By Enrique Tessieri
If you want to see the face of racism in the raw in Finland, visit the following Facebook website called “Mamu keskustelu ilman sensuuria (lieksa),” or “Immigrant debate without censorship (Lieksa).” After reading a few threads you will see the face of racism in Finland stare back at you fully exposed and unrestrained.
It is welcome news that the police took action Friday against some of the people on the Facebook site for inciting racial hatred and, worse, encouraging violence against the roughly 200 immigrants that live in the small city of 12,800 inhabitants.
Lieksa is a small city in the eastern Finnish region of Pohjois-Karjala, a region well known in Finland for its issues with racism. Even so, a lot of people as well as organizations like JoMoni in Joensuu are doing a lot of work to challenge the ever-growing face of racism in this part of Finland.
Pohjois-Karjala launched in the 1970s a successful health campaign to lower cholesterol levels and save lives. The region should launch a very strong campaign against racism to save this part of Finland from social and economic impoverishment due to the hostile attitudes of some of their inhabitants.
Who wants to move or live in a region that has a racist label hanging over its head? How many companies would relocate there? How many students from outside the region want to study in a city that has such a dubious reputation?
One matter is clear when reading some of the comments on “Immigrant debate without censorship (Lieksa)” from the festering wound of racism in that city: Shameless ignorance. Some of those that post on the Facebook site don’t even understand that they have serious issues with their racist attitudes.
Sad, but true.
The facebook page is a symptom. The locals writing to it are angry for a reason. Nobody is asking why they are angry, and try to cure the reason. What I see has happened the politicians have been bringing in jobless people competing for the same resources as the locals to get government subsidies. Nobody has asked the locals – and voicing their opinions gets them to trouble. See democracy in action – the locals are 2nd class citizens in their own country.
Hi Allan, concerning Lieksa, is this the welcome that people from Pohjois-Karjala give even to Finns? If you read some of the comments on the Facebook page you can get the drift of their thoughts. I have met very poor people in other countries who are more friendly than these people. Many of their views are outright racist.
Allan
These would be the migrants doing jobs that were advertised for months and months at the local jobcentre and nobody was interested? The public sector jobs that everyone thinks must be done, nobody will pay a penny more for in local taxes, and nobody will step up for even after it becomes clear that immigrants are taking these jobs as entry-level occupations?
If you are angry because some immigrant is driving the buses, then the absolutely most effective thing you can do is apply for the next job vacancy at the local bus company and tell the company that you will drive the bus for free. The next most effective method is to pay higher taxes (enabling a larger local transport subsidy) or higher bus fares, so that you can increase the wages of bus drivers. Then maybe your Finnish neighbour will take the job. Finally, you can use the Mussolini method of recruiting bus drivers.
And exactly what makes you think Justicedemon that any of these jobs exist? Or that any migrant would have any qualifications for these “public sector jobs” – or any of the locals either?
Sairaanhoitajat
Sairaanhoitaja, Lieksan kaupunki, Terveyskeskus, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 25.11.2011, 3-vuorotyö, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Farmaseutit
Farmaseutti, Lieksan Uusi Apteekki, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Lääketyöntekijät
Lääketyöntekijä, tekninen apulainen, Lieksan Pietari-Apteekki, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, 38t / viikko, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Sosiaalialan ohjaajat, hoitajat, hlökoht. avustaja
Henkilökohtainen avustaja, Honkalampi-säätiö, avustajakeskus, Lieksa, muu osa-aikatyö, 6 tuntia kuukaudessa, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Henkilökohtainen avustaja, Honkalampi-säätiö, avustajakeskus, Lieksa, muu osa-aikatyö, 4 tuntia viikossa, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Ohjaaja (sosiaaliala), HyväMieli Asumis- ja Tukipalvelut Oy, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 31.01.2012, 3-vuorotyö, Kesto: 1 – 3 kk
Psykologit
Perheneuvolapsykologi, Lieksan kaupunki, Perheneuvola, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 30.11.2011, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: 6 – 12 kk
Yrittäjät
Yrittäjä, Pielisen Karjalan Kehittämiskeskus Oy, PIKES Oy/Osuva yritysneuvonta, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Metsätyöntekijät
Monitoimikoneenkuljettaja, TOTAL-Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, sopimuksen mukaan, Kesto: 1 – 3 kk
Monitoimikoneenkuljettaja (metsätyö), JT-Koneet Oy, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Koneistajat ja työkaluntekijät
Koneistaja, TOTAL-Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: 1 – 3 kk
Kokit, keittäjät, kylmäköt
Kokkeja, S-ryhmä, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 31.12.2011, muu osa-aikatyö, Kesto: 3 – 6 kk
Pizzamestari, Pizzamaster, Lieksa, kokopäivätyö, Kesto: yli 12 kuukautta
Keittiötyöntekijät, ravintolatyöntekijät
Ravintolatyöntekijöitä, S-ryhmä, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 30.11.2011, muu osa-aikatyö, Kesto: 3 – 6 kk
Kiinteistönhoito ja kunnossapito
Rinnetyöntekijöitä, S-ryhmä, Lieksa, Haku päättyy: 31.12.2011, muu osa-aikatyö, Kesto: 3 – 6 kk
Allan
Your last contribution made no sense at all. I suggest that you sober up first and try again if you still think you have anything to add.
