Whenever I get fan or hate mail, I wonder why they never sign them with their names. I normally don’t publish hate mail but this will be an exception. The one below is by KKK Molly, at least it is what’s on her email address. I wonder what “KKK” stand for? Ku Klux Klan, maybe?
Read on »Posts Tagged: xenophobia
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 »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 »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 »Exposing white Finnish privilege #83: War doesn’t give a hoot if you are white or black
The war in Ukraine is like a sinister brew boiling over death, destruction, tragedy, hatred, and xenophobia. Apart from the shock and horror, our double standards and jingoism stand out as a stark reminder that we have done little to challenge the very social ills that caused the deaths of tens of millions of people
Read on »Millions of Ukrainians are coming. How long will it take before our goodwill turns into open hostility?
Remember 2015, when some 1.3 million million asylum seekers came to Europe from countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia? Europe says welcome! Tervetuloa (welcome)! Meillä on tilaa (there is room for you)! After the initial outpouring of support and understanding for these people fleeing wars that we had started, attitudes took an abrupt turn for
Read on »Ukrainians battle against the Russians but do little with the Poles to fight racism
Shameful and racist treatment. Ukrainian train conductors push back on Africans fleeing the war while Polish border officials don’t permit Africans to enter Poland, reports The Guardian. Just like when Poland fenced out Middle East asylum seekers in November from entering the country, which even led to the death of children from hyperthemia, Africans are facing the same
Read on »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 »PS chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee resigns after “careless” Ukraine tweet
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP and head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Mika Nikko, resigned today after he tweeted that come Western leader should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine must not join Nato. The tweet, which was in conflict with Finland’s foreign policy, was deleted. Even so, it had created quite a stir and
Read on »Seinäjoki police wrapping up their suspected hate crime investigation. Charges are expected this month.
The Seinäjoki police, which had taken over a year and eight months to investigate a crime when Fares Al-Obaidi was attacked by over ten people from the Western Finnish town of Teuva, plans to bring charges this month, according to the victim. The incident happened on June 6, 2020 when over ten suspected townspeople from
Read on »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 »Migrant Tales Literary: Finland does not accept asylum seekers any longer
By Leo Honka On ships, On foot, By bus, By plane, By car, By bike, With hope, Everyone conspires to leave where the floodlights comb the state of siege. Whoever writes about pain, in my country, is slain, tortured on the street left starving fed to your racism. Don’t sing me any lullabies! Don’t hand
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 sources of Finland’s far-right problem: downplaying and denial
“The main agents of ideological violence are not isolated ‘lone wolves’ but are usually interconnected with communities, non-violent agents and legal entities, at times even including connections to law enforcement personnel.” Mihai Varga Over two weeks have elapsed since the police announced the detention of five white-Finn terrorist suspects in the Western Finnish city of Kankaanpää.
Read on »Downplaying and whitewashing the far-right threat in Finland
It is disappointing to note that it took Finland’s largest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, five days to write an editorial on the threat posed by the far-right after the detention of five white Finns on Friday. Considering the media attention and general outrage in general that Abderrahman Mechkah knife attack caused in Turku in 2017, a
Read on »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 »Shameless Europe does not care if you live or die
We cannot just snuggle here and see who comes to the border. We must promote the values of the EU with greater determination because without these values we are worthless. Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen We just read about the tragic death of 27 people when attempting to cross the English Channel. One of
Read on »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 »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 »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 »Dismantle institutional racism and myths if you want people to adapt to Finland
The ongoing discussion in Finland about our ever-growing cultural and ethnic diversity is grounded on two misleading assertions that hide the core problem: language is the magic bullet to become a part of society, and white Finnish society is innocent – if you don’t adapt it’s because of you. Heikki Turkka of Children of the
Read on »The magic word for Finland’s future success rests on change and inclusion
Finland is in a bind, and we have heard these for a long time: Finland’s population is aging, and there is an ever-growing need for foreign labor. Our answer to these challenges is not only disappointing but leaving our future to chance. Why is there such a negative and suspicious attitude towards foreigners in Finland?
Read on »PS’ Riikka Purra feeds Afghans to the dogs
The new chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, Riikka Purra, will soon be calling out the knives. In her latest tweet, she reveals her radical cruelty against the vulnerable. In the Tweet below, she feeds the Afghans to the dogs and shows the worst of Finland. No experts, human rights activists, defenders of the
Read on »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 »The media must fact-check what xenophobic politicians spread and claim
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED It is a good sign that some Finnish media like Yle are fact-checking what politicians say. However, it is a bit too late because the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* have built their popularity on making false claims about migrants. I’m pretty certain that if we were to do a fact-check on all the
Read on »My long journey to Finnish citizenship: Issues and the Supo interview
Ever wondered the source of the strong undercurrent of xenophobia in present-day Finland? The answer is in its history. During independence, Finland has been quite an unfriendly country towards foreigners. The Restricting Act of 1939 speaks volumes. Did you know that Finland passed its first immigration act in 1983 or about 66 years after gaining
Read on »My long journey to Finnish citizenship
Like many children of Finnish parents, I, too, spent summers in the countryside with my grandparents. During all of these years, I thought, incorrectly, that I was a Finnish citizen or had a right to citizenship. I was wrong. Until 1984, children of Finnish men had the right to pass on citizenship to their children.
Read on »Covid-19 is the oxygen that the PS breathes to grow in Finland
How much is the Covid-19 pandemic impacting in a positive manner the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? This is not a trivial question considering that the party, which has built its voter base and message on racism, leads in the polls. What future does the PS have when the Covid-19 pandemic subsides? Will it be a
Read on »Remember the Muslim youth violently attacked by a group of enraged townspeople of Teuva?
Remember Fares Al-Obaidi, 19, who was chased and violently attacked on Saturday, June 6, by a gang of angry residents of Teuva, a town in Western Finland? Six months have passed since that terrible incident, and no charges have been brought yet against the alleged attackers. “The fact that I know nothing about my case
Read on »Sometimes the media, like HS, waters the poisonous flower of xenophobia
The headline of a Helsingin Sanomat article sparked fear on Tuesday: “Over one hundred dangerous youths wander in downtown Helsinki – according to experts, this is a new phenomenon caused by migration.” When the Helsingin Sanomat story was published, it spread fear and with it xenophobia. Is the newspaper article true? In the first place,
Read on »Twitter (Amin A Alem): COVID-19 and the racialization of Others
As xenophobic parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party blame visible minorities for growing coronavirus infections, the same is being spread by people by people who should know better. The rise of a racist party like the PS during the 2010s, which reinforced many Finns’ xenophobic views, suggests that labeling and racializing will continue to pick
Read on »Moving to Europe was the right decision in 1978 even if my great grandfather is still turning in his grave
My great grandfather Dante Tessieri and his future wife, Aida Guaimonti, sailed from Italy in the 1890s to Brazil. Dante was a learned man, a physicist, and an anarchist that housed strong political opinions. He was forced to leave Italy, like many millions of his countrymen, because of political reasons. Of all my great grandparents,
Read on »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 »Tampere police highlight in a statement that the suspect isn’t “a person of foreign origin.” WTF?!
A 10-year-old child in a department store in Tampere was attacked by a man with a knife. The suspect took two swings at the child but his father was able to stop the attack. Even if the suspect was a white Finn, and fearing a social media storm on social media, the police announced that
Read on »Facebook (Hami Bahadori): A racially motivated hate crime?
Migrant Tales insight: This very sad story caught our attention. We are sorry to hear this and hope the police catch the perpetrators.
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 »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 »Part 2: Mental impact and reality of everyday exclusion
In a Migrant Tales’ recent article based on a Maailman Kuvalehti report about the mental suffering of daily racism, we promised some “no filtered” outtakes from interviews with those affected. You can read the first piece, Part I: Racism causes trauma and mental suffering,here. Eight cases, eight migrants, eight stories, about life in Finland: “You
Read on »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 »Sonia Maria Koo: EU freedoms paralyzed by Finnish xenophobia
Finnish election campaigns make it hard to stay calm even for a tax-paying, diligent, well-educated and fluent in local language EU-citizen with two decades of history in this inward-turning country showing more and more its ugly face of xenophobia and hatred.
Read on »Suva: A poster that says everyhing about xenophobia
Editor’s note: On behalf of Migrant Tales, I would like to welcome Suva to our blog community. His creativeness won’t abandon you. After seeing his work, you may feel like being part of a large community made up of Others. His artwork is powerful. It has such an impact on some that they crave to
Read on »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 »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 »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 »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 »Count to ten when people talk about migrants “embracing Finnish values”
I will count to ten very slowly if I hear one more time, just one more time from a politician, that migrants should embrace Finnish values. Most of them, when they make that ethnocentric statement, don’t tell us never mind give us a clue what those “Finnish values” are. Do they even know?
Read on »WARNING RACIST CONTENT: The “successful” Chinese, Vietnamese versus the “unsuccessful” Other
Remember the myth spread by the Finnish media from the 1980s that the Vietnamese were a model of adaption in Finland? The latest story published by Helsingin Sanomat about well-adapted Chinese is a repeat of a story that the daily published in 2015 about the Vietnamese.
Read on »Islamophobia and xenophobia on steroids: Jussi Halla-aho’s latest column in MTV
The Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson, Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted of ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion in 2012, is a columnist for television station MTV. Two matters emerge when skimming through his latest column: The media is part of Finland’s racism problem; and the PS is the first modern Finnish party to capitalize exclusively on immigration, especially Islamophobia.
Read on »Prime Minister Juha Sipilä: Asylum seekers should take exam on Finnish values
Ratcheting up suspicion and polarization in Finland against asylum seekers and migrants, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said over the weekend that he favors giving refugees should take an entrance exam on Finnish values like bodily integrity before getting residence permits, according to Yle.
Read on »Finnish white privilege #59: In this country, you are guilty until proven innocent
Interior Minister Kai Mykkänen and the government are using the same tactics as the Nazis in World War 2 but in a different context. The government is not rounding up people and killing them in cold blood but punishing them severely for the crimes others did. Imagine the migrant community of Finland, especially Muslims and
Read on »The media of Finland is part of the country’s Islamophobia and racism problem
Journalists and newspapers in Finland, especially tabloids like Iltalehti, Ilta-Sanomat and state broadcaster YLE, are prime examples of not only white Finnish privilege but of white Finnish overkill and rage.
