Watching the parliamentary question-and-answer session between the opposition and government revealed two matters: the opposition’s xenophobic politicking and the government’s sometimes infirm responses. The debate between the opposition and the government occasionally appears like a shouting match, where the government caves into the opposition. In a historic government decision on the same day, Finland closed its
Read on »Posts Tagged: Islamophobia
NO HATE FINLAND STATEMENT: The parliamentary election has begun for the Finns Party”
The Finns Party (PS) is actively campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary election in April. The party published Monday its so-called “Finnishness program,” Suomalaisuuden ohjelma 2022. The program attacks two groups: migrants and Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. The hostility and simplistic arguments against these two groups resemble an angry and spiteful person willing to lie and cheat to get
Read on »European far-right parties are part of a conspiracy to replace our democracies
A paradox: “Liberal” Nordic countries like Finland have large far-right parties that feed off racism. If I were to use the racist rhetoric of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party to solve social problems, I’d be lost. Solutions, like tougher laws, more restrictions, enforcing marginalization, and strengthening institutional racism, would leave me in a bind. Fearmongering and
Read on »How Finland plays down hate crime and miscarriages of justice
If there is something to reinforce from the Southern Ostrobothnia district court ruling of the Fares Al-Abaidi case, it is the following: In some cases, the police and the courts play down racist crime. The sentence was a miscarriage of justice. Al-Abaidi has appealed the ruling. Why is the ruling a travesty? Because racism is
Read on »European Islamophobia Report 2021: Finland
The recent parliamentary election in Sweden is only one of the worrying signs that Islamophobia is not receding in the EU but gaining strength. Muslims, like other minorities, must work together to challenge Europe’s ever-growing anti-Muslim racism. We must do this not only for ourselves but for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The editors of the
Read on »Sweden’s election spells trouble for Muslims, migrants, and minorities
The election in Sweden was of special interest to me since I live next door to the country in Finland. Will the good showing of the far-right Sweden Democrats boost our far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party in the April parliamentary election? While it is fair to predict that the election result in Sweden should not hurt
Read on »The Nordic region’s slippery Islamophobic slope
The Nordic saw a predictable political earthquake on September 11, when the right-wing bloc led by the far-right Sweden Democrats nudged the right-wing bloc to victory. The election brought Sweden in line with its other Nordic neighbors: all four now have or had large far-right anti-immigration parties. Of the four countries, the entrenchment of the
Read on »Tariq: Is there justice in Finland? (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of Tariq’s* ordeal in Finland. Go here to read Part 1. “This is my case: I have been living in Finland for eleven years. I moved here to be with my wife, and upon arriving, I started to work and study at the same time. After three years in the country,
Read on »Tariq: Is there justice in Finland? (Part 1)
Tariq* has lived in Finland for over eleven years. If there is a person who has run into complications with the police, Migri (Finnish Immigration Service), and due process, he is one of them. According to Tariq, his citizenship process has been arbitrarily delayed due to a police fine that was canceled. “In March last
Read on »Sweden’s nasty surprise comes home to roost
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Incumbent Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson conceded defeat in Sweden’s nail-biter election to the rightwing parties led by the far-right Sweden Democrats, reports The Guardian. The rightwing parties received 49.6% of the votes, with the left bloc securing 48.9%. If anything, it was a long overdue nasty surprise that permitted
Read on »The election result Sunday will expose nasty things about Sweden and the Nordic region
Sweden will elect 349 MPs of the Riksdag (parliament) today, and the big question is how well the far-right Sweden Democrats will fare. According to various opinion polls, the Sweden Democrats are seen coming second after the Social Democrats. The biggest upset would be the Sweden Democrats doing better than the conservative Moderate party. Just like
Read on »The Musta Barbari and Fares Al-Abaidi cases deal a further blow to police credibility in Finland
Two rulings in two important cases involving ethnic profiling and suspected hate crime are a further stain on the credibility of the Finnish police. One of these took over six years to get a just ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, and another one just slapped the hand of the suspect lightly. Ethnic profiling, which
Read on »Two stories that reveal a lot about racism in Finland
Two stories that expose injustice and denial in Finland became public this week: First, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland ruled Thursday that the police ethnically profiled singer Musta Barbari’s mother and sister in July 2016. The other news is about an Iraqi youth who white Finns violently attacked in July 2020. Both cases are not only
Read on »PS MP Juha Mäenpää warned that asylum seekers could spark a civil war in Finland
US President Joe Biden warned in a recent speech that his country’s democracy is in peril. He pointed the finger at former President Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again or Make Attorneys Get Attorneys) followers. We asked in a recent posting if Biden labeled MAGA Republicans “semi-fascists,” why couldn’t we call the far-right Perussuonalaiset
Read on »Should we be surprised that the Finnish police forced Muslim women to remove their hijabs? Not.