Justicedemon, once you stop chewing khat, tell me exactly what of the aforementioned open jobs in Lieksa can be filled with “migrants doing jobs that were advertised for months and months at the local jobcentre and nobody was interested?” One of your astronaut friends?
Allan
Are you suggesting that some Finnish civil servant at Pielisen Karjalan työ- ja elinkeinotoimisto has been illegally issuing decisions to grant residence permits based on jobs that haven’t been advertised as vacant, as required by section 72 of the Aliens Act? What is your specific evidence for this alleged virkarikos?
Or are you simply as ignorant of Finland’s immigration system as the rest of the knuckle-dragging maahanmuuttokriittiset epähiket?
I’ll bet none of those “immigrants” are in Lieksa on a work-based residence permit but a “humanitarian” one. So I continue to ask from you, where are these “jobs that were advertised for months and months at the local jobcentre and nobody was interested?” that these “immigrants” are there to fill? Or is it you just can not face the fact that none of them has the skills to fill any of those specialist jobs that the mol has open in Lieksa and that they have joined the Lieksa unemployed statistics.
–I’ll bet none of those “immigrants” are in Lieksa on a work-based residence permit but a “humanitarian” one.
It’s incredible that you can go to England and “steal” a job from a Brit but all those that come here are welfare bums. You are like Klay, an immigrant who turns on other immigrants.
Dear Enrique.
Allan, like (Cassius) Klay are examples of the race of ass-kissers. Those are people who want so badly to demonstrate how “hard “they can be. Kombat 88 mentality guys. Why?? They are losers themselves, social misfits by inbreeding but want to show to their hosts who tough they are. Poor, poor, poor.
What an awsome life these guys must live, crawling and begging for recognition. Hi. It’s me on the corner. Swastika-Allan!! KKKlay!!SMMaryMekko.
Eyeopener, if you look at all these anti-immigration politicians in the PS there is one thing that characterizes them: narcissism coupled with low self-esteem about their country and of themselves.
Ha you guys make me laugh. Inbreeding? I’m of mixed race eyeopener, so unless your definition of inbreeding is that of coming from 2 different continents then I’m obviously not inbred. At least get your facts straight before you fire them. The rest of your post must have been typed in a drunken rage as it’s incomprehensible.
Enrique I’m not against other immigrants, only the ones who offer nothing or have cultural/religious baggage demanding preferential treatment. So you can phase out of nearly all Western immigrants from that list.
–Enrique I’m not against other immigrants, only the ones who offer nothing or have cultural/religious baggage demanding preferential treatment. So you can phase out of nearly all Western immigrants from that list.
One day, Klay, you will see the light when you learn to accept who you are. There is no reason to “adapt to what others think” all the time.
It’s not about preferential treatment but how effectively you incorporate people into society. One matter is for certain: It never works when one group, high and mighty, tells other groups how to behave. The answer is more dynamic than that. It means and acceptance of all of society’s parts for the common good. Things like language form part of the whole.
I make my own decisions about my lifestyle. That is my choice and, most importantly, it is my right.
“It’s incredible that you can go to England and “steal” a job from a Brit but all those that come here are welfare bums”
No its not incredible. I have a skill that got me hired *before* I emigrated. The people in Lieksa are asylum-shoppers wanting handouts.
I know which group you associate yourself with.
–No its not incredible. I have a skill that got me hired *before* I emigrated.
