When asked about racism towards foreigners in Finland, Finns answer in a culturally approved script: “We Finns are not racist”; “If there is racism in Finland it is not as bad as it is in other countries” and; “Racism is the fault of the foreigners who move to Finland with unrealistic expectations.” Such dismissals require willful ethnic blindness to racism,
Read on »Posts Tagged: migrants
Migrant Tales 7 years ago…Osaatko suomea? Can you speak Finnish?
by Migrant Tales, under Muhamed Abdimajed Murshid This cartoon by Muhamed Abdimajed Murshid was published seven years ago (18.5.2013) in Otavan Sanomat, a magazine project by the students of Otava Folk High School. The cartoon shows what a lot of migrants face when studying and learning to speak Finnish. Picture one: Studying Finnish in the beginning. Picture
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset picks on vulnerable single mothers and migrant men
“Since leaving the White House in 1981, Rosalynn and I have strived to advance human rights in countries around the world. In this quest, we have seen that silence can be as deadly as violence.” Jimmy Carter Some sectors of the media and other people like teachers believe that silence is the best response to
Read on »What Yle leaves out when it tells us why labor discrimination exists in Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED If there is one matter that shines brightly from the editorial standards of Yle, it is its whiteness and how little regard they have for our people to voice the concerns of our ever-growing culturally diverse community. OK, true, there was a lot written this week about job discrimination and how
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY Khadidiatou Sylla: Success and hatred
Khadidiatou Sylla gave a talk at Turin’s Casarcobaleno this month together with Mor Ndaiye about life in Italy. There was a lot of intersectionality that came out in her talk: being black, being a woman, third culture, West African, Italian cultural and ethnic diversity, among others. Education and labor markets in Europe are highly racialized
Read on »The PS is a far-right, populist party that hopes to strike election gold with the sexual assault cases of Oulu by migrants
Imagine a political party that jumps for joy when migrants are suspected of sexual assault like in the case of Oulu. Imagine a party that taps into voters’ Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred to get votes. Imagine a party that aims at relegating migrants and minorities to second-class members of society with the help of lies and fake news.
Read on »Warning: Islamophobic content – schools and daycare centers in Oulu to temporarily ban visiting rights by asylum seekers, refugees
Here is a story you would never expect to read in a country like Finland, which bases its values on social equality, human rights and mutual respect. The decision to ban asylum seekers and refugees from visiting schools and daycare centers in Oulu due to the suspected sexual abuse cases raises a lot of questions.
Read on »MP Ozan Yanar is right: President Sauli Niinistö’s New Year’s speech is problematic
Whenever President Sauli Niinistö comments about asylum seekers, migrants and minorities there is usually a problem (see links below). Those of us who are anti-racist activists, will never forget his two-extremes argument, which puts people who fight to defend human rights as one extreme with the other extreme consisting of Neo-Nazis and other far-right groups
Read on »Indefinite detention of a naturalized Finn held without any charges by the police
Migrant Tales insight: We got an email from a reader who was worried about the fate of her partner, who is a Russian-speaking Estonian with Finnish citizenship. He has been detained since 11.10.2018 but still has not been charged with any crime. The woman doesn’t know what will happen and her partner’s lawyer has made it clear that she has still not been made aware of the nature of the case. How long can the Finnish police hold someone without any charges?
Read on »Finland’s Nobel Prize in economics states that white Finns must not share power and privileges with migrants and their children
Bengt Holmström is a Finnish economist who received the Nobel Prize in economics in 2016. What he may know about economics does not mirror his knowledge of Nordic values such as social equality and especially how migrants and minorities live in Finland.
Read on »Prime Minister Juha Sipilä fuels Finland’s hostile environment for migrants
While I was not surprised by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s comments about migration and the rise of the far right in YLE’s Ykkösaamu talk show, the interview offers a good example of how his government continues to fuel Finland’s hostile environment for migrants. According to Adrian Berry, a leading UK immigration lawyer, defined in in The Guardian, the
Read on »“Justice was served” with the 9.5-year prison sentence for brutally attacking a Pakistani migrant in February
The wife of the Pakistani migrant, whose husband was brutally attacked by three Finnish white youths in February, is satisfied with the 9.5 year prison sentence handed by a Vantaa court Friday. The three youths were sentenced for attempted murder.