The incident of Finnish police brutality, where they physically forced Muslim asylum seekers to remove their hijabs, is not surprising in the least, taking into account the year (2017) and the Häme region of Finland. Seven months after the incident with the Muslim women, Migrant Tales published a story about how the police gave tacit
Read on »Racism makes my blood boil – why doesn’t yours?
I have often wondered why racism some people in Finland are not moved by racism. Racism is a traumatic experience that remains inside of you. Some don’t react or care because they have never been a victim of such a social ill. When racism jabs or throws a violent punch and your colleague or friend
Read on »European Network Against Racism: Denmark is the “happiest” country in the world
The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is Europe’s biggest anti-racism NGO. It writes: “Denmark is said to be the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It depends on who you ask. With the elections approaching, religious freedom for minorities seems once again to be at the heart of political debates as Denmark considers whether to ban headscarves
Read on »Denmark takes another shot of steroids for its xenophobia
Denmark, the Nordic region’s most Islamophobic country, plans to tighten (again) its immigration laws by deporting all foreigners who are handed prison sentences, according to DR of Denmark. DR writes that the government wants to introduce changes in the law so that any foreigner slapped with an unconditional prison sentence will be deported. “Today, a
Read on »MT Media Monitoring: HS interview with Riikka Purra and the PS’ pet topic, migration
Helsingin Sanomat published (paywall) Sunday an interview with Riikka Purra, the chairperson of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. Helsingin Sanomat‘s veteran reporter, Marko Junkkari, did the interview. In general, Junkkari did a good job in handling Purra’s comments with facts and in no place in the interview did the PS chairperson dominate the interview with
Read on »MT Media Monitoring: A government partnership between Kokoomus and the PS would be a hammer blow to us
Politicians and parties expel a lot of blah blah. Ask this question: Will matters improve for Finland’s racialized communities if the PS and Kokoomus partner in a government? There’s your answer with no blah blah. A recent story by MTV, a private television channel with a streak of Fox News, published a story about what
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat editorial and the real reason why the Perussuomalaiset do well in parliamentary elections
A short editorial by Helsingin Sanomat Thursday warns that the 1.3 percentage point rise in the recent opinion poll of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party may force other parties to latch on to Islamophobic rhetoric. The PS’ pet themes today are high electricity and gas prices at the pumps and others, which it did not specify. Even if
Read on »How coded language is used in Finland to get around labelling groups and racist words
In Finland, some parties are openly racist, and others are more subtle about it. Both are dangerous to our community. The more we know about them, the better prepared we are to challenge such a menace. Large opposition parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) have one matter in common: they loathe
Read on »Twitter (@persut): No Afghan migrants to Finland
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party hates migrants from Muslim countries. It hates these people so much that it rarely utters the word “Muslim” and “African.” PS tweet below states: Do we want to help – or do we want more migrants? The best way to help them in neighboring [countries]. One Afghan to Finland costs as
Read on »MT MEDIA MONITORING: How politicians perpetuate urban tales about migrants (Uusi Suomi)
An interview by Uusi Suomi of National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP Atte Kaleva, who is part of Finland’s Islamophobic network, demonstrates a common flaw by the Finnish media that perpetuates urban tales and misconceptions spread by politicians about migrants. Kaleva claims that implementing a quota system for “foreign” students at schools in Finland would help
Read on »I fear nationalism and racism as much as Russia
Apart from tightening laws and plans to build a fence on parts of the Finnish-Russian border, politicians in Finland are debating shutting tourism from Russia to Finland. As I have mentioned previously, one of the biggest fears of the war in Ukraine is awakening Finland’s deep distrust and hatred of Russia. The hatred will not
Read on »The Norwegian who went on a murderous rampage against a whole nation and region on 22/7
I mention only two infamous days on Migrant Tales annually: the coup in Argentina on March 24, 1976, and the man who went on a murderous rampage against 77 people on 22/7. Let’s offer a moment of silence to the victims, killed, and those who survived this atrocity. Source: Migrant Tales Further reading: ANALYSIS – Commemorating
Read on »When countries become nationalism addicts and junkies
