right parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and white supremacist groups like Suomen Sisu have worked tirelessly to promote Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.
Read on »Social Democrats win elections in Finland but hard times await migrants, minorities and especially Muslims
With 99.3% of the votes counted, it appears that the Social Democrats will win the elections. While the Finnish media has spoken about the Perussuomalaiset’s (PS) good showing, there has not been a word said about what far-right populism will continue to impact and change the country.
Read on »STATEMENT ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN FINLAND: Muslims work tirelessly to make Oulu a better city
ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN FINLAND POHJOIS SUOMEN ISLAMILAINEN YHDYSKUNTA Linnankatu 23-25, 90100. Puh: 0500582371 STATEMENT The Muslim community of Oulu has done a lot and will continue to work tirelessly to make our city a better place to live for everyone. A report came from Secret police on 22nd March, 2019 about the security
Read on »PART I: Migrant child custody in Finland aren’t always open-and-shut cases
Migrant Tales has received many calls from migrant families stating that they were “deceived” into family separation.
Read on »Junes Lokka’s “racist” and “Nazi clown” case: Court sends clear message who has racist immunity in Finland
When white people decide what is racism and what the boundaries are, they mess up and make matters worse for migrants, minorities and Others. What are we supposed to make out of this? A well-known anti-immigration activist with ties to neo-Nazi and Islamophobic groups is called in a closed Facebook group by a journalist “a
Read on »Yle poll: The PS becomes the second-biggest party. Thank mainstream parties like Kokoomus, the Center Party and the media.
Some were surprised to see in a poll published by Yle Thursday that the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* became the second-most popular part in Sunday’s parliamentary elections after the Social Democrats. If we are honest with ourselves, the poll result should not have come as a surprise. The party that the PS knocked to third place
Read on »YLE coverage of sexual assaults committed by white Finns and migrants is unbalanced, racialized and opinionated
The bias and racialization of sexual abuse cases are best exposed by Yle’s Finnish-language service. On March 27, Finns read about a pedophile ring made up by five white Finnish suspects accused of sexually abusing 6-15-year-old boys. The story about the cases lasted only a week in the news with 7 stories being published by Yle.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: The police’s and media’s double standards and racial baises
“We read about two cases involving 10-year-old girls who were attacked and were not white and Muslims. In the case of Oulu, where the police were especially active together with Yle and other media in racializing the sexual assault cases, should we be surprised that this way of looking at things is a one-way street?
Read on »10-year-old girl beaten by adolescents in Vantaa, Finland, for not being white
A new case of a 10-year-old girl being beaten allegedly because of her Muslim background reported today by the police and television station MTV. The last case, which also involved a 10-year-old Muslim girl, happened just before Christmas in the suburb of Espoo.
Read on »S-worldview: The Islamophobic snake vampire of Finland
The Islamophobic snake vampire. Can you spot the Islamophobes? Timo Soini, Jussi Halla-aho, Sampo Terho, Teuvo Hakkarainen, Junes Lokka, Tiina Wiik, Laura Huhtasaari, Wille Rydman, Atte Kaleva, Ville Tavio, Simon Elo, Juho Eerola, and Olli Immonen. Should we be surprised that most of them represent the Perussuomalaiset* and Blue Reform parties? * The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party
Read on »The sooner we admit that the Perussuomalaiset is a far-right extremist party the better for our democracy
Why is it so difficult for the national media in Finland to acknowledge that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is a far-right political fringe group? This was further confirmed on Monday when Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini announced a political alliance to challenge the EU.
Read on »Sonia Maria Koo: EU freedoms paralyzed by Finnish xenophobia
Finnish election campaigns make it hard to stay calm even for a tax-paying, diligent, well-educated and fluent in local language EU-citizen with two decades of history in this inward-turning country showing more and more its ugly face of xenophobia and hatred.
