After one wing of the Social Democratic Party notched closer to the anti-immigration True Finns, one should quietly ask what’s all the fuss about. SDP MP Eero Heinäluoma stated in an interview in Swedish daily HBL that Finland should not encourage labor immigrants because there are 300,000 unemployed. Fair enough, then he goes on and blames immigrants for spreading racism because “they will take Finnish jobs.”
Month: April 2010
¿Eres una víctima del racismo en Finlandia?
El exámen original lo publiqué en inglés y ha recibido ya más de 10 200 visitas y 1 080 comentarios (abril de 2010). El racismo es un mal social que no se puede condonar en ninguna sociedad.
Finnish immigration-refugee debate food for thought: the future and present
Have you noticed how different politicians speak of multiculturalism, immigrants, immigration, a- and b-class workers in the future tense?
Forging healthy ethnic relations in Finland
The ongoing debate on labor immigrants and refugees goes much further into the schizophrenic relationship that some Finns have of the outside world and diversity.On the one side, you have people that have no issues with cultural and ethnical diversity because Finland is already such a country. It is a normal and welcome aspect of our society. But then you have others that see themselves as the last Mohekans defending “Finnish values and race.”
Take two of the SDP-Heinäluoma anti-immigration saga
Social Democrat MP Eero Heinäluoma, who outraged a number of politicians, some Finns and immigrants over the weekend in an HBL inerview on Saturday, admits in the Social Democratic Party daily Demari, where he states that the party’s immigration policy has not stiffened.
Väyrynen backs SDP’s Heinäluoma’s anti-immigration rhetoric
Foreign trade and development mininster, Paavo Väyrynen (Center Party), who served as foreign minister during 1977-1993 under President Urho Kekkonen (1956-82) and Mauno Koivsto (1982-94), Finland’s last cold war president, supported in Ilta-Sanomat Eero Heinäluoma’s stance on immigration. The Social Democrat MP was quoted in Saturday’s HBL as stating that Finland should not encourage labor immigrants from coming to Finland because of high unemployment.
SDP Heinäluoma’s populist anti-immigrant “roll”
The Social Democrats are on the populist anti-immigrant roll: SDP strongman Eero Heinäluoma stirred passions on Saturday in an HBL interview (in Swedish) by stating that Finland should not be too enthusiastic about bringing labor immigrants due to high unemployment among Finns. Some dailies such as Ilta-Sanomat asked if Heinäluoma believes that immigrants will take “our women” as well.
Racism in Finland and elsewhere
Every society has its racists but the question is where we draw the line. For a country like Finland, the problem of drawing a clear line hinges on that there are so few immigrant and ethnic groups that moved to this country from the second half of last century.
MTV3: Being critical of immigration isn’t synonymous with being racist
I just saw an interesting article published in MTV3 on anti-immigrant pressure group Homma ry chairman, Matias Turkkila, who wants to tell us that being critical of immigration isn’t synonymous with being a racist. “(Death) threats are a sad path that one should not take,” he said. “I am against such actions, but I understand in some cases the frustration of those people that make such threats.”
PÄÄKIRJOITUS: Maahanmuuttajat, suomalaiset ja muutos
Niin sanotut ”maahanmuuttokriittisten” ryhmien strategiat voivat epäonnistua pahasti jos he uskovat, että keskustelemalla vain avoimesti aiheesta ”kansa yhdistyisi” ja heidän kielteiset näkemyksensä maahanmuuttajista ja pakolaisista muuttuisivat. Eräs suuri virhe, jonka maahanmuuttajavastaiset ryhmät tekevät on, että he uskovat etteivät kulttuurit koskaan muuttuu, ja siksi maahanmuuttajat eivät voisi sopeutua Suomeen.