Read on »Pressiklubi gives simplistic, apologetic view on how the Finnish media is “more balanced” today when writing about non-white Finns
It is surprising to hear how some politicians and journalists continue to have simplistic and apologetic views of racism and bigotry in this country. If YLE’s Päivi Happonen and Atte Kaleva’s words are to be believed on Pressiklubi, the Finnish media has finally woken up and writes more balanced stories about migrants and minorities that live in Finland.
Read on »UPDATE: Helsinki Times: Pakistani stabbed several times in the Finnish city of Vantaa
A Pakistani was stabbed several times on Friday night in Vantaa, according to Helsinki Times. The victim is 37 and the father of a four-year-old child.
Read on »The city of Kaajani, Finland, should do more to make migrants feel safe and welcome
Kaajani is a city of 37,304 people located 560 kilometers north of Helsinki. An African resident whom Migrant Tales spoke to said that she doesn’t feel safe walking alone at certain times of the day in Kajaani.
Read on »Migrants’ Rights Network: Why we should teach migration in schools
Many migrant children feel excluded by their peers and silently endure prejudices, racism, bullying and discrimination. These cruel violations have the power to lock a child’s full potential away.
Read on »Facebook Zimema Mhone: Clarification on why “I am cheaper”
Migrant Tales insight: Zimema Mhone has done some stories for us and he now posted something on Facebook that too many foreigners and minorities face in Finland. Did you know that nationally in 2014 foreigners earned 27.3% less at 21,479 euros/year compared with 29,550 euros, according to Pasi Saukkonen. In Helsinki, the gap was even higher
Read on »One of the things I dislike most about what politicians say about racism
When politicians claim that hard economic times explain why there’s a spike in racism, why people are racist, it is nothing more than an excuse to approve racist behavior. They approve such behavior because they don’t have any issues with their voters venting their hostility towards migrants and minorities.
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat survey on migrants reveals expectations that adaption in Finland is and will be a one-way process
Finland’s largest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, published a survey Friday about the minimum requirements that foreigners should adapt to if living here. Seventy-seven percent fully agreed that white Finns should be able to shake hands with both sexes. The survey showed as well that 52% were against women’s-only swimming hours and that 37% felt that one should bathe naked in the sauna.
Read on »(Announcement) 2017 Summer School Migration in Southern Europe: Solidarity, Crisis and Beyond
This seven-day course “Migration in Southern Europe: Solidarity, Crisis and Beyond” will investigate the developments, challenges and the impact of the migration and refugee crisis on southern European societies and on migrant populations. It will also explore the prospects for improving the current management of issues and relevant social policies. In conjunction with the lectures
Read on »Discrimination and racism see another day in Finland because justice moves at snail’s pace
At the end of last year, Rasoul Khorram, a naturalized Finn who has lived in this country for six years, tried without luck to open a bank account at the local Osuuspankki savings bank. Migrant Tales told Khorram to get in touch with the bank regional office and the non-discrimination ombudsman about the case.
Read on »Muhammed Shire and Johanna Ennser-Kananen: “Your Finnish is not good enough” and other myths migrants face on the job market
If you are a migrant who has applied for educational programs or jobs, chances are that you have heard some of the following myths. In this article, we debunk them by explaining their racist nature.
Read on »(Asylum Corner) Reporting on migration: magnifying glass or distorting lens?
On January 25th, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) brought together a large group of experts and well-known panellists in Brussels to debate the ways to balance the narrative on migration on both sides of the Mediterranean. During the event, which relates to the scope of the EUROMED Migration IV project, Aidan White, director of the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), presented the first report on the study he is currently conducting on behalf of ICMPD about media and migration in the Mediterranean area.