Read on »Suva: A poster that says everyhing about xenophobia
Editor’s note: On behalf of Migrant Tales, I would like to welcome Suva to our blog community. His creativeness won’t abandon you. After seeing his work, you may feel like being part of a large community made up of Others. His artwork is powerful. It has such an impact on some that they crave to
Read on »A second deportation attemp from Finland to Mauritania
The desperation and anguish in a woman’s voice are present as she pleads for help for her Mauritanian husband, 45, who was deported on March 27. It was the second time that the police had tried to deport her husband after the first attempt, on March 19, on Turkish Airlines failed.
Read on »MTV Finland: Framing women with niqabs with Islamophobia and dislike
A court of appeal slapped the manager of the Euro Spuer store with a 1,995-euro fine on Tuesday for discrimination after he asked a woman to remove her niqab so her face would be exposed. The incident took place in spring 2016, according to MTV.
Read on »Finland has been regressing into a false hole of provincialism and xenophobia
Should we be surprised by the results of a recent opinion poll, which showed the rise of an Islamophobic populist party to third place after the Social Democrats and National Coalition Party? As Léo Custódio put it: “Racist party 3rd in polls in world’s happiest country.”
Read on »Facebook Léo Custódio: Racist party in Finland and the world’s happiest country
Migrant Tales insight: Remember when Finland was named the happiest country in the world by the UN? I am certain that factors like income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity may contribute to people’s well-being. Even so, Léo Custódio, a researcher, asks an important question in light of the latest opinion polls: A party that openly victimizes and which socially excludes migrants from being equal members of society is today the third-biggest in the “world’s happiest country.”
Read on »Afghan asylum seeker: Begging for food from other asylum seekers
Based on the Finnish Immigration Service webpage (Living in a reception center), there are different kinds of reception centers in Finland. The first type offers meals and in the second type, the asylum seekers cook their own meals.
Read on »Jussi Halla-aho reinforced in today’s Yle interview why the Perussuomalaiset is a xenophobic populist far right party
Thursday evening Yle interviewed Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Hallo-aho, a candidate for MP in next month’s elections and who built his political career on racism and Islamophobia. His performance was poor but it proved once again why the PS is a far-right party.
Read on »Finland should put aside its racism, prejudices, hypocrisy and challenge seriously social ills like pedophilia and sexaual abuse
The lifesaver that was supposed to propel the Perussuomalaiset* (PS) to new heights in the polls, suffered another setback Wednesday when the National Bureau of Investigations arrested five white Finnish suspects implicated in violent child sexual abuse. The other blows that stole their Islamophobic thunder were the senior care and the Christchurch atrocity.
Read on »Atte Kaleva is a populist who spreads and dwells in Islamophobic soundbites
National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP candidate Atte Kaleva, who has overtaken Wille Rydman as the Halla-aho of his party, held a talk on March 15 in East Helsinki on “why multiculturalism doesn’t work.”
Read on »Asylum seekers are mismanaged and at the mercy of the Finnish Immigration Service
The mismanagement of asylum seekers by reception centers is a non-stop affair in Finland. The latest matter affecting asylum seekers by the Finnish immigration Service is transferring them from one reception to another one.
Read on »Facebook Sarkawt Khalil: A pizzeria owner’s car gets vandalized in Espoo
This Facebook post was published with permission. See original posting here.
Read on »Attacks against Soini, Ahmed and the Muslim community of Finland are symptoms of our silence
What do the attacks against Blue Reform Foreign Minister Timo Soini in Vantaa Sunday and today against Left Alliance MP candidate Suldaan Said Ahmed tell us about today’s Finland? They tell us of a country that has been asleep to the threat of far-right extremism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism and hate speech.
Read on »A racist harassing a young Muslim woman at the bus terminal of Mikkeli, Finland
On taking the 8:30 pm bus today to Helsinki from Mikkeli, a white-middle-aged redneck (WhiMAR) started to get too close to a young young woman, possibly from Afghanistan, with an older lady and a young man. It wasn’t clear what the man said to the young woman, but he told his fat WhiMAR friend that, “She’s a good- looking woman even if she wears a rag [hijab].”
Read on »Asylum seeker hiding in Kemi, Finland: “Why do they [Finnish Immigration Service] make our lives so difficult?”
