…hate groups have used conflicts over immigration to advance their White Supremacy, their hate, their stereotypes… Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the United States was founded in 1913 to address anti-Semitism and ”to secure justice and fair treatment of all.” ADL’s Stacy Burdett reveals in an interview below the code words of hate used in the U.S. to dehumanize and victimize immigrants and visible minorities. The same speech is rampant today in Finland and Europe.
Below are four ways to recognize the code words of hate:
- Immigrants are an army of invaders
- Dehumanization
- Immigrants bring crime and disease
- Conspiracy theory
While Hispanics are singled out as a danger to the United States, anti-immigration groups in Europe point their finger at Muslims.
Let’s look at Burdett’s points and see if they apply to Europe and Finland.
Immigrants are an army of invaders. With this claim, anti-immigration groups drive home the point that immigrants, or Muslims in the case of Europe, are an ”army” or “horde” invading our values and way of life.
There are many examples of people and groups using this argument. One of them is Aalto University senior lecturer Kyösti Tarvainen, who claimed, using a pocket calculator, that Muslims would outnumber Finns this century due to their high birthrates.
Pet adjectives used by these groups to describe immigration are “uncontrolled” and/or “mass.”
Dehumanization. Immigrants are talked about as swarms, hordes or in worse terms. Burdett says: “…when you teach children at school to think a person is animal-like, less than human, you teach them that this group is less-deserving of their basic civil rights.”
Former Interior Minister Kari Rajamäki (Social Democrat) once labelled refugees as “welfare shoppers” that come in groups to this country to live off our generous social welfare system. The claim implies that since they come here as “welfare shoppers,” they should be treated as second-class members of our community.
The Nuiva Manifesto, an immigration policy endorsed by the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, points out what basic civil rights should be taken away from immigrants.
Immigrants bring crime and disease. This is a common argument used by anti-immigration groups with the help of inaccurate statistics.
PS MPs like James Hirvisaari have used rape statistics and social welfare payments to single out and attack certain immigrant groups and minorities in Finland. One of his most incredible claims was that Norwegian mass killer, Anders Breivik, carried out his massacre because of “uncontrolled immigration” and because 100% of all rapes committed in the country were by foreigners.
Conspiracy theory. In the United States, anti-immigration groups claim that Mexicans that come to the U.S. do so to reconquer the Southwest and take back land that once belonged to Mexico.
In the same way, these groups in Finland and Europe claim that ”multiculturalism” is a conspiracy to permit Muslims and blacks to take over Europe ethnically and culturally.
Concludes Burdett: “When people all over the country are trained to think of immigrants as invading our way of life, trying to rip apart our civilization and undermining our values, when we are trained to think that they are a little less than, less-deserving of rights, less human, animal-like, almost…good people will be inculcated to hate.”
…”words have consequences. There is a direct connection between the policies we have in our societies, the words of leaders, daily lives of minority communities and immigrants and unfortunately we have seen hate crimes against Latinos, Asians and other immigrants on the rise.”
Sounds eerily familiar, even if Burdett is speaking about the United States.
Thanks to Daily Community Village Activist for the heads-up.
Amazing. I watched this video and it could be as well referring to Finlands current situation, we’re being accused of invaders even though some of us like me almost born in here and grew up with Finns, we’ve been painted in the media as a threats. As the video says: we’re taken as a health risk to Finns, many Finns have forgotten the reason we’re here and took as an enemy even though some of us don’t understand why and are confused about the hate they’re receiving. Nowadays if you’re a visible immigrant living in Finland that means a total isolation for you.
American propaganda…I hope you do not think this is alll true they are saying
–American propaganda…I hope you do not think this is alll true they are saying
So what, in your opinion, isn’t true about what the Anti-Defamation League is saying?
no sorry. I just have an issue with this woman, she isn’t that noble as she appears like. I think she is Jewish and has made some outrageous statements elswere. It is always someone’s elses fault according her.
So what, in your opinion, isn’t true about what the Anti-Defamation League is saying?
Probably there is a something in it what she is saying but from where do these allegations come from on immigrant problems? The US has always been hard on immigration and residence permits, what has changed recently?
–Probably there is a something in it what she is saying but from where do these allegations come from on immigrant problems? The US has always been hard on immigration and residence permits, what has changed recently?
This is your answer? You haven’t answered my question: So what, in your opinion, isn’t true about what the Anti-Defamation League is saying?
What the ADL person is saying and pointing out is perfectly clear. All these things are global and happen in Finland as they do in Arizona. It’s part of the same phenomenon: anti-immigration rhetoric.
Look at the PS, Jussi Halla-aho, Counter Jihadists, Finnish Defense League, James Hirvisaari and many, many other examples.
The thing about anti-immigration rhetoric is that it comes from abroad and is re-marketed as something local (sic). It’s a cheap copy-and-paste job.
I think this woman is Jewish and she is talking bad things about Jewish people, which of course is her right if she thinks they are bad. I just have an issue with this woman that is all.
If this is a global problem what can be done? Anti-Defamation L is probably a good thing but this woman…
–I just have an issue with this woman that is all.
OK, so you don’t like her because she exposes the rhetoric of anti-immigration groups to the tee.
if you read my comments you will see how large her hate propaganda is. She hates own people who does not do as she wants
Marco, how can you claim that a person from the Anti-Defamation Leage is spreading “hatred” if their job is to expose and challenge it?
to repeat myself, this woman is spreading hatred to everybody who does not agree with her.
Anti Def league is probably a good thing, though they could put somebody else than a person who has a bad reputation in front.
–Anti Def league is probably a good thing, though they could put somebody else than a person who has a bad reputation in front.
Why does she have a bad reputation? I think she is articulate and very convincing.
convincing?
She has completely forgotten one thing.
–She has completely forgotten one thing.
What thing?
Please remember that these are few in number. They are very vocal, though and media gives them space. Opposing voices are silenced. Uusi Suomi deleted my blog, probably because these people press “report” en masse.
Perussuomalaiset, the Finns, are actually three separate groups:
Sisulaiset, from organization Suomen Sisu, SS (sic!) are very hostile to asylum seekers and islam. Halla-aho, Hirvisaari, Eerola are the most notable members.
Religious nutheads spout Christian fundamentalist views. Oinonen and Hakkarainen.
Järkipersut – the reasonable ones, who do not usually make scandals.
There ancestors of this movement, Archaeopersut, so to say are people like Seppo Lehto or Olavi Mäenpää. The latter one has his own party, the former one is a member of FDL, not that they are very proud of him – he is so way off that he is strange even by FDL standards. There has been a lot of build-up by the years.
Then there is the violent group of patriots, Kansallinen Vapautusrintama – National Liberation Front.
There are many splinters and they fight each other. They would not be there unless the political system in Finland had been failure at first. Elections are never won, they are lost. People do not vote racists because they are the best party but because the other parties have failed.