Read on »Migrant Tales’ first-ever “WARNING: ISLAMOPHOBIC AND XENOPHOBIC CONTENT ON STEROIDS (Katie Hopkins, Tiina Wiik and Junnes Lokka)
Katie Hopkins, the former columnist who got the boot from the Daily Mail and who has had to pay exorbitant sums for defamation, visited Oulu this week and was the special guests of Tiina Wiik and Junnes Lokka, both who have made a name in the same way as Hopkins – by spreading bigotry and Islmophobia.
Read on »White Finnish privilege #56: How Islamophobic is Finland?
Ever thought why political parties like the Perussuomalaiset,* Blue Reform and individual politicians from other parties, especially from the National Coalition Party, are so keen at pointing the finger at Muslims? Do they do so because they are racists? Opportunists? Political gold diggers?
Read on »Police Uiversity College: Hate crimes rise in 2017 by 8% to 1,165 cases on year
Hate crimes* that were reported to the police in Finland during 2017 rose by 7.97% to 1,165 cases compared with 1,079 cases the previous year, according to the Finnish Police University College.
Read on »European Agency of Fundamental Rights: Finland has the most racial harassment cases against PAD of 12 EU countries surveyed
A new study by the European Agency of Fundamental Rights (FRA) reveals that a third of people of African descent (PAD) surveyed have experienced racial harassment in the last five years. That’s not all: Perceived racist harassment was highest in Finland (63%) and least prevalent in Malta 20% (see chart below).
Read on »Finland knows that it is in demographic hot water but leaves its future woes to chance
A new forecast by Statistics Finland tells us what we’ve known for a long time: We are in demographic hot water and our population will start to shrink and get older, according to YLE News. Net immigration will maintain present population levels at 5.6 million until 2035, but will decline to 5.5 million in the 2050s.
Read on »White Finnish nationalism and racism reveal themselves on Father’s Day
Today people of all backgrounds celebrated Father’s Day in Finland. A Johannes Sipola, who is the chairperson for Lapland of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth, had another opinion and tweeted: “A happy Father’s day to all white fathers.” It’s incredible to what lengths and ignorance some will dive in order get attention. Sipola is a good example
Read on »The PS and Blue Reform of Finland are an aberration and should be voted out in 2019
I have never believed or trusted the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* even if some were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt after their historic win in the 2011 parliamentary elections. Some claimed that it would only be a matter of time when they imploded. The implosion of the party happened in June 2017, or six
Read on »Challenging Finland’s racism problem:Raise your voice, trust yourself, and don’t succumb to fear and self-censorship
When I moved to Finland over forty years ago, there were only about 10,000 foreigners living in the country. The biggest national group were the Swedes, who were mostly Finns who had become naturalized citizens of that country. One of the questions we asked back then was about the level of racism in Finland.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Stop debating with fascists and racists
Migrant Tales insight: Aleksander Hemon states in his eloquent article about fascism that we should not waste any time debating but that “it is a set of actions to fight.” In the essay, he admits feeling guilty and ashamed of his cowardice and naivety that just talking to a fascist might bring him back. In
Read on »S. Ukkola’s colorblind racism, white fragility, expose a wider problem of Finnish society
Sanna Ukkola, a YLE journalist married to Matias Turkkila, the editor of the xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party publication Suomen Uutiset, not only exposes in a column colorblind racism* and white fragility, but wider issues about Finnish society on racism, ethnicity, and identity.
Read on »Xenophobic and pro-Russia online publication MV-lehti founder Ilja Janitskin slapped with 22-month prison sentence
Migrant Tales applauds the sentencing by the Helsinki District Court on Thursday of Ilja Janitski, the founder of the xenophobic website MV-lehti and Uber Uutiset, on 16 criminal charges. Janitski was handed a twenty-two-month prison sentence and with two others found guilty, was ordered to pay the biggest share of damages amounting to 136,000 euros.
Read on »Anti-immigration stances and policies of the United Kingdom will lead to its breakup
What three countries are officially multicultural? They are Canada, Australia and the UK. In the case of Canada and the UK, these countries adopted multiculturalism as a social policy to avert the breakup of their countries.
Read on »How the Finnish police fuel mistrust and erode credibility with migrants and ethnic minorities
The Finnish police servicer held a seminar on Wednesday on migrant surveillance. NGOs like Stop Deportations and Refugees Welcome expressed outrage and published some PowerPoint slides shown at the seminar by the Helsinki Police department responsible for immigration matters.
Read on »YLE of Finland changes picture of niqab-wearing woman after objections. The new picture still instills fear of asylum seekers.
YLE published on Wednesday a story about what different parties’ positions are on migration and cultural diversity. The picture that the state-owned broadcaster chose was, in our opinion, a poor example of opinionated journalism that fuels fear and racism.
Read on »Sloppy Finnish journalism that plays into fearmongering and xenophobia
Below, is one example of many of how media like the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) fuel racism and fear of asylum seekers in Finland. Asylum seekers and Muslims form a small part of Finland’s total immigration picture. Why do they give so much attention to them? If the story is to look at each parties’
Read on »Blue Reform’s Sampo Terho of Finland and his politically ambidextrous misbeliefs
Blue Reform* minister for European affairs, culture and sports, Sampo Terho is politically ambidextrous: He can say one thing and state a totally different thing. It is like coming out of the closet and going back in. The opportunism in such ambidextrous behavior is believing that others don’t notice. And we do. In the statement
Read on »Anti-refugee sentiment in Finland and politicians who capitalize on fear and racism
A new survey by PEW Research Center shows that there is wide support in several EU countries for taking in refugees. The report shows that Spain is the most welcoming while Poland and Hungary are the least responsive.
Read on »How would we classify Finland’s immigration and asylum policy? Thumbs up, or down?
Just like President Donald Trump has destroyed the US’ standing in the world, what wreckage has Finland’s immigration and asylum policy brought on our society and our country’s name?
Read on »The bad and good news after Sweden’s 2018 parliamentary elections
There is good and bad news after Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The bad news is that the far-right Sweden Democrat saw its support rise by 4.7 percentage points to 17.6% compared with the elections in 2014, according to Svenska Dagbladet. The good news – if it can be considered as such – is that the result was well below expectations.
Read on »(Migrant Tales 12.2.2017): Dear Sweden, don’t play ball with the Sweden Democrats – Finland is the best example of the disaster that awaits you
Dear Sweden, In all of the Nordic region, we have seen far-right populist parties rise in this century with a hostile even vicious anti-immigration and anti-cultural diversity agenda. Of all the Nordic countries, you are the only one in the Nordic region where populist anti-immigration parties have not formed directly or indirectly a part of government.
Read on »Finland’s speaker of parliament stokes the white Christian flames of “us” and “them”
Conservative National Coalition Party speaker of parliament, Paula Risikko, was quoted as saying in Senäjoki-based daily Ilkka that she is concerned about the role of Christians in Finland. “Was it easier before to be religious,” she was quoted as asking in Keskisuomalainen. “For example, it’s not as easy today to bring one’s religious views at
Read on »Finland’s ministry of the interior will (alas) launch an independent inquiry of Migri
Conservative National Coalition Party Minister of the Interior Kai Mykkänen announced Friday that an independent inquiry of the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) will be launched, according to YLE. The minister said, however, that the independent inquiry should not be seen as a lack of trust in Migri’s work, which has had to process some 45,000
Read on »Brexit-inflicted UK is so racist that even white Europeans are targets of racism and rage
It would be wrong to conclude that Brexit is the cause of the racism we are witnessing today in the United Kingdom. Surprised? Not really. What would you expect from a country that has a dark history in global domination, exploitation, and genocide? The common thinking of some people about the United Kingdom is that
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: How anti-diversity and Islamophobic is Finland?
“One of the big denials that one still hears a lot in Finland is its denial of the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, an Islamophobic party that won 39 seats in the parliamentary elections of 2011 from just 5 MPs in previously. There was an ongoing debate after 2011 within the PS on what caused its historic election victory. Then party leader Timo Soini claimed it was anti-EU sentiment while its present leader, Jussi Halla-aho, claimed it was the PS’ Islamophobic stance.
Read on »Dutch foreign minister offers excuses for racism and “failures of multiculturalism”
The interview below with Dutch foreign minister, Stef Blok, is another prime example of why racism, bigotry, and discrimination continue to list high on the European shame board. The interview, where Blok tells us how “multiculturalism has failed,” reveals another excuse why racism is deeply ingrained in Europe. .
Read on »Argentina’s issues with whitewashing and genocide. Like the crimes committed during the dirty war, they too should be addressed.
When I was young, I remember very well the racism of the Argentines. A friend of mine from Rosario highlighted this racism in the following example: An porteño (a resident of the capital Buenos Aires) told his friends that he was going to travel to South America as if Buenos Aires was surrealistically still a part of Europe.
Read on »Where is the outcry for the Danish government’s assimilation plans of migrant children?
Denmark’s xenophobic and especially Islamophobic government plans to regulate by law the life in 25 low-income Muslim neighborhoods. The message is clear and should cause outrage but we have not heard a humble finger lifted by the European Union about the government’s forced assimilation plan.
Read on »Viktor Orbán is one of the many scary faces of Europe’s violent and racist legacy
After the FIDEZ-KDNP alliance gave Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán 133 our of 199 seats in the April parliamentary elections, where anti-immigrant and anti-EU liberal ideology was contested in a hostile campaign, the prime minister said that the vote was a decisive victory to defend the country.
Read on »The children of separated families in the US are telling us to change our greedy ways
In Europe, the driver of millions of asylum seekers is us. We invaded with the United States and gave support to the invasion of Iraq. In Latin America, the driver of refugees to the United States is Washington’s big-stick policy and economic exploitation of the region’s wealth and opportunities.
Read on »The more politicians and racists vilify migrants the stronger we get
No matter how much politicians vilify migrants and continue to attack us, the more desperate their situation becomes.
Read on »Finnish identity: You define who you are, nobody else can or should do that for you
The Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a shrinking single-issue political party that wants, but cannot succeed, at turning Finland into a Denmark-style country where political parties try to outdo each other in their racism and bigotry.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Tightening of immigration laws in Finland and the exploitation of migrants
The near-constant negative labelling of visible migrants like Muslims and minorities by too many Finnish politicians and society has not only weakened their civil rights as Amnesty International pointed out, but led to their exploitation by dishonest and greedy employers that promise them a job and a ticket to a residence permit.
