May 2015 - Migrant tales

Xenophobia and Islamophobia get to first base in Finland: And now, what?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Living in Finland after the April 19 parliamentary elections is like witnessing a coup where xenophobia and Islamophobia have strengthened their stranglehold on our country with the blessings of the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP). With the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in government and the election of PS MP Maria Lohela as the new speaker of parliament send a disturbing signal to many Finns and especially to our ever-growing culturally diverse community.

Finland is already a culturally diverse society. If parties like the PS would have wanted to shut our borders to visible migrants they’re too late. Cultural diversity in Finland is unstoppable and will grow in the years and decades ahead.

The rise of a hostile party like the PS, yes hostile to migrants and minorities let there be no questions about that, hasn’t been clearer and more disturbing than after the elections. Their message in coded language couldn’t be clearer: We want Finland to remain white.

A good source of inspiration for social equality and change in Finland is the Civil Rights Movement (1955-68) of the United States. In some cases what MLK said is applicable to Finland. In 1982 we marched in Helsinki to parliament to speed up passage of the country’s first aliens act. Foreigners weren’t allowed back then to organize marches or participate in demonstrations.

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Mushis Azizi: Mörköfobiasta eduskunnan puhemieheksi

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Muhis Azizi

Minua, kuten varmasti montaa muutakin politiikkaa seuraavaa on hämmentänyt mediassa esiin noussut Perussuomalaisten Maria Lohelan blogikirjoitus “Ovatko muslimit sittenkin vain mörköjä?”. Blogikirjoituksessa Lohela on erittäin huolissaan islamtaustaisten maahanmuuttajien asumisesta Suomessa. Islamtaustaisten humanitäärinen maahanmuutto on hänen mukaansa jo nyt ja tulevaisuudessakin sellainen asia, joka on suurimpia tätä maata koettelevia haasteita, ellei jopa ongelma. Perusteluksi Lohela mainitsee islamuskoisten “ahdasmieliset näkemykset elämästä”sekä aikamoisen kirjon erilaisia uhkakuvia ja pelkoja muslimien lisääntymisestä ja sen seuraamuksista. Pitänee vielä mainita, että kyseinen henkilö valittiin hiljattain eduskunnan puhemieheksi.

Mikäli ajatellaan Lohelan tavoin, että nimenomaan islamtaustaiset maahanmuuttajat eivät sovellu asumaan Suomessa, niin herää kysymys, kuinka tällainen henkilö soveltuu edustamaan Suomea kansainvälisesti esimerkiksi niissä maissa, joissa valtauskonto on islam, tai edes maallistunut islam? Miten se voi vaikuttaa maailmalla suhtautumisesta Suomeen? Minä itse uskon demokratiaan, mutta syvästi ajattelen, onko tällaisen arvomaailman omaava eduskunnan puhemies sopiva edustaja mm. maamme arvovallan ja kauppasuhteiden edistämisen kannalta. Monissa Suomen yhteistyömaissa on hallituksissa jopa hallitsijana islamin uskoinen henkilö. On varmaa, että Lohelan islamvastainen blogikirjoitus hyvin suurella todennäköisyydellä tulee leviämään maailmalle kulovalkean tavoin.

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Emanuela Daniel tells about the historic protest they organized in front of parliament against the new speaker of parliament

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Emanuela Daniel is an exemplary woman for organizing Friday a historic protest outside of parliament against Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Maria Lohela, who was elected as the new speaker of parliament. Daniel told Migrant Tales about that day and when she spoke to PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, who has also made many racist and Islmophobic statements against Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse community.

Social Democrat MP Timo Harakka tweeted below that the protest was “a modest” show of force but “historic” nevertheless.

Daniel said that she had to organize the protest against Lohela because it was important.

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Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to politician without memory

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

We saw a lot of white Finnish privilege during the April parliamentary elections and government talks, which include the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. If lowly things like turncoat politics and chicanery, racism and white Finnish privilege would have a smell, that stench would knock you off your feet right now.

The new speaker of parliament, Maria Lohela, is a good example of the racist-fascist who became the politician without memory. Lohela has made Islamophobic and xenophobic statements in the past to attract voter attention and get elected. Lohela said, however, right after she was elected Friday as speaker of parliament that everything she said in the past is the past and now a new chapter begins.

Lohela can say such absurd things because she has white Finnish privilege. You can be a racist, even a fascist, and paint yourself as a politician with amnesia by simply erasing everything you said in the past that may undermine the power you enjoy today. You can do so without even apologizing to all those people you insulted with your racist statements.

Another PS MP that has a murky past in fascism is the new defense minister, Jussi Niinstö.

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Facebook: Thumbs down to Maria Lohela and hurray for our side!

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

When big mainstream parties play along with populist and anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, which base their campaign on one part hot air and two parts xenophobia and nationalism, you get the government we have today and a speaker of parliament called Maria Lohela.

Christian Thibault has been a tireless activist for migrant and human rights in Finland. Here he is below with a group of activists holding up signs to MPs going to vote for the new speaker of parliament.

Good for you! I take my hat off for you Christian and those other brave activists that were with you holding signs that read: Don’t vote for Lohela and Stand up against racism.

In one picture below there is Green Party MP Jani Toivola standing together with the activists.

And that is what Lohela’s questionable track record is: She has said some pretty racist and horrible things about migrants and Muslims. Her whole political message is based on xenophobia.

Those terrible things she has said are the skeletons in her closet that will creep behind her for the rest of her political career, which I and many hope will be short.

* The Finnish name of the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.

