Month: November 2011

The day will come when cultural diversity will be accepted in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Native American Louie Gone asks an interesting question: Why isn’t a person’s “mixed” heritage acknowledged of all places in a country like the United States? How does Finland support identity development and what kind of exclusion or inclusion does it promote?

I visited this week an elementary school in Eastern Finland and saw a bunch of posters hanging on the walls with different names of countries, flags, and how to count up to three in languages such as Arabic, Denga and others.

While I am certain that the teachers’ intention at the school is to promote respect for diversity, one could ask if it actually doest that.

Why doesn’t the school promote the idea that the children can discover, put into practice and celebrate their new Finnish or hybrid identity on their terms?

What is interesting is that these so-called students with immigrant backgrounds have lived most of their lives in Finland.

It would be far-reaching and probably make some Finns uncomfortable if we’d empower children and people with culturally diverse backgrounds the right to belong and influence our culture as equals.  That would require a very strong dose of acceptance, a word that it rarely used by politicians in this country.

The last people to use terms like mutual acceptance and respect for diversity in Finland would be those that are pushing and placing people in different ethnic categories. They do so with the same intention as Gone mentioned: To conquer and rule.

If I were the principle of that elementary school in Eastern Finland, I would have asked the students to draw the flags of their former home countries together with the Finnish one and then mix them together and imagine how fortunate they are.

Thank you for the heads up @getgln!

PS of Finland: Giving racism a new respectable face

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

A number of far right anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS) party MPs have seen an image facelift after they were elected. PS MP Juho Eerola has seen the biggest transformation. 

I suspsect that after the April election, PS head Timo Soini called MPs like Eerola and told them to get a hair cut and look more respectable.

PS MP Juho Eerola before and after. Source: Eduskunta and Wikipedia.

Even PS MPs like Teuvo Hakkarainen was learning how to use a tie after he got elected. PS MP Jussi Halla-aho, the leader of the party’s anti-immigration wing, changed his Facebook profile picture. It could not, however, stop him from making controversial statements like “multiculturalism sucks ass” or that the military should overthrow the elected government in Greece.

Even James Hirvisaari, one of the eeriest of the Suomen Sisu PS MPs in parliament, got a suit and tie.

No matter how many suits these type of politicians put on they cannot hide who they are. Despite his haircut and respectable look, Eerola was incapable of condemning his aide Ulla Pyysalo for belonging to a neo-Nazi association.

One of the matters that surprised the Allies when they caught former concentration camp SS guards and commandants was how much they looked like the next-door neighbor.

The PS may want to give a legitimate face to racism and exclusion.

What does not change behind the new persona is the questionable ideology.

eWeek Europe: Anonymous Implicated In Finnish Web Hacks

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: The main aim of the hackers that exposed the vulnerability of the Finnish data security system was to expose neo-Nazi organizations like Suomen Kansallinen Vastarinta. I wonder how many red faces there would be if they’d hack the Suomen Sisu association website? 

Anonymous Finland claimed responsibility for the hacks in a statement Monday. 

Writes Anonymous Finland:  “We have no tolerance for any group based on racial, sexual and religion discrimination as well as for all the people belonging to them and sharing their ideologies, which is the reason why We decided to carry out last Monday’s attack. That said, We demand SVK to cease its social and net activities and dissolve immediately: should it not happen, We will continue to carry out attacks to its website in the form We will find more appropriate for our intentions.”

And continues:  “We have seen a massive increase of racism among large layers of the population and national politics, as well as of violent verbal and physical actions towards foreigners. We have seen the birth of groups and political movements and apparition of political figures who support racist ideologies and foster and encourage racial hatred through flamboyant rhetoric, people and movements…”

Certainly what Anonymous Finland has done is a breach of the law but what can we say about websites like Hommaforum and Scripta, which are trying to make racism a normal thing in our society? 

Here is another link to Oo News! that writes about the incident.

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By Iris Cheerin

Neo-Nazi politicians were exposed in Finland – but was Anonymous really responsible?  In the largest ever breach of its kind, Finnish websites were hacked last week and personal data leaked onto a file sharing website, it has been reported.

Read whole story.

HS in English: Europe’s true populists

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: It’s refreshing to read the work of a journalist like Lisa Bjurwald, who published on Monday her book, ”Europe’s Shame – Racists on the Rise.” Migrant Tales hasn’t let the Perussuomaliset (PS) party off the hook even if its leader, Timo Soini, and countless others assure us that they are a normal party that does not exploit and incite xenophobia, racism and fear. 

Writes HS in English: “Even though the True Finns are regarded in Finland as different from other populist parties, it is not true, Bjurwald claims. According to Bjurwald, it is typical of populism to appear ‘special.’ For example, in Hungary it is always argued that the right-wing Jobbik Party, which is calling for special separated-off areas for the Roma minority, has to be seen in the Hungarian context, as there the Roma are quite a special case.”