Read on »After the Perussuomalaiset-Blue Reform, the National Coalition Party is the most anti-immigration party in the Finnish parliament
If you ask anyone in Finland which party thrives on anti-immigration sentiment and bigotry, the answer is simple: Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and Blue Reform. The difference between these two is that the former is a racist party that came out of the closet and the latter one which went back to the closet. Here’s the question:
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The mood is so bad, so unhealthy, that there is no way to talk rationally,” according to Emma Bonino
“Sooner or later, we will recognize that we need them [immigrants],” says former Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino. “For the moment the political mood is so bad, so unhealthy, that there is no way to talk rationally.”
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Populism is like pissing in your pants
“Populism is like pissing in your pants in freezing temperatures. It may feel good for a moment but you soon understand it was a dumb idea. You now have two problems instead of one: freezing temperature and your freezing-cold urine.”
Read on »Finland: Retreating into a shell and fuelling xenophobia and racism
As Finland retreats deeper into its shell and ethnocentrism, the it feeds the beast of xenophobia and racism. Apart from Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Laura Huhtasaari, who openly encourages direct violence and hatred against migrants and minorities, there are others that are just as guilty.
Read on »President Sauli Niinistö office wants to censor the Feminist Party of Finland
President Sauli Niinistö’s track record on defending Nordic values and cultural diversity (non-white society) has been a disappointment for many. He is more than ready to protect white Finnish privilege and power but rarely, if ever, the rights of asylum seekers, visible minorities, and migrants.
Read on »Ahti Tolvanen: Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö’s announces legislative initiative to cleanse the ministry of foreign dual citizens
This brought me back to the days of my reckless youth when I arrived in Finland in the early 70s to study at university. At that time a foreign citizen was not allowed by law to hold any kind of “virka” i.e. permanent public job. A foreign citizen was also not even allowed to marry a Finn. There were also a host of private sector and community jobs a foreigner could not hold like newspaper editor, city counselor, shop steward and board member in a company or association.
Read on »The police should investigate MV for labeling people “terrorists” and publishing their pictures
MV-lehti is a racist trash publication that doesn’t care to put people in harm’s way by labeling them as “terrorists” as did happen in Murha.info. Migrant Tales believes that one of the many defamation cases and crimes investigated by the police involving MV should involve an Iraqi asylum seeker called Jihad Baghdadi. Baghdadi’s picture was published in MV-lehti
Read on »A letter to the Non-Discrimination Ombudsperson Kirsi Pimiä
Dear Kirsi,
I have written to PM Juha Sipilä twice concerning his ‘reluctance’ to publicly acknowledge racial discrimination in Finland (FRA EU MIDIS-II 2017 12.12.2017 meeting in Helsinki).
Read on »Finland’s Perussuomalaiset party and its disdain for #metoo and our institutions
What do you do if an Islamophobic MP called Teuvo Hakkarainen gets so drunk in parliament that he picks a fight with other MPs from the rival Blue Reform party by throwing bottles at their meeting? What about if that same MP, convicted for hate speech, grabs a fellow woman MP and forces her to kiss him?
Read on »Finland’s lost decade flirting with racism, fascism and the Perussuomalaiset party
Sampo Terho, minister culture, sport and European affairs, was elected on Saturday to chair Blue Reform, a Lilliputian party that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* after their plush ministerial jobs were on the line after Jussi Halla-aho was elected PS chairperson in June.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Päävo Väyrynen is Finland’s cold war foreign minister
If there is one politician in Finland that gives some heartburn, that politician is without a doubt Paavo Väyrynen. It is unfortunate that the Finnish media doesn’t return to the cold war era and look into Väyrynen’s record when he was the foreign minister most of the time from 1977 to 1993. During that period there were
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Unspeakable politicians and their own gain
White Finns rarely consult migrants and minorities on anything important. They may ask them their opinion on x and y but the final decision on policy is made by them because you don’t really count. And then there are people like Jussi Halla-aho, Laura Huhtasaari, Timo Soini, Wille Rydman, and many others who pour gasoline
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Lack of empathy
The lack of empathy by politicians and the government for the suffering of vulnerable groups like asylum seekers came to light again when two refugees stabbed themselves in protest of Finland’s asylum policy. Lack of empathy is the first step or reminder that our society is dysfunctional and in trouble. War now seems a possibility. “Old”
Read on »Double standards by the Finnish police. Who can insult whom?
These two videos speak volumes about the differential treatment of asylum seekers and white Finns by the police. In the first video, two Finnish-speaking asylum seekers are handcuffed at the immigration detention center of Joutseno. One of them apparently for saying something inappropriate.
Read on »MTV: Normalizing racism and bigotry in Finland with Jussi Halla-aho’s help
After attending a European Network Against Racism in Brussels that ended Saturday, I discovered on my arrival to Finland that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Chairman Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted for ethnic agitation in 2012 and who built his political career on Islamophobia, is now a columnist in MTV, Finland’s largest privately owned television station.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Why do racists hate and target Muslims?
“Finland and Europe are suspicious of Muslims because their racism and hatred have ensured that their ‘integration’ polices have failed despite the fact that the majorty of Muslims are well-adapted. Instead of blaming their own prejudices for their failures, they scapegoat a religious and ethnic group.”
Read on »Migrants suffer from the Ulysses syndrome, societies from the Cyclopse syndrome
I wrote a story in Migrant Tales nine years ago about the Ulysses syndrome, an illness that affects migrants, which speaks volumes about the lives of asylum seekers in Finland and how officials and the government contribute to their misery. If the Ulysses syndrome explains the suffering of migrants what would we call a society that is indifferent to their suffering?
Read on »Finland’s government to tighten again immigration and asylum policy
The desperation New Alternative* or Blue Reform, the faction that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS) to keep their jobs as ministers, must be huge. Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho announced Thursday that the government plans to tighten immigration and asylum policy laws in the face of the Turku attack, according to YLE News.
Read on »Finland’s Draconian immigration policy today has its roots in the Cold War era
The quote sits well with Finland’s Draconian immigration and asylum policy. The number of undocumented migrants has soared from an estimated 300. Those who are lucky enough to get a residence permit can say goodbye to ever bringing their loved ones to this country because family reunification requirements have been tightened. In sum, the Finnish government and the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) have done everything possible to make their lives as miserable as possible and expel them from here.
Read on »PS’ Third Vice President Juho Eerola is suspected of ethnic agitation in Finland
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* third vice president Juho Eerola is suspected of ethnic agitation, according to YLE News. If convicted, only PS First Vice President Laura Huhtasaari would be the only board member of the party that doesn’t have a conviction for ethnic agitation. Chairman Jussi Halla-aho was convicted in 2012 and MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, the second vice president, convicted in January.
Read on »Finland believes tighter laws will protect the country from terrorism but the real enemy is fear and opportunism
The knee-jerk reaction of politicians after the tragedy that took place in Turku on Friday not only smells of populism but of opportunism. What have we heard from them since last week?
Read on »Wednesday was a good day for racism in Finland: Pia Kauma and Gleb Simanov
Wednesday was a good day for racism in Finland. National Coalition Party (NCP) substitute MP Pia Kauma, who accused migrant women three years ago of demanding social welfare to buy new baby carriages, took over as MP after Alexander Stubb took started his tenure at the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Read on »Disingenuous Timo Soini should take a long look in the mirror
If there is a power-hungry politician who will do almost anything to gain power and lose it in an instant, that politician is Timo Soini. Apart from being a disingenuous politician who saw his populist creation inflate and implode, he is a sore loser as well. In an interview in Tampere-based daily Aamulehti, he claims
Read on »Just call them the New Perussuomalaiset and Old Perussuomalaiset
As politicians like MP Simon Elo try to assure us of their questionable political credentials after he and nineteen others ditched the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party on June 13, the new party’s name, which has changed three times in less than two months, is nothing more than a snow job.
Read on »Finland’s culturally diverse community must point out and scorn our Uncle Toms
What does it say about our society when second-generation children of migrants join far-right groups that spew racism? We have a few of them in Finland like Gleb Simanov and the even more notorious types like Junes Lokka, Marco de Wit, and Miki Sileoni.
Of
Read on »The fired bus driver who seeks fame with his racist videos will end up forsaken, jobless
Racism is a sickness, and as a disorder, it has consequences for the victim and the perpetrator. We learned about a bus driver and Peurssuomalaiset (PS)* politician called Gleb Simonov, who thought up the “bright” idea to videotape and insult only Somalis in three videos that he posted.
Read on »The Helsinki bus driver that videotaped, insulted his customers was fired Thursday
Today we read about a bus driver of Russian origin and a candidate of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party ethnically profile Somalis, insulted, videotaped and published on YouTube got sacked today. The bus driver was so sure of himself that he even gave the numbers of his company’s managers to complain.
Read on »Old or new Perussuomalaiset or new or old Perussuomlaiset – it’s a new Cadillac model!
We saw on Tuesday quite a political show in Finland with 22 MPs ditching the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and forming a new party called for now New Alternative. But don’t hold your breath because nothing has changed it’s just a marketing of the same thing – right-wing populist nationalism and all the toxicity that goes with it.
Read on »Nuiva manifesto – now you see it, now you don’t! We won’t, however, forget
The Nuiva manifesto is a far right proposal on how to tighten immigration policy and make life more difficult for migrants and minorities in Finland. Those who signed the manifesto in 2010, all in all 13 people, cannot be found anymore on the net.
Read on »Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset party?
Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? If you ask Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister Petteri Orpo there is. But if you are a migrant, asylum seeker or minority in Finland, it’s doubtful that you would make such a difference.
Read on »Finland’s PM shows Halla-aho and his “new” far right Perussuomalaiset party the door
It became clear in the afternoon that Halla-aho’s first day as the new chairman of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) ended with Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and National Coalition Party (NCP) chairperson Petteri Orpo showing the new chairperson the door.
Read on »The Finnish media gives a lot of space to Halla-aho and the PS but none to us
It’s clear that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a different party after this weekend, when Jussi Halla-aho, Laura Huhtasaari, Teuvo Hakkarainen and Juho Eerola were elected to lead the anti-immigrant and anti-EU party. Halla-aho spoke of in his policy speech of “nationalistic forces,” which is code for anti-immigration, anti-cultural diversity and anti-EU policies.