Migrant Tales reported Thursday about how a deportation had broken and separated a family of three (or four) in the northern Finnish city of Kemi. The family’s father, 58, and son deported on Thursday at around noon to Lebanon while the mother, 56, escaped from the hospital and is now in hiding.
Read on »Kemi is a good example of Finland’s hostile environment against asylum seekers and migrants
The small 50-70 strong Iraqi community of the northern Finnish city of Kemi (pop. 21,256 in 2017) is feeling the brunt of the Islamophobic reaction of the highly publicized sexual assault cases of Oulu, located just 106 km from the city.
Read on »A deportation that broke a family of three (or four) in Kemi, Finland
Migrant Tales understands that the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) ordered on Wednesday the detention of three asylum seekers living in the northern Finnish city of Kemi. Two of them, the father and son, were deported Thursday at 12:30 from Helsinki to Lebanon. The wife, who experienced the loss of her son in 2015 due to cancer, has gone into hiding after she escaped from the hospital.
Read on »Abdirahim Husu Hussein: It’s time for change
Have you applied for a rental property from your city but have had to wait for years simply because of your foreign name, while witnessing Finnish names get served within max 6 months? Over 100 cases have been recorded so far.
Read on »Ignacio Pérez Pérez: Two pictures after what happened in New Zealand
Ignacio Pérez Pérez was kind enough to send us these pictures taken from the Helsinki Railway Station shortly after the atrocities in New Zealand. There is a lot of care and love after so much hate. Thank you Ignacio for sharing this with us.
Read on »Statement Islamic Society of Northern Finland: Leadership is needed
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم POHJOIS – SUOMEN ISLAMILAINEN YHDYSKUNTA ISLAMIC SOCEITY OF NORTHERN FINLAND الرابطة الإسلامية لشمال فنلندا We on behalf of Islamic Society of Northern Finland would like to state the following with reference to the atrocities and masacar happened in New Zealand. Atrocities such as what happened in New Zealand Friday
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset of Finland try to play down New Zealand atrocities but fail
In Finland, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is an extremist far-right party that fear-mongers about Muslims and migrants. For many PS politicians, the Oulu sexual abuse cases came as an election lifesaver until Friday, when an Australian white supremacist murdered in cold blood 49 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read on »Once again politicians and the media show no leadership about the terrorist attack in New Zealand
The atrocity we witnessed through the media of the cold-blooded and calculated killings that left so far 49 dead and many wounded in New Zealand were not mentioned once by some ministers on Facebook. These ministers are the ones who have fueled and nurtured Finland’s hostile environment against Muslims and migrants. Moreover, how many editorials were written in the Finnish media about what happened and how it is a warning to us too?
Read on »Twitter: Perussuomalaiset Youth leader condones terrorist attack in New Zealand
Johannes Sipola is a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth leader of the Northern Finnish region of Lapland. He makes provocative statements like wishing only white men a nice father’s day but in the latest one, he condones the terrorist attack in New Zealand.
Read on »Shed an alligator tear for me: Foreign Minister Timo Soini condemns terrorist attack in New Zealand
After creating a hostile environment against Muslims and migrants in Finland, Blue Reform* Foreign Minister Timo Soini has the audacity to condemn what happened in New Zealand as “cowardly,” according to Yle News. We condemn him and the actions of the Finnish government of cowardice in the face of defending and making every Muslim and migrant feel secure in Finland.
Read on »The wrong question by Helsingin Sanomat that feeds anti-immigration sentiment and undermines human rights
Helsingin Sanomat’s election or vote compass questions say a lot about how the Finnish media approaches and writes about asylum and migration issues. Martin Scheinin, international law and human rights professor at the European Institute University, raises an important point about how the newspaper approaches asylum policy.
Read on »Newly appointed ombudswoman for children talks only about the plight of white children
The headline of the newly appointed Ombudswoman for Children, Elina Pekkarinen, says it all: “the new Ombudswoman for Children knows the needs of Finnish children. OK, fair enough. Newspapers decide on the wording of the headline. Even so, there is not one word mentioned how the new ombudswoman will protect the rights and situation of non-white Finnish children.