How one should treat a party like the PS in the media should not be difficult. Even so, we have had countless debates on Migrant Tales on what to call Suomen Sisu, which is more extreme than the PS. 

Migrant Tales does not have to cite the secret police or any other source to decide what describes an association like Suomen Sisu best. If we look at the racial views of the association, it can be described as “Nazi spirited” or even “Klu Klux Klan spirited.”  

HS in English continues quoting Bjurwald: ”Then we hear these statements like ”When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, which do not have any concrete content, but they increase the feeling of insecurity among a certain part of the population, for example immigrants.” 

The Swedish journalist is right by saying that there is high moral standard and leadership lacking in society. We are talking about a black spot on our democracy, she says. 

“Everyone can decide for themselves whom to vote for,” Bjurwald concludes. “But if the decision is made on the basis of false information and inspired with fear, someone has to say ’Stop.’” 

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By Anna-Liina Kauhanen in Stockholm 

The True Finns’ victory in Finland’s general elections gives Sweden and the entire European Union a lot to digest, says journalist Lisa Bjurwald from Stockholm, who watches the populist far-right parties.

Read whole story.

Karjalainen: Kuinka valheesta vähitellen tulee totuus

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Here is an interesting column on Joensuu-based daily Karjalainen about Wille Rydman, who is stepping down as Kokoomus youth leader. Writes Helena Tahvanainen: “According to Rydman, the biggest problem is, among other things, unjustified applications for asylum as well as the uncontrolled rise of asylum seekers. In (Rydman’s successor) Antti Häkkinen’s opinion Finland does not have enough resources to handle such (a large) refugee quota.”

For some odd reason, Rydman never  mind Häkkinen don’t tell us what a “large” and “uncontrolled” refugee quota is. 

Finland had last year 4,260 asylum seekers, which is less than in 2009 but more than this year.  Compared with Sweden and Norway, the number is very small. Sweden had 27,630 and Norway 15,255 asylum seekers. Finland gave asylum last year to 1,595 people compared with 8,495 in Sweden. 

One of the problems with the debate on asylum seekers is that it forgets an important detail: We are a rich country that has the luxury to give shelter to other people from all types of persecution. Politicians like Rydman, Häkkinen and too many others forget with their views the suffering people endure. 

If Häkkinen is an example of the leadership and future generation of this country, I feel sorry for this country because it shows nothing more than greed, indifference and lack of leadership. 

Let’s hope that one day that these types of politicians won’t have to go knocking on some country’s door and ask for political asylum.

I wonder how’d they feel if they were treated the same way they speak of asylum seekers. 

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Helena Tahvanainen

Viime viikonvaihteessa kokoomusnuoret valitsivat uuden puheenjohtajan. Maahanmuuttokriitikkona profiloitunut puheenjohtaja Wille Rydmania seurasi toinen maahanmuuttokriitikko eli Antti Häkkänen. Rydmanilla ei näyttänyt olevan mitään tätä leimaa vastaan.

Read whole story.

How to confront anti-immigration parties in the Nordic region

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

The societies of the Nordic countries are still models for the rest of Europe and the world when it comes to social justice, equality, and inclusion. Slower economic growth is not the only threat that they face today, but an ever-growing minority that believes that exclusion of certain groups is acceptable.  

Is there such a thing as selective suspicion or hatred? Can you hate one group and claim to be not hate another? What happens to us if we begin to exclude some and include others in our society?

Far right and right-wing populist parties like the Perussuomalaiset  of Finland, Danish People’s Party, Progress Party of Norway, and Sweden Democrats have grown in recent years thanks to their anti-immigration rhetoric.

If there is a threat to the Nordic welfare state system and the values that uphold it, it is these parties’ anti-immigrant message that goes much deeper and further than meets the eye.

For one, and if we permit it, their view of society creates a paradox that will end up checkmating those values we hold so dear to us. You cannot further the cause of  social equality while on the other hand you aim to make other groups unequal.

Martin Luther King Jr. dealt with centuries of hatred and suspicion when he led and inspired others to the US Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Even if anti-immigration groups are hostile in their approach to their imagined and real enemies like immigrants, we must never succumb to their brand of hatred. We must remember King Jr. words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

It should be one of the rallying cries of our cause.

Supo: Suomen Sisu is an extremist group

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Kari Harju, Finnish secret police Supo regional security chief, classified Suomen Sisu as an extremist organization. He made the statement Monday in Ylen A-studio. 

As Migrant Tales readers know, there has been some debate about what kind of organization Suomen Sisu is. Citing Supo, Finnish Criminal Police (KRP) and an academic, the Council for the Mass Media (JSN), has called the association “Nazi spirited.”

Harju said that while he did not consider Suomen Sisu “Nazi spirited” but he did see it as an extremist group.

Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Juho Eerola, who is a member of Suomen Sisu, denied in Ylen A-studio that the association was extremist.

He played down on Uusi Suomi what Harju said about the association.  “Some consider the police an extremist organization,” he said.

What would you describe an association that believes in “racial hygiene” and recommends against Finns marrying foreigners? Migrant Tales would call that racist, extremist and Nazi-spirited due to its racial views.

Nazism is the antithesis of cultural diversity.

A-studio 7.11.2011 TV1 klo 21:00: Onko perussuomalaisilla yhteyksiä äärijärjestöihin?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

It would be interesting to have a debate on Migrant Tales after the A-studio report today at 9pm that asks if the PS has connections to far right groups.

If this question were asked of Migrant Tales the answer would be a definite yes. Some extremist organizations that come to mind are Suomen Sisu and blogs like The Gates of Vienna, where PS MP Jussi Halla-aho written.

Even though far right associations are bonded ideologically by anti-EU, anti-immigration and especially anti-Muslim sentiment, they are the same beast that roamed the political landscape in the before and after 1930s. Some call these groups Counter-Jihadists whose ideas were used by mass killers like Anders Breivik in Norway.

guardian.co.uk: Far right on rise in Europe, says report

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: A long-awaited study published today by Demos think tank asks if populism is the future face of Europe. 

The guardian.co.uk writes: “The study reveals a continent-wide spread of hardline nationalist sentiment among the young, mainly men. Deeply cynical about their own governments and the EU, their generalised fear about the future is focused on cultural identity, with immigration – particularly a perceived spread of Islamic influence – a concern.”

When asked to mention what factors they disliked most about the EU, the respondents stated: waste of money (59%), not enough control over external borders (58%), loss of our cultural identity’ (56%), more crime (46%) and bureaucracy (36%).

If we look at PS Facebook respondents, they scored higher than average than the rest. Seventy-four percent considered the EU a “waste of money,” 62% said there wasn’t “enough control over external borders,” and 69% stated “loss of cultural identity.” PS respondents scored the highest  together with Die Freiheit of Germany on “loss of cultural identity.”

Concerns over immigration and Islamic terrorism were the respondents two main concerns. The highest score was by France’s far right (Bloc Identitaire, 67% and National Front 57%) compared with an average of 37%;  PS scored 33%.  Fifteen percent (25% on average for the whole group) of the PS saw Islamic terrorism as a threat.

While the PS claimed in September that preliminary findings of the Demos study claimed that the party is violent, the think tank has denied such allegations.

Do you agree that the populist and far right parties that base their campaigns on anti-EU, anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiment will continue to grow in Europe?

You can download the full report here.

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Peter Walker and Mathew Taylor

The far right is on the rise across Europe as a new generation of young, web-based supporters embrace hardline nationalist and anti-immigrant groups, a study has revealed ahead of a meeting of politicians and academics in Brussels to examine the phenomenon.

Read whole story.

Multilingual Mania: Dehumanizing Immigrants-Lies and More Distorted Lies

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Here is an interesting column on Multilingual Mania that could be a good wakeup call to us how anti-immigration matters could turn nasty in Europe and Finland.

What would happen if we substituted some words in the blog entry below terms like Arizona  for Europe or Finland? Do these statements sound eerily familiar today in our part of the world, even if they were said in another continent? 

“We’ve seen it over and over–measurement of the skull incompatible cultural traits to prove that African Americans people from outside Europe were inferior and deserved to be enslaved  treated as third-class citizens, the depiction of indigenous Native Americans Muslims and Africans as wild savages living in the stone age who needed to be ripped away from their cultures and re-educated assimilated, and the idea that all Arabs are either radical terrorists or culturally inferior, and far too many other instances.”

And: “The lies paint a portrait of immigrants as drug dealers, child molesters rapists, leaches, thieves, murderers, and other big, bad, evil monsters. This video discusses and confronts some of the lies, mistruths, and distortions of information that are coming out of the mouth of authority figures regarding immigration.”

The spreading of lies and exaggerations by Finnish anti-immigration politicians have been handsomely rewarded by the way of votes. It has helped a party like the Perussuomalaiset to become the second largest in Finland. Alejandro Chávez, the son of the famous United Farm Workers activist César Chávez, said: “People will suffer not the politicians (spreading these lies).”

 Do you think that media and people in this country should be more outspoken against those politicians that are using the anti-immigration card to reap political benefits?

Are we too soft on them? 

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It’s a classic trick of the racists to paint a portrait of a people so horrible that it makes anything that is done to them to be justifiable. It’s quite a brilliant idea, really, to be able to paint such a nasty picture of someone in the mind of the public without many people hardly even catching on to the trick. This strategy serves to dehumanize people, stripping them of their humanity and making them into objects that deserve to be tamed, oppressed, and controlled.

Read whole story.