Read on »The PS steers further right exposing its shameless Islamophobia, racism, bigotry and ultranationalism
Like rubbing salt on Finland’s wound, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* newly elected chairman Jussi Halla-aho’s far-right anti-immigration policy got reinforcement after three Islamophobes were elected to lead the PS: Laura Huuhtasaari, Teuvo Hakkarainen and Juho Eerola were elected first, second and third vice-president, respectively.
Read on »The Finnish police service’s deep denial of racism among its ranks is no surprise
The publishing of the racist comments in a secret Facebook group for the Finnish police by online news site Long Play shouldn’t surprise us, even if Interior Minister Paula Risikko and National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehminen suggest the contrary.
Read on »A tragic weekend that encourages us to challenge social ills like racism, bigotry and inequality in Finland, Europe and globally
Over the weekend a lot of things happened: The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) hosted a seminar in Helsinki on anti-migration racism Saturday that was overshadowed by a closed Finnish police Facebook page with racist comments, a comprehensive story on ethnic profiling in Finland, and another terrorist attack in London that left seven killed and 48 injured.
Read on »Even if politics makes strange bedfellows, Timo Soini’s bed partners are eerie
Remember the speech below when Timo Soini and the Perussuomalaisiet were riding the crest of a wave after his populist anti-immigration won the parliamentary elections of 2011, when it saw its MPs rise to 39 from 5 in the previous election?
Read on »Sampo Terho’s and Jussi Hallo’s political calling to keep Finland white
Watching the A-studio debate between Sampo Terho and Jussi Halla-aho, the two candidates vying for the leadership of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, was a good example of how low Finland has stooped as a nation.
Read on »Finland’s blind spot of bigotry and white privilege is the Perussuomalaiset
If there is one party that has brought out bigotry, racism and populist far-right ideology as of late it is the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. But Finland is so much in denial about its bigotry and white privilege that it sees no harm in the PS. This means that the government will do little, except offer lip service on how to challenge social ills like racism.
Read on »The old and new Cadillac model of Finnish PS racism
If you want to see how racism in Finland is like a Cadillac, check out two Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politicians below. One is of a dying breed and another one of a new Cadillac model, Sampo Terho.
Read on »Defining white Finnish privilege #35: Case Sampo Terho and the ministry of (dis)culture
Why are you so surprised that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Sampo Terho will be Finland’s new minister of culture, sport and European issues? The Swedish-language HBL expresses dismay and there are many others among us who appear awestruck by the appointment.
Read on »PS MP Ville Tavio: An Islamophobe that is bent on keeping white Finnish power and privilege at any cost and lie
When publishing anti-immigration rhetoric by politicians like Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ville Tavio, it’s very important to lead with the following paragraph: “MP Talk gives members of parliament the opportunity to share their views on Finnish society with an international audience. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Helsinki Times.”
Read on »Shamsul Alam is one of the new brave faces of Finland that nobody can make go away
Racism and hate speech are social ills that have spread like wildfire in Finland. Racists in Finland come from the same place than other racists in other countries. It is unacceptable that in a country like Finland, which prides itself as a modern Nordic welfare state, that racism and hate speech can see another day with near-impunity.
Read on »The cheap journalism of Helsingin Uutiset and its editor’s long roots in the anti-immigration movement of Finland
Two of the worst complimentary publications in the Helsinki and Greater Helsinki area Helsingin Uutiset and Vantaan Sanomat. Since they don’t charge people to read their publications they depend heavily on advertising revenues. The way that they get such revenues and readers is by spreading xenophobia and suspicion of migrants and minorities.
Read on »تصاعد العنف العنصري ضد متظاهري حقي في الحياه هو جريمه كراهيه واشاره الى تصاعد الجرائم
: صور من المكان الذي وقع فيه الهجوم المتعمد. المصدر: فيسبوك.
Read on »Giving into to racist violence against the #righttolife protestors is handing a carte blanche to commit more hate crimes
Today at around 4:30 am the camp where the Iraqi and Afghan #righttolife demonstrators have been protesting since February were a target of an attack that set alight one of the tents. One person got his hands burned while trying to put out the fire and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Read on »Finnish ministry of interior survey about our “polarized debate” on asylum seekers reveals the government’s prejudices and failures
A new study published Tuesday by the interior ministry and carried out by Vaasa University raises some disturbing questions. What does the survey address and what does it reveal?
Read on »How Sampo Terho’s essay in 2007 is still the norm but in a different context to fuel fear and racism of migrants and minorities
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group leader Sampo Terho wrote a decade ago in Kanava an essay with the classic far-right populist rhetoric about the threat of migration. His point of view in the essay is not only sinister but was a central argument used by parties like the PS to attract voters and that their racism was “normal.”
Read on »Timo Soini and the denial of Finland’s racism problem
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman Timo Soini announced after being at the helm of the anti-immigration party for twenty years that he’ll step down as chairman in June. The narrative and the way that some newspapers and politicians are picturing Soini is a good example of Finland’s denial of racism.
Read on »“Integration” Denmark style: Eat your racist cake and have it
Integration Minister Inger Stojberg celebrates the fiftieth amendment to tighten immigration policy. Yes, the “integration” minister celebrated by buying a cake to tell her constituents that in Denmark we celebrate when we pass laws that make migrants’ and asylum seekers’ lives more difficult.
Read on »Behind Timo Soini of the populist Perussuomalaiset party is a hefty and mini #socialmediafrankenstein called Jussi Halla-aho and Sampo Terho
One of the biggest questions some observers have asked in Finland is what house of horrors will appear after the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* return to the minor political leagues. We got the answer today when PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho announced that he too is vying to chair the xenophobic party.
Read on »How the Perussuomalaiset party permit racism to see another day in Finland
As almost everyone knows in this country, Finland will hold municipal elections on April 9. The right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are in shock for a number of reasons: their chairman, Timo Soini, who has run the party for 20 years is stepping down in June, and recent polls suggest that they will suffer a stinging defeat in the municipal elections.
Read on »Defining white Finnish privilege #33: Appropriating our narrative to maintain the status quo, amass more power and privilege
One of the most important matters that one learns when reading about our ever-growing culturally diverse society in Finland is that there is fierce opposition from some circles against cultural and ethnic diversity. According to these groups, the only way that a multicultural Finn, migrant and minority can live in Finland is if they control the narrative.
Read on »Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s poor track record on challenging xenophobia and hate speech
The government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä not only has tightened immigration policy but is complacent and near-silent about the rise of xenophobia and hate speech in Finland. Sure, we’ve heard so many times the familiar “we’re against racism” affirmations, which are only catchphrases that are not supposed to change anything.
Read on »Finland’s deep denial of racism coupled with exceptionalism make it susceptible to right-wing populism and fascism
If the latter claim above is true, it explains and reveals why Helsinki District Court judges agree with most of the decisions by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). The fact that only a very minor amount of decisions by Migri are rejected by the district courts speaks volumes about our country.
Read on »The final countdown of the PS’ return to the political minor leagues begins as Timo Soini bows out as chairman in June
Right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman, Timo Soini, announced Sunday that he wouldn’t seek a new term as party head at the forthcoming party convention in Jyväskylä in early June. He has head the party since 1997.
Read on »Finland’s interpretation of human rights is to turn you into an “undocumented migrant” and kick you out of the country – HELP!
What do you say about a country that is willing to throw into the street and deport a three-and-a-half old baby born in Finland? Let’s include another one-and-a-half old child, a six-year-old girl, and a boy, who is eight. What about if we add their parents as well?
Read on »The creation and death of the Perussuomalaiset and its #socialmediafrankensteins in Finland
We once wrote about #socialmediafrankensteins and how Timo Soini and the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party had created such demons to victimize, attack and label migrants and minorities in Finland. Soini, a “good-cop” PS party chairman, is in reality no different from people like Jussi Halla-aho and his band of bigoted followers.
Read on »The would-be mini Trumps: Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Jussi Halla-aho and other autocrats
We have commented that President Donald Trump’s erratic and autocratic style may be a curse on the US but a blessing for Europe since his style may scare away potential voters who don’t want far-right politicians like Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry and others.
Read on »How racism and suspicion have ruined Finland’s centenary celebrations of 2017
If there is a party pooper in this year’s centenary celebrations it’ll be ourselves: the politicians, the urban tales, prejudices, racism and suspicion that has raised its head with ease in Finland as of late.
Read on »Migrants are “scum” and should be erased from the map say Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen and other far-right politicians
Some are asking with manifest unease if this will be the year of the far-right populists like Dutch Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen of France and Frauke Petry of the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The first test will be in Holland on March 15 followed by another nail-biter in France on April 23 and May 7.
Read on »Johan Bäckman and Jussi Halla-aho: Two public figures that are hated differently by the Finnish media
Below are two public figures that are treated differently by the Finnish media. On the left is Johan Bäckman, who gets a rough ride from the national media for his pro-Russian stances, while Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MEP Jussi Halla-aho gets a more benign reception even if he has the dubious honor being Finland’s number one racist.
Read on »(Migrant Tales 12.2.2017) Dear Sweden, don’t play ball with the Sweden Democrats – Finland is the best example of the disaster that awaits you
Dear Sweden,
In all of the Nordic region we have seen far-right populist parties rise in this century with a hostile even vicious anti-immigration and anti-cultural diversity agenda. Of all the Nordic countries, you are the only one in the Nordic region where populist anti-immigration parties have not formed directly or indirectly a part of government.
Read on »Inspired by Donald Trump’s racism in USAmerica, Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri stokes the fires of xenophobia
Argentina has a reputation among some Latin Americans of being a racist country. The election of President Donald Trump has emboldened politicians like Argentinean President Mauricio Macri to parrot his USAmerican counterpart.
Read on »Undermining and attacking dual citizenship rights is a hostile provocation against social equality and cultural diversity in Finland
The ongoing debate about the perceived threat of dual nationals in Finland and the proximity of municipal elections should raise some serious questions. Why are we having this discussion now and which party is fueling it?
Read on »Finns have finally woken up to a lie and bully called the Perussuomalaiset party
After bullying, labeling and scapegoating migrants and minorities for a number of years, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* appear to be returning to the minor one-digit political leagues, if a recent poll by Helsingin Sanomat is true. Those groups that the PS spread lies about will have the last laugh.
Read on »(Institute of Race Relations) Morton Hall: another death in immigration detention
On 11 January an unnamed 27-year-old Polish man was found dead in Morton Hall immigration removal centre in Lincolnshire, the first death this year and the 29th death in immigration detention since 1989.