Read on »Exposing Finnish white privilege #61: #NoRacismInUniversity #WeAreNotSkinColour
The fact that a group of black researchers headed by Dr Faith Mkwesha are challenging institutional racism at Åbo Akademi reveals a lot about the nature of the beast and how too little is done today to tackle racism. Dr Mkwesha is a researcher at Helsinki University and Åbo Akademi.
Read on »NCP’s Petteri Orpo and his infamous xenophobic and anti-immigration statements
Economy Minister Petteri Orpo, who is also the chairperson of the National Coalition Party (NCP), was and is instrumental for having tightened Finland’s immigration policy when he was the interior minister (2015-2016). As a minister in Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, he was instrumental in undermining the rights of asylum seekers and migrant community.
Read on »Police officer who insulted and hit a woman gets suspended for three months
A police offer who insulted and hit a woman in a taxi line in Turku was suspended for three months, according to tabloid Iltalehti. Considering the racist statements made by the police officer, who in his words was too drunk to remember what he said, why wasn’t he sacked?
Read on »Good riddance to Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government!
The downfall of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government on International Women’s Day Friday was not only good news for social equality in Finland. Apart from impoverishing the country’s most vulnerable classes like single mothers, women, the unemployed, migrants, minorities and others, it is an end to right-wing party politics so obvious in the failed health care reform.
Read on »Habiba Ali: Stand up for your rights and don’t remain quiet if you are treated unjustly
Habiba Ali, a Social Democrat candidate for parliament, was stopped on Saturday by a security guard at the Entresse Shopping Center’s Lidl and wrongly suspected of shoplifting a can of tuna fish. Ali asked the security guard, who treated her with respect, why she would shoplift a can of tuna if she just purchased a lot of food from the market.
Read on »City of Oulu’s “ban” on asylum seekers visiting day-care centers and schools may be unconstitutional. “Ban” to be lifted on April 14.
The City of Oulu plans to lift a ban on asylum seekers visiting day care centers and schools on April 14, according to Mika Penttilä, the city’s director of education and culture. “This is not a ban,” said Penttilä, “but a recommendation that asylum seekers are not allowed to visit day-care centers and schools.”
Read on »Timo Soini to retire from politics
Foreign Minister Timo Soini, 56, who inspired Islamophobes, racists and conservative nationalists to have a political voice and platform to lash out at migrants and minorities, announced that he will not seek a new term in parliament, according to Helsingin Sanomat. Soini, who calls himself a devout Catholic, will be remembered as a conservative populist politician who led the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to national prominence by capitalizing on populist anti-immigration sentiment.
Read on »Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö’s far-right past is a fact
Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö calls into question professor Martin Scheinin’s motives for criticising the proposed security legislation which will allow the Security Police and military intelligence to troll emails and calls of citizens without informing people they have been spied on.
Read on »A new book on media solidarities authored by Kaarina Nikunen highlights Migrant Tales’ activism
Thank you Kaarina Nikunen, a professor of media and communication research, for writing about our blog community in “Media Solidarities, Emotions, Power and Justice in the Digital Age” published in February.
Read on »Finland’s integration program discriminates and offers fairy tale views of our society
If there is one matter that the sexual assault cases of Oulu have exposed in the raw is a false expectation about migrants. If we listen to the media, police and politicians, migrants cannot commit crimes because Finns rarely do if ever break the law. White Finns are model humans, asylum seekers are not.
Read on »Finnish government and City of Oulu officials: Where is the concern and outrage?
Almost two days have elapsed since the Oulu mosque was the target of vandalism. Did you read from any government minister expressed concern about what happened? What about the City of Oulu, which has labelled all asylum seekers as potential sex offenders by banning such people from visiting child care centers and schools?
Read on »Oulu mosque vandalized for the ninth time
The Oulu mosque was vandalized Tuesday for the ninth time since September 2017, according to Dr Abul Mannan, who heads the Islamic Society of Northern Finland. The police said in a statement the attack took place at 5:10 am when a suspect smashed a window with a bike rack and threw a smoke grenade inside the premises. The fire department was called as well.
Read on »