Xenophobia tends to pile up. Like blacks in the United States, Finland’s “black” problem is Russia, and from the 1990s, Muslims. In the 1980s, when I lived permanently in Finland, and about 12,000 foreign nationals were living in the country, the racist undercurrent that flowed like a mighty river was ever-present. It reminded you whenever
Read on »War in Ukraine forces Finland to lurch to a dark place where human rights must eventually take a backseat
The polarized debate in parliament Monday on renewing the Border Guard Act and Emergency Powers Act is just another example of how Finland has lurched into a dark place where human rights are a nuisance and should not take presedence The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS), with the helping hand of the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), and
Read on »Denmark shooter is allegedly white and has ties with the far-right
It was about 11 years ago on 22/7 when Norwegian Anders Breivik shocked us by murdering 77 victims. His motive? Anti-Muslim racism. Yesterday, there was a hint of déjà-vu when a 22-year-old “ethnic Dane,” a term used to mean white Dane, went on the rampage in the Fields shopping center of Copenhagen killing at least
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 »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 »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 »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 »“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 »Exposing white privilege in Finland #85: We need solutions, not racist provocations
The riots in Sweden sparked by the burning of the Koran by the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party led by Rasmus Palaudan remind us how urgently we need solutions, not provocations, to heal the wounds gashed by racism and double standards. Provocations do nothing more than expose our hypocrisy and privilege. They never
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 »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 »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 »Millions of Ukrainians are coming. How long will it take before our goodwill turns into open hostility?
Remember 2015, when some 1.3 million million asylum seekers came to Europe from countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia? Europe says welcome! Tervetuloa (welcome)! Meillä on tilaa (there is room for you)! After the initial outpouring of support and understanding for these people fleeing wars that we had started, attitudes took an abrupt turn for
Read on »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »Twitter (Veikko Vallin): A racist lesson on types of migrants
Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Veikko Vallin gives us a lesson in racism by definIslamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Veikko Vallin teaches us racism by defining “harmful” and beneficial migration. Vallin, who likes being called the Tampere’s Trump and boasts about how he places his money in Estonia from the Finnish tax person, bases his political program
Read on »The first anniversary of 1/6: A hammer blow to democracy, our democracy as well
As we return to that horrible day of January 6, when former President Donald Trump supporters invaded the Capitol and whacked the foundations of US democracy, we should ask how much of a blow that infamous day was for our democracy in the EU and Finland. The bad news is that matters in the US
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 »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 »Bye-bye Inger Støjberg, something is not always rotten in Denmark
Former Danish immigration and integration minister, Inger Støjberg, was convicted to 60 days in prison for illegally separating asylum-seeking couples if the partner was under 18, reports Euronews. An uncompromising Islamophobic hardliner who served as minister during 2005-2019 was also responsible for passing a law that required asylum seekers to hand over valuables like jewelry
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »A depressing documentary on Denmark’s Islamophobia
The scariest matter that Thursday’s documentary revealed about one of Europe’s most Islamophobic countrie was how far racist discourse promoted by politicians could lead a country. In a standard pyramid of hate (see below), where genocide is the final outcome, the apex of Denmark’s pyramid of hate is deportation, and physical elimination of whole groups
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »10 years after the 22/7 mass killings in Norway and what it reveals about us
Ten years have passed since 22/7, and some Norwegians are still asking, “why?” I remember that day as if it were yesterday. First, a bomb exploded in downtown Oslo, and what followed then were the cold-blooded murders of young people on Utøya island. A total of 77 people lost their lives on that day. Countless
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 »(Migrant Tales, July 9, 2021): 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 »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 »The PS exposed its far-right credentials. After they get rid of the Muslims, are unions the next in line?
Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, exposed another spoonful of its ever-visible far-right credentials on Saturday by demanding a 3,000-euro a month salary minimum for migrants to get a residence permit and weakening workers’ rights. The PS leader, who was convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion,
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »Intimidating Farid Hafez and state Islamophobia in Austria
Islamophobia in all of its forms is cancer that is spreading at this moment throughout Europe. People who attempt to stand up to this social ill are intimidated and attacked. Farid Hafez, whom I know personally and edits the European Islamophobia Report, the most comprehensive report published annually on the topic, is charged for alleged
Read on »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 »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 »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 »Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen on zero asylum seekers and other wishes like our head up our…
When I read the news story that Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that she wants the country to accept zero asylum seekers, I sarcastically thought that one of the EU’s most Islamophobic countries had found a solution to end global inequality and strife. The Perussuomalaiset (PS), Finland’s close ideological ally of the Danish People’s
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 »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 [email protected] 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 »Another reason that reinforces Denmark as one of the most Islamophobic countries in the EU
Who could forget the former minister of immigration and integration, Inger Stojberg? Apart from her Islamophobic rhetoric, she is also remembered with a cake celebrating in 2017 the 50th tightening of Danish immigration laws. There seems to be no shortages of Islamophobic politicians in Denmark. The former minister is in a lot of hot water
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 »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 »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 »Jussi Halla-aho and the PS are the wolves in sheep’s clothing
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED One interesting matter about how Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politicians spread racism is how they try to hide it in sheep’s clothing. The trick, from the PS perspective, is to spread in code as much as possible your racist views. An interview on Saturday in Yle’s Ykkösaamu with PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho showed
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 »Jussi Halla-aho’s anti-Semitism has come to haunt him, more blow to credibility
Attacking Finland’s Muslim community is not hard for the likes of Jussi Halla-aho and the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party. It is, however, a different story when anti-Semitic rhetoric comes to play. Halla-aho’s racism and, in particular, his anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Afrophobia are well known. Of these three, anti-Semitism is the biggest threat to his political future.
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »A synonym for fake news is the Perussuomalaiset and other racist groups
Finland has been praised for its school program to teach children about fake news. Media literacy is important if we do not want to be led by the noses towards an autocratic state. Commonly, when reading the comments by Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MPs and other politicians, fact-checking is an exception and not the rule. Some of
Read on »Turtiainen suffers another blow to his business as the International Powerlifting Federation terminates cooperation
Ano, or Año Turtiainen, the former Perussuomalaiset MP who mocked George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman, boasts that he is “the best known Finnish powerlifter in the world.” CORRECTION: He is also known for being the most racist Finnish powerlifter in the world. After Elitefts and the Canadian Powerlifting Union terminated
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 »Two ways of weighing crime: one is a white Finn and another a Pakistani migrant
We read about the brutal assault against a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* campaign manager Pekka Kataja. There was great interest in what happened when he mentioned that the suspect(s) were probably “Arab-looking.” Silence befell the PS after Kataja changed his story by claiming that the attackers were probably from the far-right. One question that arises here is
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 »Is PS’ Tynkkynen aiming to be the top MP with the most ethnic agitation convictions?
What are we to make of Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Sebastian Tynkkynen’s hate speech convictions? An Oulu appeals court upheld the PS MP’s second conviction for ethnic agitation. The first one was handed in 2017. Two convictions are a pretty dark stain in an ordinary party, but for the PS, it may be a feather in
Read on »The self-destruction of Trump and the future of global populism and racism
As the gap between Joe Biden and US President Donald Trump widens in the opinion polls, populist-far right parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are feeling the pressure. Much of the hate fuel that PS and other like-minded politicians feed on from Trump is starting to run out if the US president loses on November 3.
Read on »Ano Turtiainen: the PS doesn’t love me, I love the PS – watch me now eat my words
Expelled from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group for mocking George Floyd’s death in a tweet, he now said that he would want to return to his former parliamentary group. A day after he was expelled from the parliamentary group earlier this month, Turtiainen was adamant: “I am not going to request joining [the parliamentary group]
Read on »European Islamophobia Report 2019 (Finland)
Read the full European Islamophobia Report 2019 here.