Read on »Donald Trump and the post-election European horror story
We don’t mean to scare you with this tweet below. But it’s interesting to note how the Donald Trump’s rise to the US presidency is bringing out the absolute worst in Europe.
Read on »Undocumented migrants in Finland: Päivi Nerg lives in denial, politicians live in denial as do the media and most of the country, too
Finnish immigration policy in general and asylum policy, in particular, is a good example of the decades-long suspicion that Finland’s political establishment has of outsiders. If some words could be used to describe the present state of things, it could be “not my problem” and “denial.”
Read on »Seven months and no justice yet after a Kenyan woman was racially insulted and splashed by a bucket of water
Remember when a Kenyan woman was sitting outside her home in the Helsinki neighborhood of Helsinki one Sunday afternoon on May 22 and a white Finnish woman splashed a bucket of water on her, her children and their friends after shouting racist insults? Well, nothing has happened since then even if Ruth Waweru-Folabit pressed charges against the woman and complained to the non-discrimination ombudsman seven months ago.
Read on »Will Halla-aho be the PS’ savior or the party’s political grave?
A while back I asked a friend what would happen if the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* implode as we’ve seen in the polls. What will emerge from the ruin of that xenophobic party will be another one that is more sinister and more dangerous. With PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho’s decision to challenge Timo Soini and run for chairman of the party is the birth of a radical anti-immigration party in the same league as the Islamophobic Danish People’s Party.
Read on »Why did Finland allocate so much money on asylum reception centers that treated in too many cases refugees like “livestock?”
In 2015 and 2016 some 38,000 asylum seekers came to Finland and scores of asylum reception centers were established rapidly throughout the country to house so many people. Even if the government’s ever-draconian view of migrants was “not make Finland attractive to asylum seekers” at any cost, asylum seekers helped expose our ineffective immigration and integration policy.
Read on »A letter of apology for the disgraceful treatment of asylum seekers in Finland by the government
The cartoon below by Ville Ranta could apply to Europe as well. Instead of having politicians like Perussuomalaiset* Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and other government ministers stating that “you can’t come in because there’s no room for you,” it’s our hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy that has been exposed to the tee.
Read on »Remember when PM Juha Sipilä offered his home in Finland to asylum seekers?
In September 2015, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä offered his home in Kempele to asylum seekers. Even so, the tone and position of the prime minister and the government changed by December when Sipilä said that he couldn’t offer his home to asylum seekers any longer because his hometown in northern Finland wasn’t safe for refugees.
Read on »Finland’s about-turn in immigration and asylum policy reveal populism and suspicion
There is an interesting article in newsmagazine Suomen Kuvalehti that claims that before Finland gave 85% of asylum seekers a positive decision today it’s almost the opposite.
Read on »Finland’s ever-growing crisis of undocumented migrants is the government’s and Social Democratic Party’s doing
Thanks to the 107 MPs listed below that voted on April 13 to approve law 2/2016 that did away with granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds, Finland faces today an unprecedented rise of undocumented migrants.
Read on »Am I surprised that Finnish fiction sees migrants as unhappy victims? Not!
Researcher Pasi Saukkonen tells us in a YLE story that “not one content immigrant is found in Finnish fiction.” One may ask how come? The answer reveals the constant issue that undermines the narrative that white Finns construct about migrants and our culturally diverse community: It’s their view, their narrative, full stop.
Read on »Why migrants and minorities in Finland continue to suffer from discrimination and social inequality
Entitlement and denial are some of the reasons why respect for cultural diversity and treating Others in Finnish society as equals faulters. There is too much lip service like “we’re against racism” but few deeds to give such a powerful statement life and meaning.
Read on »Here we go again with the anti-immigration rhetoric – it’s election time in Finland!
Here we go again, folks, it’s election time in April 2017 in Finland. The populist-nationalist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is picking up its hostile attacks against migrants, minorities and our ever-growing and proud culturally diverse community. Their partners in these attacks are their government partners, the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP).
Read on »A small far-right Suomi ensin! demonstration again and the media cherishes a story
Suomi ensin! (Finland first!) is a far-right group that goes to different places in Finland to stir up anti-immigration sentiment and hatred for migrants. Even if their demonstrations attract few people, they get a lot of attention in the national media. On Saturday afternoon their demonstration attracted 300* people to the eastern Helsinki neighborhood of
Read on »The disgraceful stand of the government towards undocumented migrants in Finland
Winter is rapidly approaching and Interior Minister Paula Risikko isn’t too enthused about the idea that the Evangelical Lutheran Church wants to give housing to undocumented migrants, according to YLE.
Read on »Defining white Finnish privilege #31: The Solidiers of Odin and the Finnish media
The Soldiers of Odin are a vigilante group that hate asylum seekers and are white Finnish supremacists. One Facebook post on their page outlined the aim of the vigilante group: “We are a patriotic group struggling for a white Finland.”
Read on »Will Donald Trump breathe new life into a doomed party called the Perussuomalaiset?
Donald Trump’s election victory has emboldened our own group of populists, racists, and bigots in Finland who pray what happened in the United States will breathe new life into a political disaster called the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. There are many reasons why copying and pasting populist rhetoric in the United States won’t work in Finland.
Read on »November 9, 2016: “A date that will live in infamy”
It looks like Donald Trump is heading for an upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the US presidential elections, according to the New York Times.
Read on »Do ethnic agitation charges against Teuvo Hakkarainen give us a whiff of the rot spreading in government and our society?
MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, who is facing ethnic agitation charges, and the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party are deplorable examples of how low our society has stooped in the dubious racism and bigotry league.
Read on »SUPO, the Finnish Immigration Service and the police service reveal that we are today a country that even fears its own shadow
One of the matters that surprised me a lot when I visited my grandparents in Finland when I lived in Southern California was how they saw black people. The way my grandfather saw black people was so negative and surprising that I still remember like a diehard stain.
Read on »Finnish PS MP Hakkarainen is charged (alas) for ethnic agitation
Perussuomlaiset (PS)* MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, who has made numerous racist and bigoted statements against Muslims, Somalis and gays finally got charged for ethnic agitation by the state deputy prosecutor. Hakkarainen isn’t the only politician being charged for ethnic agitation. On that shameful list are Mertsu Merivireta, Terhi Kieumunki and Olli Sademies.
Read on »A naturalized Finn who returned to a “safe” country like Afghanistan and was killed last month
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) announced in May that countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia are “safe” to return refugees who get their asylum applications rejected. Migrant Tales documented two deaths and one shooting of Iraqi asylum seekers that returned recently to Iraq.
Read on »The Finnish Immigration Service, with the blessings of the government, aims to separate migrant parents from their children
In August, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is reported to have given asylum reception center instructions that only the children can stay at the reception center if the parents have their asylum application turned down and refuse to leave the country making then undocumented migrants, according to MTV.
Read on »Council of Europe wants Finland to step up efforts to combat hate speech and xenophobia
The Finnish government needs to take steps to combat hate speech, protect Samí rights and the Swedish language, according to the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
Read on »Finnish government party Perussuomalaiset MEP claims ethnic profiling needed to fight terrorism
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who hungers for public attention, tries to surprise us with the following suggestion: The police should be allowed to ethnically profile Middle Easterners, North African and Central Asian people irrespective if it is in infringement of these people’s fundamental rights and human rights.
Read on »YouGov survey reinforces what we’ve been seeing in some EU countries: authoritarian populist sentiment
A recent YouGov survey on authoritarian populist opinions in 12 European countries revealed something that we all knew. Authoritarian populist opinions are defined by the survey as people who have anti-immigration, anti-human rights, anti-EU institutions, and power as well as strong opinions on foreign policy.
Read on »Finland rolls back the clock and flirts with the cold war when every foreigner was seen as a potential threat
In another move to punish former migrants who are naturalized Finns, the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, which shares power with the National Coalition Party and anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset,* plans to introduce a new law to parliament within weeks that will prohibit dual citizens from holding certain jobs that involve national security, according to Seijnäjoki-based daily Ilkka, which cites Finnish News Agency (STT).
Read on »The government of Juha Sipilä has failed with flying colors on its strategy to contain the rise of racism in Finland
There has been an interesting debate on hate crime in Finland. If we’d believe the government, hate crime and racism in Finland are a far-right phenomenon and of a few racist hotheads.
Read on »UPDATE: Iraqi asylum seeker files charges against suspect who shot at him
An Iraqi asylum seeker, who was shot at twice by a white Finnish suspect in Kemi neighborhood of Syväkangas, will file charges.
Read on »Xenophobia and fearmongering are effective age-old control tools to keep the Finnish public in line and on a short leash
One matter that some political parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* use constantly is the anti-immigration card to get votes and media attention. What can we say when a retired police service commissioner uses xenophobia and fear to boost book sales?
Read on »Our new message to the world: Finland doesn’t like you so don’t even think of moving here!
It’s clear that the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä doesn’t like asylum seekers never mind cultural diversity. In the last few months, we’ve seen a tightening of immigration policy by the government, which sends out a clear message to would-be asylum seekers and migrants: Don’t even think of moving here!
Read on »Two words that shed light on what the Perussuomalaiset party is: racist bravado
If there would be two words that define what the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is all about, it would racist bravado. By the way, the PS is no common racist party but a member of the government. It shares power with the Center Party and National Coalition Party, which usually look the other way when the PS has one of its racist fits.
Read on »After targeting migrants and asylum seekers with tougher laws, Sipilä’s government now sets its eyes on Roma panhandlers
Should we be surprised after the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä tightened immigration policy it is now targeting the Romany minority? If the government has its way, Finland will criminalize panhandling.
Read on »The Finnish media’s “fascination” of racists is a problem
Here’s a simple question: Why on earth does a newspaper like Etelä-Suomen Sanomat of Lahti even bother to publish a story about a handful of racists who demand that Finland shuts its borders to asylum seekers?
Read on »Finnish interior ministry report: violence against migrants hasn’t grown significantly in 2015
The Finnish interior ministry reported in a statement Monday that there hasn’t been a spike in violence last year perpetrated by extremist groups despite some 32,500 asylum seekers that came to the country in 2015. The ministry cites Sweden and Germany as countries where violence against migrants committed by extremist groups have apparently grown.