Read on »Housing discrimination occurs in Finland and is underreported by the media
A news story in YLE News about housing for immigrants highlights one area where discrimination is rife and unreported by the media. Contrary to discrimination in the labor market and at night clubs, reported by YLE, housing is another area where migrants and minorities face discrimination.
Read on »Ilta-Sanomat continues to publish racist stories even today
It’s disingenuous of tabloid Ilta-Sanomat to publish a story on Monday about legendary Finnish sports television commentator Raimo “Höyry” Häyrinen’s racist comments without taking a long look at itself in the mirror.
Read on »The “Denmarkization” of Finnish immigration policy
The Perussuomalaiset (PS) are eager to pass legislation that will not only hurt asylum seekers but all migrants and minorities that live in Finland. After breaking almost all of their campaign promises and after their poll rating have plummeted to single-digit percentages, the PS only have one trump card left in their political bag of tricks: anti-immigration rhetoric and policy.
Read on »Helsingin Sanomat article on refugees is an exercise in stereotyping
One matter has always surprised me about Finnish journalists is how they stereotype and allow their own value judgements and prejudices get in the way of facts. A good example is a story by Jukka Harju who not only mistakenly claims that the first refugees came to Finland over 40 years ago but which nationality adapted the best in Finland.
Read on »The Hieno: Finland is not for the ambitious
[Edits: This is a personal blog. A rant post like the following, in all its raw honesty, IS emotionally charged. So here is a non-provocative version. For concrete evidence on why I lack faith in the current Finnish economy for the next 1-5 years, read “Why Finland is not for the ambitious: A Macroeconomic Perspective”.Fundamentally, I am against mediocrity because I know Finns are smart and more of them can become world leaders should the system support and reward ambition–Read My Open Reply: In Praise of Ambition, Slush 2015 and Vision for Finland.
Read on »What President Sauli Niinstö forgets to state when he claims that migrants should “do as the Romans do”
What does President Sauli Niinitö mean by the controversial phrase, in Rome do as the Romans do, or maassa maan tavalla?
Read on »Our indecision and indifference to the humanitarian crisis facing Europe is the greatest threat
In the face of the humanitarian refugee crisis that we are seeing today in Europe, some leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel are offering leadership while others are frozen with indecision and indifference.
Read on »Migrants’ Rights Network: In this migration crisis, common humanity isn’t enough. We need to reimagine who ‘we’ are
One of the dominant features of the national discourse concerning the plight of the Calais migrants in recent weeks has been the dehumanising language applied to the men, women and children risking their lives in desperation to find lasting safety. This reached its peak with Prime Minister David Cameron referring to ‘swarms’ of migrants attempting to reach the UK and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond describing the ‘threat’ of ‘marauding’ African migrants.
Read on »Eva Biaudet: Finland’s ever-culturally and ethnically diverse society in the new century (Part II)
Swedish People’s Party (SPP) MP Eva Biaudet strongly believes that the blueprint to create a just and equal society for everyone in Finland hinges on Nordic and EU values.
Read on »Eva Biaudet: Finland’s ever-culturally and ethnically diverse society in the new century (Part I)
Swedish People’s Party (SPP) MP Eva Biaudet has made a name for herself defending those that don’t have a voice in society and those who are most vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation. If there is a person that can give a picture of where Finland is or should be heading in this century as our country becomes ever-culturally and ethnically diverse, that person is certainly Biaudet.
Read on »Minister Carl Haglund: Sports is an underused yet vital tool for migrant inclusion
A group of 60 experts and others interested in the field of sports and social issues agreed with Minister of Sports Carl Haglund, who stated that sports is an underused tool for social participation and action.
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: A return in Pixles
I pulled out my laptop and went on Google Earth. I typed in my mother’s childhood home address, but Google Earth didn’t recognize any matching location. I decided to turn to my mother and carried the spacecraft-like laptop to her. After placing it on top of an orange table mat, I asked her to help me
Read on »The question that everyone forgot to ask: Are the Tapanila sexual assault suspects Finns?