Read on »STATEMENT: European Islamophobia Report 2019
You can follow the panel and publishing of the European Islamophobia Report 2019 here. European Islamophobia Report 2019 – Press Release SETA will publish 2019 European Islamophobia Report on 20th June Saturday after the opening panel of the Report. Edited by Enes Bayraklı and Farid Hafez European Islamophobia Report (EIR) published annually since 2015. The EIR
Read on »The most “notable” members of Finland’s Islamophobic network in 2019
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED Who are the most “notable” figures of Finland’s Islamophobic network in 2019? In the list below, 13 are members of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, 3 are National Coalition Party (NCP) members, 2 are Christian Democrats (KD), and three others are political “freelancers:” Marco de Wit, Junnes Lokka, and Tiina Wiik. The
Read on »Finnish police do not rule out hate crime in Teuva against a Muslim
Detective Chief Inspector Jari-Matti Marttala confirmed to Migrant Tales today that investigations are still ongoing concerning the assault by residents of Teuva of a Muslim and his four passengers. “We are still interviewing people, and we have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime,” said Marttala. “Everything is still at hand…let’s say that
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 »Racist harassment of a mother and daughter in Helsinki’s Malminkartano
I spoke to a distraught Iraqi mother who told me how she was harassed, even shoved and pushed by six people who threatened to kill her in the Helsinki neighborhood of Malminkartano. Why? Because she and her daughters are Muslims. “I was traveling with my nine-year-old daughter on the train from Vantaa and got off
Read on »The Coronavirus Revolution is unfolding
“We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.”— Malcolm X “I can’t breathe.” — George Floyd What is the Coronavirus Revolution? Covid-19 + mass unemployment + balooning social inequality + racist self-serving US president = CORONAVIRUS REVOLUTION. Social movements, like the one we are seeing in the United States today, are sparked by
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 »Luottavatko vähemmistöt Suomen lehdistöön?
Tässä mielipidekirjoitus, joka julkaistiin maaliskuussa Karjalaisissa. Tarjoisin kirjoitusta ensiksi Helsingin Sanomiin, mutta tuli seuraava vastaus: “Kiitos kirjoituksesta. Runsaan tarjonnan takia meillä ei ole mahdollisuutta julkaista sitä.” Karjalaisissa poistettiin muutamia kohtia kirjoituksesta. Tässä alkuperäinen kirjoitus. Yksi lehdistön tärkein tehtävä on olla yhteiskunnan vahtikoira ja valvoa kaikkien oikeuksia. Kuinka hyvin Suomen lehdistö valvoo vähemmistöjen, kuten muslimien, oikeuksia?
Read on »A post-coronavirus world bonded by mistrust, suspicion, racial hatred and the four horsemen of the apocalypse
If we look at the raw economic numbers, world trade is expected to plunge in 2020 by between 13% and 32%, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO). While the WTO does not mention a word about the Great Depression (1929-1939) or how global economies contracted during that period, a 32% contraction would be on par
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 »#coronavirus: What kind of “soap” do we need to stop the spread of racism and fascism in the EU?
While the coronavirus has taught us to take precautions like washing our hands to avoid infection, what steps should we take to stop the spread of racism and fascism in Europe? The knee-jerk reaction of countries like Denmark to shut down their borders for a month to most tourists should not surprise us. As many
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 »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 »Our incapacity to feel for others, our indifference to their suffering is what is causing our moral downfall in the EU
Some studies claim that vote share for Eurosceptic parties has more than doubled in two decades, according to the Guardian. This problem has many answers. One of these is that Europeans have not done enough to root out all forms of racism. Our colonial legacy still hangs as an onerous shadow that encourages us to
Read on »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »Norway’s anti-immigration party exits government
After the populist anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* was left out in the cold from the government in 2017, the election blow suffered by the Danish People’s Party in 2019, and now the exit of the Progress Party (FrP) from the Norwegian government, the Nordic region is momentarily free of Islamophobic populist parties in government. After six
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 »Twitter: Spreading open racism and bigotry
Mehdi Hasan on Trump: Abdirahim Husu Hussein on the Perussuomalaiset.* Enrique Tessieri on the Perussuomalaiset:
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 »The framing of Muslims and minorities by the Finnish media and other toothless stories
If I had to choose the worst journalism in Finland this year, that would be the media coverage to the sexual assault cases of minors that took place from November 2018 to before the parliamentary elections of April 14. If you speak with some Muslims in Oulu, they will tell you that the hysteria died
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 »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 »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 »Study: If you have a “foreign”-sounding name, you will need more than luck to get work
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED A new study published by Akhlaq Ahmad about labor market discrimination in Finland and the results, while not pretty, reinforce what we’ve known all along: ethnic discrimination is commonplace in Finland’s labor markets. On Saturday, Migrant Tales published a news story that showed that the number of work permits granted to
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 »“Dynamic” duo Tavio and Purra bullying Muslim women for career and profit
I would rather be a little nobody than to be an evil somebody. Anonymous Perussuomalaiset MPs Ville Tavio and Riikka Purra are a bunch of bullies because they pick on some of the most vulnerable people of our society, in this case, Muslim women who want to wear burkinis. Migrant Tales is not a vulnerable
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 »Kuopio tragedy: The Muslim “terrorist” and the “mentally troubled” lone wolf white guy
The tragedy that took place Tuesday in Kuopio, which claimed the life of a person and left ten injured, including the suspect, raises a lot of questions. One of these is if we should treat what happened as a terrorist act or just some mentally troubled lone wolf? The National Board of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) Detective
Read on »Finland should wake up to its hate speech, hate crime and racism problem
Green League MP Iris Suomela raised an essential question in parliament on Wednesday about rape. She said that there are “hundreds of thousands” rape cases in Finland of which 50,000 are reported annually to Victim Support Finland (RIKU). “The end result of all this is that the police record about 1,200 [rape] cases [annually] of
Read on »How racists shoot themselves
An Afghan student’s view of a symbolic weapon used by racists. The history of this drawing: A student drew it from the top of his head and wrote “racists” on the upper right-hand corner.
