It is a tragedy that 77 people had to die at the hands of Anders Breivik. Ironically the mass killer did more on July 22 than anyone to undermine the ideology of anti-immigration populist parties and hate groups in the Nordic region and Europe.
Month: May 2012
Pointing the finger at racism! But then what?
A commentator recently asked us here at MT whether pointing the finger at racism will ever make it disappear. It’s a fair question and deserves a good answer. Other ideas that came up in the same comment thread discussed people’s reasons or justifications for not liking immigrants. The suggestion was that the reason for racism…
YLE’S Spotlight: Finland’s PS links to the Finnish Defense League
How are we supposed to react to the following news: A number of Perussuomalaiset (PS) party membersbelong to the far-right and anti-Islam Finnish Defense League (FDL)? The story, which was scooped by Yle’s Swedish-language program Spotlight adds that these PS members with ties to the FDL belong as well to the extremist Suomen Sisu association.
Ilta-Sanomat billboard (lööppi) from August 7, 1996
Migrant Tales publishes on and off Finnish tabloid ads* (lööppi in Finnish) from the 1990s. Taking into account that Finland’s immigrant population started to grow during that decade, it is easy at least through some of the main stories of tabloids like Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti to see how some of them reflected our xenophobic, prejudiced, racist or anti-Russian views.
Social inclusion is vital to a well-functioning society
Why are we so passionate at Migrant Tales about immigrant and minority rights? Because such groups are effective measuring sticks that reveal the state of civil rights and democracy. The more social inclusion you succeed at promoting the healthier your society is.
Lieksa, Finland, again in the news about the r-problem
Even if the troubled city of Lieksa is taking bold steps forward in its fight against racism, it ends up taking some giant leaps back. A social worker, Soile Syrjäläinen and her department have been the victims of harassment by some townsfolk. On Friday she got a bomb threat as well as being harassed on a daily basis. She even got spat at by a client, according to Joensuu-based daily Karjalainen.
Abdisalam Mohamed Abdulah: Returning to Finland’s Black February
Remember Dark February? In about three weeks we read about the deaths of three Muslims , a suicide and a Perussuomalaiset (PS) councilman who offered to decorate a white Finn for killing in cold blood one of these victims? Migrant Tales had the opportunity to meet Monday the father and a family friend of one of the victims, Abdisalam Mohamed Abdulahi.
Racism Review: Free Speech for Anti-Semites and Other Racist Folks: Debates in Europe
There are some important and interesting debates on hate speech in Europe, with critics of new and old hate-speech laws often parroting “first amendment” arguments one often hears in the US.
Will the PS succeed at its vicious campaign against immigrants and visible minorities?
Will Matias Turkkila, the new Perussuomalaiset (PS) editor-in-chief that aims to jump start the party’s website into a Hommaforum phenonmenon, succeed? In order to answer that question we’d have to rephrase the question in to the following way: Will Turkkila and the PS succeed at luring Finland’s biggest nationalist and multiculturally challenged crowd to the party’s cause whatever that may be?
Study: Homophobia and racism hinder young minority athletes from joining Finnish sports clubs
Helsingin Sanomat reported that homophobia and racism are two factors that hinder young minority athlietes from joining a Finnish sports club, according to a study. If the story is true it is not only another indication that some Finns live tucked deep in the values of the previous century, but for this to be going on still today is shameful, self-defeating and above all unacceptable.