The Tapanila gang sexual assault case last week revealed a lot of ugly things about our society like our lack of willingness to help people in distress, and racism. The debate has raged on with the media and social media leading the charge. The violent reaction we have seen on social media to what happened
Read on »Timo Soini and the PS: “What goes around comes around”
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman Timo Soini has good acting skills and a poor memory. At a press conference Thursday he told us about the death threats he’s received. I know how he feels because I too have received such death threats possibly from people inspired by the PS’ populist and hateful ideology. Even if I’ve lived in
Read on »How to tell a Finnish politician that he or she sounds racist
The atmosphere for migrants and minorities in Finland is going to get worse as parliamentary elections near in April 2015. Two recent cases, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Tom Packalén and National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma, reinforce that matters are going to get worse before they improve. A good way to uncover these opportunistic politicians’ motives
Read on »Apparently few migrants and minorities attended the National Sports Forum
Some claim that one of the problems that migrants and minorities face in Finland is that they are underrepresented in different associations. Last Sunday, the National Sports Forum held a meeting in Helsinki to talk about the future of sports in Finland. Gathering from the picture below, it’s clear that few migrants and minorities were
Read on »Zuzeeko’s blog: 1960-style racial abuse in a store in Finland, and silent onlookers
Zuzeeko Tegha Abeng* Things happen in modern-day Finland that look like scenes out of the U.S. in the 1960s when black people, such as 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, were taunted by angry members of the white community who opposed racial integration of public schools. Ihmisoikeusliitto, a human rights organisation that monitors the human rights situation in
Read on »Pekka Myrskylä: “Why aren’t we debating about why [white] Finns buy alcohol with social aid?”
National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma has proven with her victimization of migrant mothers and migrants that prejudices have deep roots. No matter how much you expose an outright lie, your evidence will have little impact because some people are set in their prejudices and beliefs. Kauma continues to be adamant: She will not apologize
Read on »Dr Theodoros Fouskas: Nigerian Immigrants in Greece: Low-Status Work, Community, and Decollectivization
Migrant Tales insight: Dr Theodoros Fouskas, a lecturer at the New York College, Greece, is no stranger to our blog. We’ve published two stories about his research and work. Taking into account the economic and political hardships that Greece faces and how this had impacted migrants, Migrant Tales believes it has a responsibility to show the good
Read on »PS MP forced to explain why he refused to take a taxi driven by a non-white Finn
Tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that two sources saw Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Mika Niikko refuse take a taxi in front of parliament because the driver was”dark-skinned.” Niikko later retracted his version of events to the reporter after the interview. He said that since the incident took place a year ago, he now remembers the driver to be
Read on »How the Finnish media continues to be part of the problem by reinforcing stereotypes and racist perceptions of migrants and minorities
A news story about migrant crime was published by the Lahti-based Etelä-Suomen Sanomat with a provocative drawing of a black man’s arms handcuffed. Migrant Tales got in touch with the reporter that wrote the story and asked why it was considered news at the end of July if it was based on a study published by The
Read on »Finland is not a land of opportunity but a land of poverty for most migrants
According to Statistics Finland’s Working Paper series, Finland is no land of opportunity for migrants, writes Pekka Myrskylä. The Statistics Finland’s development manager claims that the employment level of Estonians and Thai citizens matches that of ethnic Finns. The majority of migrants live in poverty in Finland, according to him. If what Myrskyä writes
Read on »The number of homeless migrants in Finland rises sharply in 2013
Despite a drop in homeless cases in Finland, the number of homeless migrants rose in 2013 to close to 2,000 persons versus breaking the 1,000 mark in 2011, according to the Housing Finance and Development Center of Finland (ARA).* Migrants accounted for 61% of homeless cases in Finland. Read full statement (in Finnish) here. The
Read on »Finland also locks up asylum seeker children
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- A child in the Joutseno Immigration Removal Center.
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