I was thinking again this morning just how ironic it is that some people in Finland are buying into this ever-growing Islamaphobia and who imagine in decades to come, a nightmare Taliban-style government in Finland, complete with fully veiled women and public executions of homosexuals. I am aware of this because it’s a recurring theme…
Month: September 2012
Enrique Tessieri: Why I write about racism
I write about racism and social exclusion in Finland because it affects me and those I care about. I should know because I used to live marginalized from this society for decades. I didn’t live marginalized because I was maladapted. I was marginalized because I was well-adapted. Too many didn’t consider me a “real” Finn…
Julian Abagond: Why I write about racism
By Julian Abagond I write about racism in America because it affects my life and the lives of those I care about. Because it has shaped how I experience and see the world and myself, so by understanding racism I understand myself and the world better. It has little to do with trying to make…
We will win the battle against hate speech and intolerance
Much is at stake as Finland and Europe speeds into the depths of the new century. One of the greatest threats to our way of life and society today is hate speech and far-right ideology. Our resolve to identify and challenge these menaces is crucial during these times. Even if the media, politicians and public…
The Rautiainen scandal: The PS’ short and selective memory
The Amon Rautiainen* scandal, the Perussuomalaiset (PS) municipal council candidate in Kotka who suggested on Facebook that Muslims should be boiled alive, reveals the Finnish anti-immigration party’s short and selective memory. Freddy Van Wanterghem, the PS chair of the local association in Kotka, is a good example of the party’s double talk, or first I…
EU Commissioner for Human Rights: Protection against discrimination should be strengthened in Finland
This is a statement by the EU Commissioner for Human Rights: Strasbourg, 25/9/2012 – “The Finnish Government has started a timely reform of the national equal treatment legislation. It is now crucial to ensure accessibility of the protection framework to all victims of discrimination and avoid unnecessary fragmentation of equality bodies” said today Nils…
Perussuomalaiset candidate: Kill the prime minister, finance minister and boil Muslims alive
What is more serious: encouraging people to kill the prime minister and finance minister of your country or suggesting that Muslims should be boiled alive? The police are presently investigating whether to launch an inquiry against Perussuomalaiset (PS) Kotka municipal election candidate Amon Rautiainen, reports YLE in English. Rautiainen has publicly apologized for what he wrote on…
PS of Pori: Nazi motto to kick off the municipal elections of October
The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party of the western Finnish city of Pori have come up with a catch phrase to launch their municipal election campaign: “One city – one leader,” reports Uusi Pori. The motto of the Nazis regime (1933-35) was chillingly similar to what the PS in Pori are using: Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer (One…
YLE in English: Three Afghani asylum seekers continue hunger strike
Three Afghani asylum seekers been on hunger strike since September 10 after their applications for asylum were rejected by the authorities, writes YLE in English. The three asylum seekers have appealed the Finnish Immigration Service decision to the administrative court. One of the asylum seekers, Abdullahi Gulamesdiq, said that he fears for his life in…
Finnish Lutheran Church says family reunification from Africa is costly and dangerous
Archbishop Kari Mäkinen said that family reunification of Africans with their families in Finland is not only costly but dangerous, reports YLE. Since Finland does not have an embassy in war-ravaged Somalia, Somalis are required to apply for residence permits in neighboring Ethiopia or Kenya. The Finnish Immigration Service has a backlog of about 10,000…