By Richard Gresswell This blog post is kind of a follow on from the previous one inspired by the film ‘Blackboards’. Watching it again brought back memories of the many Kurdish students I’ve had the pleasure of teaching during my time as an ESOL tutor. I want to tell you a story about one of…
Month: November 2012
Schuurmudgeon: Sanoma, your ignorance is not sexy
By Jos Schuurmans “Hello? This is the nineteen-thirties calling. Can we have our nazi family snap shots back, please?” How is it possible that Sanoma, one of Finland’s largest, most professional and most respected media firms, gets away with publishing a cosy, three-page family portrait of far-right MP Jussi Halla-aho in its November 1, 2012, issue…
MP Hirvisaari claims PS anti-immigration message not strong enough
Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP James (Erkki Kalevi) Hirvisaari claims that his party did poorly in the municipal elections because it wasn’t as outspoken on immigration issues as before the 2011 parliamentary elections, according to YLE. Migrant Tales disagrees. The PS did poorly in the municipal elections because of the crackpot stuff they say and do to…
Reports: Greatest threat to immigrants are not far-right groups in Sweden
Two reports published on November 9 in Sweden show that the greatest threat to immigrants and visible minorities in that country aren’t far-right groups, but everyday intolerance and racism from white Swedes. What does this report say about Sweden and suggest about how foreigners are treated in Finland? Contrary to our neighbor, Finland’s third-largest party…
PS’ Halla-aho eyes party leadership
Perussuomalaiset (PS) party far-right anti-immigration wing leader, MP Jussi Halla-aho, confirmed that he’s not ruling out vying for chairman of the radical populist party, according to MTV3, citing the Subin Enbuske & Linnanahde Crew TV show. ”I’m in parliament and city council because enough people want me in these places,” he said, ”if they want…
What Saul Schubak did wrong in Finland
Saul Schubak, the National Coalition Party politician who said that ”inferior people” should not get child allowances, resigned Friday as vice president of the party’s youth wing. If there is a lesson to be learned from the Schubak scandal, it’s which group you insult. If Schubak speaks of ”inferior people” and gets dumped by his…
Migrants’ Rights Network: EU Free Movement Under Threat
Stewart Jackson’s Ten Minute Rule motion to curb EU free movement rights passed the first hurdle on its way to becoming law. Let’s hope no one in government seriously considers it as official policy. Conservative MP Stewart Jackson continues his campaign against “barking mad” European Union law which supports the free movement of people across…
Paavo Lipponen does not see far right threatening Finland
There are few politicians in Finland who speak out against the far-right threat in Finland. One of these is former Social Democrat Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, who expressed concern about the issue in a seminar in Helsinki on deportation of Jews to Germany in World War 2, reports Iltalehti. Lipponen expressed surprise that some parties use…
Barack Obama victory: “The most diverse [and powerful] nation on Earth”
President Barack Obama’s election victory is the best news embattled United States could hope for. The U.S. president’s leadership on many fronts in the past should be a source of inspiration for European politicians who are being put under the gun by ever-growing populist mainstream intolerance and racism. Obama has shown leadership on many occasions. He…
Finland must do more to ghostbust its race-and-blood myths
What do the rise of an anti-immigration party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) and Kokoomus’ Saul Schubak’s statements concerning child allowances have in common? Setting racism and greed aside, they are the ethnic and social myths that continue to be taught and reinforced at our schools, homes and society. One of the biggest myths and social…