Read on »Asylum seekers’ rights in Finland to appeal will be severely undermined thanks to a new law that will come into force on September 1
President Sauli Niinistö, who has done little to challenge xenophobia in Finland because he is eyeing a second term, will sign Friday a new law that will shorten from 30 days to 21 the rights of asylum seekers to appeal negative residence permit decisions by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).
Read on »Not even a xenophobic lifesaver can save the Perussuomalaiset from sinking in the polls
Support for the anti-immigration populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party has hit a new all-time low of 7.6%, according to the latest poll by YLE, according to YLE News. The poor showing of the party reveals that its strategy to target and increase attacks against migrants, asylum seekers and minorities in July has badly backfired.
Read on »Finance Minister Petteri Orpo and his disingenuous statements about racism and bigotry
National Coalition Party (NCP) chairman and Finance Minister Petteri Orpo was quoted as saying on YLE News that he won’t tolerate racist speech. The comment comes after two Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politicians, MP Teuvo Hakkarainen and PS youth leader Sebastian Tynkkynen, are being investigated by the police service for ethnic agitation.
Read on »Finland’s blind spot of racism and the incitement of violence against migrants and minorities
July was a busy month for hate speech with the usual bunch of politicians from a particular party hurling insults at migrants and minorities. If we look at the pyramid of hate below, we can see politicians like Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Teuvo Hakkarainen and PS youth leader Sebastian Tynkkynen venturing with their comments to the bias-motivated-violence phase, which openly incites violence against migrants and minorities.
Read on »Finland’s shameful asylum policy should be changed
Some Finnish politicians from parties like the Swedish People’s Party, Greens and Left Alliance have expressed concern about the government’s ever-tightening asylum policy and a recent decision by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) to deny an Iraqi asylum.
Read on »The PS claws to racism and bigotry because it has lost its vain hope to keep Finland white
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is fuming attempting to get the maximum political mileage from its recent racist and bigoted outbursts by playing down such social ills and prop up its poor standings in the polls.
Read on »PS MP Kike Elomaa’s response to the party’s racist statements is disingenuous and insulting to Finland
It’s not only disingenuous but insulting to Finland, migrants, and minorities that an MP and vice chairperson of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party parliamentary group, which has been on the racist rampage in July, states publicly that we shouldn’t be so touchy about comments that don’t intent on being “really racist.”
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Read on »White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news
On the fifth anniversary, when Anders Breivik went on the rampage in Oslo on 22/7 by killing 77 victims, we saw another gunman in Munich who followed the Norwegian killer’s example. We now know with pretty much certainty that there was a connection between what the shooter did in Munich and with the fifth anniversary.
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset is an extremist party that is unfit to rule Finland
There’s overwhelming evidence that the populist anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is an extremist party especially when it comes to its views on immigration and cultural diversity. But here’s a question to the Finnish media: If the PS is an extremist party why aren’t they called that?
Read on »Are bigotry and racism something “funny” and “eccentric” PS chairman Timo Soini?
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson and foreign minister, Timo Soini, brushed aside recent xenophobic and homophobic statements by MPs like Leena Meri, Laura Huhtasaari and Mika Raatikainen.
Read on »Post-Brexit Europe: There is a connection between scapegoating and hate crime
Is there a connection between scapegoating migrants, minorities as well as Others and hate crime? If you look at what has happened after the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom it’s clear that there is a connection.
Read on »Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse community must rise up and challenge hostile parties like the Perussuomalaiset
Some ask me where do I get the energy and strength to write. My answer is simple: When I read and hear comments by politicians and people who hate and want to socially exclude me my blood begins to boil. The only remedy that calms me is writing and organizing my thoughts.
Read on »Brexit proves (again) that Europe’s biggest threat was and still is nationalism and xenophobia
We speak of external threats like globalization and others like asylum seekers as threats challenging this great Post-World War 2 experiment called the European Project. While the achievements of the European Union are formidable taking into account that we’re not going after each other’s throats after 1945, there is one threat that is the greatest of them all and one we should pay more attention to: nationalism and xenophobia.
Read on »Brexit: Stoke the fires of natonalism and you’ll get burned
After the United Kingdom decided Thursday to exit from the European Union, the question remains: why? In many respects, the answer to that question is a similar one that you hear in some European countries why such-and-such country has seen the political rise of populist anti-immigration party. Finland is a good example of the latter. The
Read on »PS MP Tolppanen’s defection to the SDP is a good example that racism in Finland is still a debate between white people
A lot of people were surprised Wednesday to hear that former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Maria Tolppanen, who has made some pretty racist statements in the past, has defected to the Social Democrats (SDP).
Read on »We have the means to challenge and beat xenophobia and fascism in today’s Europe
Even if we should be concerned about the rise of xenophobia and fascism, which disguises itself with populist anti-immigration rhetoric in Europe, there’s one matter that should worry us the most: silence and apathy.
Read on »Oikeus elää – A Right to live الحق للعيش demonstration tomorrow at 4:00 pm in Helsinki (Narikkantori, Kamppi)
The Finnish government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä has done everything possible to make asylum seekers feel unwelcome in Finland. On Friday, they tightened family reunification guidelines and recently did away with giving residence permits on humanitarian grounds.
Read on »Finland tightens family reunification laws and denies migrants the right to a family
The Finnish parliament didn’t vote Friday to tighten even further family reunification guidelines but effectively socially excluded and relegated migrants, especially asylum seekers, to second- and third-class citizens. The news ironically coincides with the death of former Rural Party MP Sulo Aittoniemi (1936-2016), a person who was against refugees and cultural diversity.
Read on »MP Jo Cox’s death revealed and reminded how important our struggle against barbarism is
On Thursday, we heard about the tragic killing of Labor MP Jo Cox, which was a stark reminder of the things she warned us about like hate speech, racism and outright hostility towards migrants and minorities. All we can do when such a heinous act gives us and our democratic institutions a blow is to stand strong.
Read on »White Finnish privilege #29: Your family is worth less than mine
There has been a lot of debate about the present government tightening further family reunification laws. It shouldn’t come to any surprise that such measures not only reveal hostility towards asylum seekers, migrants, and minorities but are an example of white Finnish privilege in its most extreme forms.
Read on »Saido Mohamed defects to the Greens, cites differences over ever-tightening immigration policy
Saido Mohamed, who is no stranger to Migrant Tales, has defected from the National Coalition Party (NCP) to the Greens, according to YLE.
Read on »Institute of Race Relations: Denmark – creating a hostile environment
Nearly 300 people face criminal charges for aiding refugees in Denmark in September 2015, and the government continues to create a hostile environment by cracking down on migration.
Read on »Facebook: Racists who still think they can be racists in public
Migrant Tales insight: This post by Alex Alex is a reminder of how big of a problem racism is and how little we have done as a society to challenge it. Helsingin Sanomat picked up the story. ____________________________________
Read on »YLE poll: Support for the PS of Finland nosedives to 8.5%
A poll published by YLE News Wednesday shows and reinforces how support for the anti-immigration populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* continues to nosedive. Compared with the 17% they got in the April 2015 parliamentary election, support has plummeted to a new low of 8.5%.
Read on »The 1 + 1 = 2 types who post racist comments
Who can understand the logic of people who post racist things and exercise a very basic 1+1=2 argument? Some of these are reactions to a recent blog posting on Migrant Tales, The Kolari, Finland, asylum reception center “is a living hell.”
Read on »Racism, bigotry, ultranationalism, neo-Nazism are nothing more than ourselves staring back at us from a mirror
Why aren’t we surprised and shocked by what we see today in Europe? Populism, racism, bigotry, ultranationalism, isolationism, and fascism spread thanks to the media and the tacit support of many who nod in approval and silence. Colonialism, wars, and exploitation of non-white Europeans through slavery are some of the windfall profits that gave us our present standard of living, populism, fascism and bigotry.
Read on »How fair is the Finnish media when it reports about racism and bigotry?
What role has the media played in spreading racism and bigotry in Finland since the 1990s? If it has played a big role, has its reporting improved or got worse? The narrative of the media, and that of politicians concerning our ever-growing culturally diverse society, has changed but it still has a lot of room
Read on »Tightening family reunification requirements is like putting a noose around human rights
Like Europe, Finland too is suffering from a lack of leadership. When we start to fear our own ineptness in solving problems, we slide into our shells with the help of populism, simplistic solutions, and wishful thinking.
Read on »The role of the Finnish media and politicians who spread their racist statements
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a horrible party for migrants and minorities. They have the dubious “honor” of being the first modern party in Finland to capitalize on voters’ racism and bigoted views. Certainly they couldn’t have done it alone. All the major parties have the same type of politicians who state and write the same type of things.
Read on »An official apology for the racist and bigoted things politicians say and write today in Finland
What do politicians like Timo Soini, Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, James Hirvisaari, Jussi Halla-aho, Juho Eerola, Olli Immonen, Jussi Niinistö, Maria Lohela, Tom Packalén, Olli Sademies, Freddy Van Wonterghem, Pentti Oinonen, Laura Huhtasaari, Terhi Kiemunki and many, many others have in common? They write a lot of racist and bigotted stuff. They are as well all or
Read on »Populism and nationalism in Finland have made us fear our own shadows
The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, which bases its popularity on anti-immigration rhetoric, empty nationalism and promises, appears eager and “overjoyed” that parliament will “finally” take long-overdue steps to tighten immigration law and undermine the human rights of asylum seekers.
Read on »Pieksämäki reception center fire shows that the Finnish media and police service consider asylum seekers “guilty before proven innocent”
It is surprising that the Länsi-Savo story below doesn’t mention once the term “suicide” in the story about an Iraqi 45-year-old asylum seeker who locked himself in Thursday night and attempted to set his room on fire.
Read on »The foreign minister of an island called Finland
Finnish foreign minister, Timo Soini of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, was on the Embuske, Veitola ja Salminen talkshow on Thursday. On the program he showed his bigotted views with a smile by taking credit for stopping the flow of asylum seekers to Finland.
Read on »Terhi Kiemunki and the PS of Finland are laughing all the way to the bank
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politician Terhi Kiemunki not only is an example of the illness of racism that inflicts Finland but that of a party and a society that offers fertile ground for bigotry towards and social inequality of migrants and minorities.
Read on »If Donald Trump had a “good cop” that person would be Timo Soini
US Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, can be in the spotlight thanks to his racist rants. Some journalists in Finland have tried unsuccessfully to ask what Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Foreign Minister Timo Soini, a populist, what he thinks of Trump.