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 »Who needs a commissioner for protecting European values? What are “our” European values anyway?
Why does the European Commission need a commissioner for the protection of “our” European values? Protection of what “European” values need protecting? Are social exclusion and racism European values? What about the over 34,361 migrants who have died to May 2018 while crossing the Mediterranean Sea? What about Islamophobia? Fascism? Our unrepentant colonial past, among
Read on »EU President-elect von der Leyen caves into the threat of fascism and Islamophobia
EU President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented Tuesday her team and the new structure of the next European Commission. Apart from having no minorities on the commission, von der Leyen, raised a lot of eyebrows by nominating Margaritis Schinas of Greece as the new Commissioner for Protecting Our European Way of Life. In a story
Read on »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 »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 Peltokangas wants Finnish-Swedish border shut. Fears crime from Sweden.
Mauri Pelokangas is a hothead Peurussuomalaiset (PS)* MP who has gained notoriety for his Islamophobic statements. He demanded the police to release the identities of two men at large believed by him and the PS to be foreign terrorists. Those two “foreign terrorists” turned out to be Swedish nationals who speak Finnish. Since Peltokangas’ conspiracy
Read on »“Young white man” opens fire inside mosque near Oslo in Norway
THE STORY WAS UPDATED A “young white man” was arrested in Norway after shooting inside a mosque today, according to the BBC. The man injured one person after he opened fire on the Al-Noor Islamic Center near Oslo. According to a tweet by Tommi Kotonen, “Norwegian newspaper [VG] reports that police is investigating a forum
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 »Two sides of the same coin: El Paso white supremacist terrorist and Perussuomalaiset MP Olli Immonen and others of Finland
The white supremacist terrorist that murdered 20 innocent people and wounded two dozen on Saturday in El Paso, Texas, published a manifesto declaring war on Hispanics. He wrote: “Hispanics will take control of the local and state government of my beloved Texas, changing policy to better suit their needs. They will turn Texas into an
Read on »No surprise – Hanna Mäntylä gets sacked from the European Council
Former Blue Reform MP and Perussuomalaiset* social and health minister, Hanna Mäntylä, was fired in June as special advisor to the European Council on challenging youth radicalization and marginalization, according to Demokraatti which cites HBL. We mentioned back in 2017 when Mäntylä was named as a special advisor that she was unqualified to do the
Read on »What have we learned after 22/7? That we have a great ability to deny and forget?
Today marks the day when a white Norwegian terrorist called Anders Breivik murdered in cold blood 77 people. Mentally deranged? This is how some want to interpret such a vile act of terrorism. One of the matters that the monstrous attack by Breivik has proven eight years after it happened is that we have a
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 »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 »Ministry cuts funding for Perussuomalaiset Youth in 2019 over racist tweet(s)
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED The ministry of education and culture decided to cut 115,000 of funding for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth for violating the Youth Act 2017, according to Yle News. The news was hailed by some anti-racist activists as a step in the right direction on how Finland should challenge institutional racism. One of
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY Jane Elliott: On white supremacy
In the same way, as in the United States and other predominantly white countries like Finland that are witnessing a growing culturally and ethnically diverse society, Jane Elliott, an anti-racist activist, and educator offers some sound advice below. In Finland, some of us are so afraid of losing power to ethnic minorities that we saw
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 »A short note from a reader: “Kontula eilen (neighborhood of Kontula yesterday).”
This was sent to us today. It reads in Finnish: “Kontula eilen,” the Helsinki neighborhood of Kontula yesterday.