New speaker of parliament Maria Lohela: Islamophobic skeletons in the closet

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

One of the surprise appointments that popped up was Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Maria Lohela, who was nominated Friday as the new speaker of parliament. Lohela is no common MP since she has taken a very strong stand against immigration in general and Muslims in particular.

Somebody who knew Lohela told Migrant Tales that she appears to be a sensible person until you slip the term Muslim in the conversation. She then turns into a Ms Hyde.

Lohela has got her anti-immigration and Islamophobic credentials through the Nuiva Manifesto, which relies heavily on one-way adaption, or assimilation. She was opposed to same-sex marriage as well.

He xenophobic writings about Muslims are like skeletons that follow her like murky shadows.

Some of the most outrageous aims of the Nuiva Manifesto include:

The state should not finance immigrant groups’ culture, language, identity and religion;
They believe that neighborhoods are turning into ghettos;
Deport convicted migrants from Finland;
Conditional citizenship for ten years;
Finland should stop so-called humanitarian immigration and accept as few refugees as possible.

Just like Lohela’s opinions, the Nuiva Manifesto’s aim is to disempower migrants and minorities in Finland. Even if Finland officially supports integration, or two-way adaption, the Nuiva Manifesto favors one-way adaption, or assimilation.

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Two important questions I’d ask incoming PS minister of justice and employment

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Migrant Tales

It should be clear by know through countless examples that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* intentionally make outrageous statements in order to get media attention for the party and themselves. The new PS justice and employment minister, Jari Lindström, stated a while back that he’d be in favor of reinstating the death penalty in “some circumstances,” according to YLE in English. On Tuesday we learned about PS subsitute councilman Olli Sademies’ opinions about forced sterilization of African refugees.

Put on your seat belts folks and enjoy the tragic-comic political play that will be led by the PS during the next four years.

Instead of commenting on what politicians like Lindström said, and which are important to know, we must also hold them accountable for their promises.

Lindström is a former paper mill worker who later became a lab assistant.

We all know that one PS strategy is to victimize and scapegoat migrants and minorities because it brings them votes. When they take your attention from the real problem, which is how they’re going to lower unemployment and create jobs, they place the blame on migrants and minorities, which are responsible for the country’s problems.

The first question I’d ask Lindström is the following:

As the incoming justice and employment minister, how do you plan to lower unemployment in general and migrant unemployment in particular? In the latter group, the jobless rate is officially two- to three-times higher than the national average, which was 10.3% in April, according to Statistics Finland. How would you promote employment of migrants in Finland and what is your stance on tougher anti-discrimination laws?

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Facebook: Hello new government, goodbye to the Finland we knew

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Migrant Tales

So here are the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* ministers: Timo Soini (foreign minister), Jussi Niinistö (defense minister), Jari Lindström (labor and justice minister), and Hanna Mäntylä (social affairs and health minister).

Two words can describe all four of them: anti-immigration and nationalistic. When you combine these two matters you get scapegoating, suspicion, “us” versus “them” to name a few.

Parties like the PS that base their policies by attacking certain immigrant groups that live in this country as residents are washing their hands, and showing their failures in addressing rising poverty and social inequality. They do so by opportunistically blaming migrants for the country’s problems.

Anna María Gutiérrez Sorainen: Huivipäisen tytön kouluvuoden päättäjäiset

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Anna María Gutiérrez Sorainen*

Luin lohjalaisten ryhmästä silminäkijän kertomuksen siitä, kuinka ryhmä nuoria oli kannustamassa kahden nuorten naisen tappelua Lohjan keskustan Laurinkadulla tänään keskiviikkona! Toisella oli pitkät hiukset ja tummaihoisella oli huivi.

Silminnäkijän mukaan olisivat tappelun syyt mitä tahansa, se oli väärin, paitsi tappelun katsominen toimettomana, myös se, että kun toinen tappelun osapuoli pyrkii pois paikaltaan, kuten tumma tyttö teki, ei ole oikein, että toinen osapuoli lähtee repimään taas poislähtevää.

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Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen: Maahanmuuttajanaiset patriarkaalisessa ympäristössä Suomessa

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen

Monikanaiset-liitto Ry: n nettisivuilla sanotaan muun muuassa, että maahanmuuttajanaisten kotoutuminen on todettu erityisen vaikeaksi niissä maahanmuuttajaryhmissä, joissa lähtömaan tasa-arvotilanne poikkeaa huomattavasti vastaanottajamaan tilanteesta. Patriarkaalisissa yhteisöissä naisen paikan katsotaan olevan kotona. Hänellä ei siten ole samanlaisia mahdollisuuksia kouluttautua ja vaikuttaa yhteiskunnassa, ja häneltä puuttuu jopa mahdollisuus tehdä omaa elämää koskevia päätöksiä.

Olen havainnut samaa politiikan toiminnassa. Aihe on arka ja oikeastaan tähän asti maahanmuuttajanaisten asemasta maahanmuuttajamiesten keskuudessa politiikassa ja julkisessa keskustelussa ei ole puhuttu laisinkaan.

Ei se ole helppo aihe, koska kulttuureista toiseen on eroja. Voin tukeutua Monikan kokemuksiin ja selvityksiin, mutta itse parhaiten voin kertoa kokemuksistani näinä vuosina. On olemassa sellaisia maahanmuuttajamieskavereita joille saa ja voi sanoa vapaasti päin kasvoja olevansa heidän kanssaan eri mieltä asioita ja jopa kritisoida heitä heidän omista ratkaisuistaan. Ystävyys silti kestää. Esimerkki tästä on monille tuttu Enrique Tessieri.

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