Read on »Finnish PS speaker of parliament blames migrants for high unemployment
Anti-immigration party Perussuomalaiset (PS)* speaker of parliament, Maria Lohela, states in an interview in Helsingin Sanomat that the jobless rate among some migrant groups is many times higher than the national average. True. But the question the reporter should ask Lohela is “why” and “what she’s doing to change the situation” instead of parroting her views.
Read on »Are we related as a society to vigilante groups, hate forums, xenophobic parties and publications?
Should we be surprised that vigilante groups like the Soldiers of Odin, hate forums like Hommaforum and anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, racist online publications like MV-lehti have grown and captured our darkest imagination?
Read on »Racist garbage called MV-lehti magazine, Hommaforum and Magneettimedia
Migrant Tales doesn’t usually comment about the extremist racist garbage published in Finland by online publications like MV-lehti, Hommaforum, and Magneettimedia. All of these websites have one matter in common: they write and cater to a racist audience.
Read on »Statistics that expose how bigotry and prejudice are alive and kicking in Finland
It shouldn’t surprise us that during an economic recession some will expose their racist views. Add to the latter weak politicians, a complacent media, and a party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in government, which base their popularity on xenophobia and populist nationalism, and you end up with a perpetuating brew of hate.
Read on »Racism Review: Protestors force cancelation of Trump rally in Chicago
The activists at University of Illinois-Chicago, where Trump had scheduled a rally, effectively shut it down yesterday. When the rally was abruptly canceled at the last minute, Trump supporters and protestors clashed. Several people were injured.
Read on »Abuses at Luona’s asylum reception centers continue – two refugees tried to commit suicide
The right-wing Finnish government, and especially the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which shares power with the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), have been trying their hardest to find ways to deport some 20,000 of the 32, 476 asylum seekers that came to Finland in 2015.
Read on »Denying the rise of racism and fascism in Finland
Even if Finland denies that it has a serious racism and fascism problem, the country cannot go forward and the situation for migrants and minorities in Finland will get worse until we get a grip of these social issues.
Read on »Human trafficking – get ready for another onslaught of xenophobia and labeling
Should we be surprised that YLE is planning another one-sided “debate” in April concerning human trafficking. The problem with this type of “debate,” like the one before that on March 2 on how asylum seekers have fueled uncertainty in Finland, is that it follows a common narrative that white Finland has of Otherness: You are a threat and a problem.
Read on »Does the Trump phenomenon in Europe reflect that white Europe is being challenged?
If Donald Trump stands a good chance at being nominated as the Republican party’s presidential candidate this year, surely it says a lot about the moral state of USAmerica. Noam Chomsky, the renowned scholar, was quoted as saying in the Huffington Post that the Trump phenomenon revealed that white USAmerica is dying.
Read on »Ignacio Pérez Pérez: The swastika and Finnish langauge class
Ignacio Pérez Pérez has written some beautiful poetry for Migrant Tales. He sent an email with a picture he took a few days ago when going to his Finnish lessons in Helsinki. He writes that the racism we are witnessing in Finland is a cancer that is spreading in society. With the rise of far-right vigilante
Read on »Finland’s bigoted and perilous path
Finland has become in a short time a country that has lost its way. The police service, public officials like politicians and even ministers, who should know better, don’t. The most shameful matter that exposes these wretched times is that we’ve allowed xenophobia and nationalist populism to not only enter through the back door but through the main and wide one as well.
Read on »Asylum seekers have exposed Europe’s schizophrenia and bigotry
Nothing could depict better Europe’s schizophrenia and hypocrisy concerning asylum seekers than what happened recently in eastern Germany, where a building that was going to house them was ablaze and cheered by some onlookers, according to the BBC.
Read on »Luona claims that it has zero tolerance for racism but can you teach a racist dog new tricks?
General manager Milja Saksi of Luona, a private company that operates seven asylum reception centers in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, claims to have taken necessary steps to address the racist treatment of its asylum seekers, according to YLE.
Read on »Police study on immigration paints a threatening and bleak picture of Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse society
Weird things happen when an anti-immigration party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* get power and partner with two other mainstream parties, the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), which have done too little to tackle racism and discrimination in Finland. One of the many things that can happen is a study, “Immigration, Security and Foresight,” published with the blessings of the council of state.
Read on »Tighter family reunification laws spearheaded by the PS with the government’s blessing are an example of the Denmarkization of Finland
It’s a good matter that government plans to tighten family reunification guidelines have met a stormy reception. We all know that the Perussuomalasiet (PS)*, who base their popularity on anti-immigration rhetoric, are spearheading new tighter guidelines that will make family reunification much harder.
Read on »How the Finnish Immigration Service’s fast-track scheme will deport thousands of asylum seekers from Finland in 2016
What would a country like Finland, which prefers to be an island in Europe and where too many still see cultural diversity with suspicion, do if a record number of asylum seekers from countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia came here like in 2015?
Read on »The face of fascism in Finland: Before and after
There is a fascinating book published by Olli Silvennoinen, Marko Tikka and Aapo Romelius titled Suomalaiset fasistit (Finnish fascists). One of the authors, Silvennoinen, states in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat that the same arguments used in the 1920s to feed fascism are used today.
Read on »Scaremongering by the PS of Finland is always at full swing
Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)* defense minister, Jussi Niinistö, believes that up to one million “illegal” immigrants could come to Finland, according to YLE News. Niinistö, a historian who has played down the role of fascist associations like the Lapua Movement (1929-32), fear-mongers to shore up support for his ailing party.
Read on »Finland’s xenophobic Denmark slippery slope
Considering that the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is in government and that the two other ruling partners, the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), need the support of the PS to downsize the welfare state, it’s clear why Finland is tightening its immigration policy.
Read on »When racism in Finland becomes “normal”
Migrant Tales insight: As the politicians and media in Finland turn their backs on the ever-increasing racism in this country, there are a few brave people who don’t remain silent. A brave young woman in Lahti preferred not to remain silent at a bar as two black men were being harassed at a bar in
Read on »The anti-immigration narrative of politicians, the police and President Sauli Niinistö is no mistake
From the fall we have heard the police service, politicians, government ministers, the media and recently the head of state of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, give statements that bolster racist and far-right ideology that label and victimize asylum seekers, migrants, and minorities in this country.
Read on »President Sauli Niinistö claims that asylum seekers threaten Finland and Europe
Speaking to MPs at the opening of parliament’s spring term, President Sauli Niinistö didn’t surprise a lot of people by stating that the amount of asylum seekers coming to Europe are putting under threat our values, reports YLE News. He even went as far as to suggest that if the Geneva Conventions were written today they’d be stricter.
Read on »Nobody in Finland seems too concerned about the ever-xenophobic and hostile climate against asylum seekers, migrants and minorities
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä of Finland when he announced in September that he would offer his home to asylum seekers but has now put on hold such plans due to security reasons, reports the BBC. What is surprising is that nobody seems to care too much why it’s no longer safe to house asylum seekers in the prime minister’s home in Kempele.
Read on »Call the Loldiers of Odin if you see anti-immigrant vigilantes patrolling the street!
Thanks to the mixed statements by the police, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government and President Sauli Niinistö concerning asylum seekers, we have today as well vigilante groups like the Soldiers of Odin and neo-Nazi Kansalinen Vastarinta patrolling our streets. Many of the members of these vigilante groups have criminal and far-right backgrounds.
Read on »Roble Bashir: Why does the Perussuomalaiset party of Finland back vigilante gangs?
What’s in it for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party when they back these notorious street patrol gangs? The whole concept of street patrols emerged due to fear of immigrants by some Finns. These patrols have spread instead fear among immigrants.
Read on »The Perussuomalaiset decade (2011-19): Finland’s rendezvous with xenophobia and nationalism
Here’s the question we all know the answer to concerning the rise and fall of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party during this decade: We accomplished nothing, absolutely nothing, polarized society, scapegoated migrants and Muslims and lied through our teeth with poker faces. Our decade-long rendezvous with right-wing populism and xenophobia has had a negative political and
Read on »Roble Bashir: Do we need vigilante gangs in Finland?
When I read the news about street patrols whose aim is to “protect” civilians from asylum seekers I was naturally shocked. What surprised me, even more, was that the police hasn’t done much to discourage these types of street patrols.
Read on »Vigilante gangs, the Finnish police service and our denial of racism
The big news story in Finland today is street patrols by xenophobic, far-right and neo-Nazi groups. That’s not all. Some of the members of these patrol gangs have criminal records.
Read on »Finnish police service of Häme give the green light to vigilante gangs in Asikkala
THIS POST WAS UPDATED If the comments and actions of politicians and the police service in 2015 are any indication of what we’ll expect this year, then asylum seekers, migrants, and minorities will see another shameful year of hostility and violence. On Saturday, a detective chief inspector of southern Finland, Markku Tuominen, was quoted as
Read on »Twitter: White Finnish rapist or arsonist = lone wolf, drunk
In Finland, we have had a number of arson attacks against asylum reception centers. We even have one substitute MP of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* who said that “god had answered his prayers” when a building, which was supposed to house asylum seekers, was razed to the ground earlier this month.
Read on »Is Finland swapping Nordic values like social equality for social inequality?
Social Democratic Party (SDP) MEP Liisa Jaakonsaari gives a good interview to Helsingin Sanomat about the government’s 80-point plan to tighten immigration policy that not only targets asylum seekers but impacts negatively the whole migrant and minority community of Finland.
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 »What ever happened to the PS politician who said god had answered his prayers after an asylum reception center was a target of arson?
Remember Perussuomalaiset (PS)* substitute MP Juha Maenpää who said god had answered his prayers after a reception center that was going to house asylum seekers was razed to the ground on December 1? It appears that all he got for writing such a comment was a lot of publicity and soft slap on the hand.
Read on »UPDATED: How long will reception centers and asylum seekers be under attack in Finland?
The fact that fourteen asylum reception centers that have been attacked in Finland since mid-September is shameful. According to the police service of Kangasala, an asylum seeker was beaten by two or three men Saturday evening near the Kaivanto reception center, reports YLE News.
Read on »A Finnish government that bolsters anti-immigration populism and nationalism
It’s sad to watch how the present government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä is not only destroying our welfare state but bringing out the worst form of anti-immigration fear and political cowardice. When asked on YLE’s Ykkösaamu talk show about the attacks against asylum reception centers, the only thing Interior Minister Petteri Orpo had to say was that he was “saddened” by such illegal attacks and that the 80-point plan to tighten immigration policy would help calm matters down.