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 »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 »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 »Twitter David Schneider: Theresa May guide to crying
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 »Migrant Tales dedicates the following video to Finnish “let them drown” Euro election candidates
Here is a video Migrant Tales would like to dedicate to the “let them drown” Euro election candidates. Did you know that 36.3% of Finnish MEP candidates who answered (85/234) Alma Media’s election compass stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree” or are “neutral” (have no opinion) about the following claim: “Is it the obligation
Read on »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 »ERR News: Le Pen caught “unaware” of the meaning of the white power sign
The leader of the far-right Front National Marine Le Pen was caught “unaware” of the meaning of a white power sign in a selfie taken with Estonian far-right EKRE member Ruuben Kaalep, according to ERR News of Estonia.
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 »Facebook Bashy Quraishy: A sure way to win elections in Denmark
Migrant Tales insight: The man smiling and waving to the public and flanked by the police is Rasmus Paludan. He incites hatred by burning the Quran and by insulting Muslims.
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 »A question to the Finnish “let them drown” MEP candidates: Is this ok?
Migrant Tales published this week a list of Finnish MEP candidates who apparently did not care whether migrants drown at sea or not, based on an Alma Meter election compass question that asks the following question:
Read on »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 »Migrant Tales’ shameful “let them drown” list of Finnish MEP candidates
The Alma Median EU election compass shows that (85/234) MEP candidates of the Perussuomalaiset* and National Coalition Party as the most eager to allow migrants drown in the Mediterranean. Even a neutral, or no opinion answer, is problematic. Does it mean that you are quiet and look the other way when people drown?
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »One step forward for Islamophobes and two steps back for the Finnish media
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, convicted for ethnic agitation and sexual harassment, is on the roll with the media again. This time, the PS MP has taped on his car anti-immigration slogans like “stop refugee terrorism – out of this country every [asylum seeker] man.”
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 »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 »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 »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 »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 »Oulu’s knee-jerk reaction to the sexual assault crimes will do a lot of harm to the city’s image. Blame the media, police, politicians.
The question Migrant Tales asked a while back if the City of Oulu’s decision to ban visits by asylum seekers to child care centers and schools is legal. Can you ban a single group, in this case, asylum seekers, from visiting such places? As far as how the law works in Finland, the ban should
Read on »Sampo Terho says clean up the mess his party created thanks to tighter asylum laws
What is the difference between the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and Blue Reform party? With respect to racism, the PS is definitely with gusto while Blue Reform is gusto with a tie. Both are racist parties that aim to undermine migrants, minorities and Others from having a greater voice in Finland.
Read on »WARNING: RACIST CONTENT – Halla-aho announces that anti-immigration will be the PS’ main campaign theme
With parliamentary elections a heartbeat away on April 14, the populist far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party announced that anti-immigration will be their main campaign theme. Are we surprised? Not in the bit. PS Chairperson Jussi Halla-aho was quoted as saying in Yle that at the present rate, Finland’s immigration policy will destroy present levels of social welfare, undermine
Read on »Ku Klux Klan in the US, Perussuomalaiset in Finland
The editorial below by the Alabama-based Democrat-Reporter, calling on the Ku Klux Klan “to ride again” and lynch Democrats, was not published in the last century but in 2019. This editorial is a good example that the United States is a racist country and has done too little to eradicate this social ill.
Read on »PS’ Jussi Halla-aho on TV offerng simplistic views on migration and Finnish identity
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho was a guest on Yle’s Ykkösaamu. Convicted for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion in 2012, the PS chairperson gave his usual simplistic views on immigration and Finnish identity.
Read on »Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases is an example of overkill and Islamophobia
How would you describe Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases? From November 27 to February 13, the state-owned broadcaster published a whopping 77 stories on the topic. This is not counting all the other stories that the tabloids and other print media published during that period.
Read on »Ministers Petteri Orpo and Kai Mykkänen are geniuses in migrant integration. Not.
As a sociologist and anti-racism activist, I was not surprised by the banality of Finance Minister Petteri Orpo’s and Interior Minister Kai Mykkänen’s model to better integrate migrants and do away with migrant crime. The answer? A test!
Read on »Facebook Soldiers of Odin: Now you see it but not all of it because something is missing
After Facebook temporarily shut the far-right Soldiers of Odin site, it is back up but the violent video the vigilante group posted is no longer there.