Well, thank all those immigrants that came before you for your job. Otherwise you’d have to put up with what you say but from Brits.
“I make my own decisions about my lifestyle. That is my choice and, most importantly, it is my right.”
You make the choices, so all racism and xenophobia you encounter is your own fault.
–You make the choices, so all racism and xenophobia you encounter is your own fault.
TyFaRR = typical far-right response
Enrique is a typical non-European who thinks he can come here and tell us how to act.
Hi Ei and welcome to Migrant Tales.
–Enrique is a typical non-European who thinks he can come here and tell us how to act.
Allan calls me a “wannabe Finn” and the first thing you do when you visit our blog is call me a “non-European.”
So?
It’s pretty obvious you’re not natively from Europe. What gives you the right to tell us how we should behave, and then condemn us for asking the people that have moved to OUR communities to behave like decent human beings (I know this is hard for mudskins to do)? Tell us why we shouldn’t use mob violence to run you out of our countries.
Nobody says Arabs in Arab countries have Arab privilege
Nobody says Blacks in Black countries have Black privilege
Nobody says Asians in Asian? countries have Asian privilege
Nobody says Hispanics in Hispanic countries have Hispanic privilege
These anti-Whites only ever say White People in majority White countries have “White-privilege” to justify their on-going program of White geNOcide thru mass non-White immigration and “assimilation” of White countries and ONLY White countries.
Welcome to Migrant Tales oh lawd. Are you related to eh? Like him you use far-right/anti-immigration terms like “mass non-white immigration.” I must admit that “non-white immigration” has been used rarely. I guess you are from the U.S.
Like eh, I will pitch the same question to you: So, what’s the solution in your opinion?
Name a city, borough, etc in Europe that is majority black that was improved relative to when it was European. Not that it should matter. Its absurd that people have to present arguments as to why they shouldn’t be colonized, why they shouldn’t become minorities in their own country. If you look at Sweden, France, the UK, the US its pretty obvious that multiculturalism just creates strife and misery for the native population. The whole thing is obviously rationalized by post-colonial guilt. Since Finland was never a colonial power none it applies at all to Finland.
Hi eh and welcome to our blog, Migrant Tales.
That term, “colonized,” is pretty fishy in your sentence. It’s a dead give away of far-right/anti-immigration groups like “mass immigration.”
What you say is nothing new. So what is your solution?
Justice Demon, in San Francisco a public-system (MUNI) busdriver earns about $80K/year. People fight for those jobs – fat pensions, the works. That the job is crummy, dealing with a rancourous and very diverse public, insane traffic, and a lot of homeless and criminally mentally ill people, well, hey, it pays well! Black-Americans in particular, but now the Chinese immigrants, are pushing their way in to get these jobs. Amongst the “blacks” (many only one-eighth or one-fourth Negro) the majority are females, who again are getting preference based on being “minority” in a double sense, giving the transport agency a double score in employing the “disadvantaged”. They ARE excellent drivers, if one can generalize – the women of all “colors” are better at dealing with traffic frustrations & kooks. They have more patience, and almost all accidents can be attributed to the male gender, esp. the deadly ones. Is any of this true in Finland? Try hiring Somalian women busdrivers, watch & see!
The same goes for union-pay city jobs, such as carpenter, electricians, plumbers, clerks, etc. Meanwhile, in the private sector, where pay is less, the jobs go begging. In the tourbus industry, where base pay is less but other incentives exist, it’s the “whites” who go for the jobs, often because they’re excluded from the public sector based on their supposed skin color. One very successful, popular, energetic tourguide/busdriver switched to the MUNI (public buses) for higher pay and benefits, but only got hired eventually because he claimed “minority status” – gay sexual preference.
If you wonder why the supposed priviledged skin color groups go for the private sector, it’s also the feeling of more freedom, more possibility of merit-based promotions and flexibility in general. If one always has to play against the race card for job security and promotions, “whites” are losers in the public sector but often winners in the private – they try hard and get ahead. Bosses are more likely to be qualified, rather than lording it over underlings based on race, gender or political favors.
Public busdrivers in Finland were a quiet male bunch, from what I saw going around the country, but then, aren’t all Finnish males unless they’ve been drinking? I loved hitchhiking there in Finland, practicing my Finnish from a small book, and never getting an answer… it gave me confidence to never be corrected. Ei helppoa, Suomilained kieli!!! Sat on a percolator!