Read on »Neo-Nazi group now claims to carry out street patrols in as many as eleven Finnish cities
Neo-Nazi groups like Suomen Vastarintaliike (SVL) and the Solidiers of Odin are carrying out street patrols in eleven Finnish cities, reports Pori-based daily Satakunnan Kansa. Migrant Tales reported Saturday that SVL started street patrols in Pori, which have now expanded to three neighborhoods.
Read on »Researchers working for the police see falling support of the Perussuomalaiset as a danger to society
It’s incredible how even the police service feeds the xenophobic climate in Finland. A column published by two applied science researchers on the Police College of Finland page is a perfect example of the one-sided view that some people of the police service have.
Read on »Ongoing debate on asylum seekers in Finland: Lawmakers who play or are ignorant of our laws and basic human rights
As I watched the A-studio: T debate about the record number of asylum seekers in Finland, I thought about Kadar Gelle, a Somali anti-racism activist who watched Monday’s A-studio debate, where Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Tom Packalén, who has tried to build a political career on anti-immigration rhetoric, debates with Somali Finn Mukhtar Abib about the tightening of immigration policy.
Read on »The Finnish government’s eighty-point tightening of immigration policy is all politics and saving face, nothing more
The Finnish government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä announced Tuesday an eighty-point tightening of Finnish immigration policy, according to YLE News. The new plan by the government means very bad news for asylum seekers and refugees living in Finland.
Read on »Xenophobia is a cancer that spreads in Finland
After years of looking the other way Finland is paying today a high price for its self-inflicted xenophobia. What are the consequences of such a social ill if we continue to permit it to roam freely with the help of urban tales and bigotry?
Read on »President Sauli Niinistö’s “ultimatum” to asylum seekers should apply to Finns as well
President Sauli Niinistö said Saturday during a YLE Radio 1 question-and-answer session that those asylum seekers that don’t abide by our core vales should leave Finland.
Read on »UPDATE (December 5): Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism
Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism will be updated separately. To see other examples of opinionated journalism in Finland about cultural diversity, please go to this link. December 5 Lähde vahvistaa: Suomessa majailee kolme kovan luokan terroristia (Iltalehti) What’s wrong with this story? Finland’s two tabloids, Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat, are not an example of
Read on »Before asking asylum seekers to respect Finnish laws and culture we should ask if we practice what we preach
Interior Minister Petteri Orpo said that in order to make Finland a more secure place, each asylum seeker will have to sign an agreement that he will not break the law and respect Finnish culture, according to YLE.
Read on »An arson attack against an asylum reception center in Finland gets a mixed response
Juha Maenpää, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* substitute MP, who wrote that the burning of an asylum reception center in Niinisalo Monday was how god answered his prayers, is an indication of how xenophobia has overtaken Finland. Reaction to what he said are highly revealing as well about the state of Finland today.
Read on »Deputy police chief: Finnsh hate crimes have doubled in Helsinki so far this year from 2014
Racist or hate crimes have doubled in Helsinki from last year, according to Jyväskylä-based daily Keskisuomalainen, which cites the Finnish News Agency (STT). The total number of racist crimes that have been reported this year is about 70.
Read on »Perussuomalaiset politician states “god has answered his prayers” after an asylum reception center was burned due to a suspected arson attack
Finland saw probably for the first time an asylum reception center in Niinisalo, which was going to house asylum seekers next week, being razed to the ground by a suspected arson attack Tuesday. While such an attack should be condemned by everyone, there’s a Perussuomalaiset (PS) politician called Juha Maenpää who is rejoicing at what happened.
Read on »Political parties try to calm Finland’s xenophobic atmosphere with mixed statements that miss the mark
What credibility does a statement by all the political parties have given a joint statement appealing for calm in the face of 10 suspected rape cases committed by asylum seekers? It offers little credibility since the message is mixed.
Read on »UPDATE: Finnish asylum center in Kempele is intimidated by local residents and moves to an undisclosed location
It is shameful that an asylum reception center in Kempele, where an alleged rape of a minor took place on Monday by a suspected 17-year-old asylum seeker, has caved in to pressure. Kempele is the hometown of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, who offered in September his home to asylum seekers.
Read on »Olli Sademies finally gets sacked from the PS of Finland for being too racist
Olavi Sademies, a former member of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) * party and sustitute councilman for Helsinki, is a disgrace to the police service, Finns and Finland. His Facebook comments are openly racist and reveal what is wrong with this country and why the PS can never aspire to be a “normal” party.
Read on »Let’s have a frank talk about rape and xenophobia in Finland
I don’t usually begin an opinion piece with a quote by an Islamophobe like Hirvisaari in November 11 that was sentenced for ethnic agitation. This will be an exception because I’d like to answer the claim that the former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP made in parliament: Islamophobes like you usually dress up hate speech and racism with so-called criticism of immigration policy.
Read on »Kempele, Finland, suspected rape case: Is the social media lynching party over?
If you read stories Tuesday about a fourteen-year-old girl who was raped in Kempele by two suspects aged 15 and 17 years, who are Afghani asylum seekers, today’s news offers a totally different twist, according to YLE News.
Read on »A cartoon by Ville Ranta that exposes the real face of anti-immigration groups and parties
The cartoon below, “After the attack,” shows an anti-immigration racist drinking the blood of a victim of the terrorist attack on Paris Friday the 13th of November.
Read on »UPDATE: An asylum reception center map we should all be ashamed of in Finland
As long as we have politicians and other community leaders who support hate speech overtly or with their silence, and as long as parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* base their support on racism against people who are different from them, Finland will not be a safe country for everyone.
Read on »Defining white Finnish privilege #25: This land is my land, this land isn’t your land
It’s disturbing to watch in Finland journalists who maintain and promote urban tales and racism. One of these is Tuomas Enbuske who invited Lenita Aristo to his television talk show to speak about Muslims. When Aristo opens her mouth and gives her opinions about cultural diversity, it’s evident that she still lives is a provincial and stuffy time warp of pre-1990s Finland.
Read on »Terrorism ironically exposes the lies of Islamophobic politicians and parties
The closer terrorist acts hit us like the tragedy that befell Paris on Friday, the fewer the arguments nationalist-populist groups have to defend their xenophobia. Most of these types of politicians in Finland prefer to hang low after the terror attacks.
Read on »France’s and Isis’ spiral of one-way terror and destruction
The Paris attacks of Friday 13 came as a windfall to hardliners who still believe that the solution in the Middle East is military. We are now seeing the impact of such a mistaken policy in the way of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers coming to Europe and the terror attacks of Friday 13.
Read on »How Timo Soini and the PS hope that the terrorist attacks of Paris will give them a picker-upper in the polls
Below are two quotes. One is by the present foreign minister, Timo Soini, and the other below is by former Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Soini is a member of a party that made its mark in politics thanks to its anti-immigration and isolationist rhetoric.
Read on »How will the far right and anti-immigration parties in Europe try to exploit what happened in Paris today?
Terrorism is a sign of how dysfunctional our society an countries are at dealing with global conflicts. I’m so saddened by the violence and watch with manifest unease how the far right and anti-immigration populist party will exploit what happened for their own benefit. We still haven’t got confirmation on which group is behind the attacks. My condolences go to the victims and their families.
Read on »Finland’s and fortress Europe’s razorblade chicken feed response to the refugee crisis
Finland and Europe are looking more lost than ever concerning the refugee crisis and this has been shamelessly exposed in the raw at the EU’s Malta summit. If we fail in resolving the crisis as a region we will face another problem that will be many times worse than what is happening now: Fuel and stoke the fires of xenophobia at the cost of our values.
Read on »Attempted arson attack against Helsinki’s Pitäjämäki asylum reception center
Migrant Tales understands that Helsinki’s Pitäjämäki reception center was the target of an arson attack on Friday or Saturday. A Molotov cocktail was hurled at the reception center but didn’t light up properly.
Read on »Migrant Tales Literary: Would you buy a used car from PS’ Timo Soini?
Timo Soini is chairman of the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. After the most recent opinion polls showed that the political future of the PS is bleak to say the least, what will Soini do after his party returns to the minor political leagues? Will he start to sell used cars?
Read on »What has the PS given to Finland apart from destroying our international image, labeling migrants and polarizing society?
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are one of the worst surprises that Finland got after 2011. If the latest opinion poll is anything to go by, the nationalist populist party has returned to the minor political leagues, where it was originally from.
Read on »YLE poll: Support for PS of Finland takes another dip to 9.8%
A poll commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) revealed more pain for the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which saw its support plummet below 10% to 9.8%. The party that gained the most in the poll were the Social Democrats, which saw their support rise by 2.4 percentage points to 20.7%.
Read on »Finnish PS Kotka counclman under police investigation for ethnic agitation
Mertsu Merivirta is a Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party councilman of the southern Finnish city of Kotka. His Facebook wall is full of nationalist anti-immigration posts and sexism. If you’re going to victimize migrants and minorities why not include women as well.
Read on »Perussuomalaiset woes deepen as Sebastian Tynkkynen reelected chairman of the Finnish party’s youth league
The problems of the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party got worse Sunday after its third vice president, Sebastian Tynkkynen, got reelected by a clear majority to head the party’s youth league.
Read on »The PS of Finland is an amateurish party that wants to normalize ignorance and racism
Finns are nice people in general. Some are patient and like to give kooks an opportunity. They do so because they mistrust the establishment or want to confirm that their trust of the establishment is justified.
Read on »YLE A-studio: The PS reveals its anti-democratic credentials and loathing of press freedom
Watching Thursday’s A-Studio talk show gave a very disturbing picture of what the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* think about democracy and the role of the media in society. Researcher Markku Jokisipilä exposed with a diplomatic statement what is wrong with Finland when debating our ever-growing culturally and ethnically diverse society.
Read on »Kenyan insulted by racist Finnish woman: “You’re a f***ing African woman…”
How would you feel if a total stranger starts to insult you in public? Has it ever happened to you? When something like that happens you feel that you’ve been violated and torn to little shreds.
Read on »Finland copies Islamophobic Danish anti-refugee campaign
The Finnish foreign ministry has launched a social media campaign aiming to discourage Iraqi asylum seekers from coming to Finland, according to YLE News.
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?