October 2016 - Page 3 of 4

YouGov survey reinforces what we’ve been seeing in some EU countries: authoritarian populist sentiment

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Migrant Tales

A recent YouGov survey on authoritarian populist opinions in 12 European countries revealed something that we all knew. Authoritarian populist opinions are defined by the survey as people who have anti-immigration, anti-human rights, anti-EU institutions, and power as well as strong opinions on foreign policy.

Near 50% of the 12,000 people surveyed held anti-immigration views.

The most authoritarian populist countries in the survey were: Romania (82%), Poland (78%), France (63%), Holland (55%), Finland (50%), Denmark (49%), Britain (48%), Italy (47%), Sweden (35%) and Spain (33%).

The country with the lowest authoritarian populist opinions was Germany at 18%.

Read the full story here.

In Finland, we’ve seen the rise of authoritarian populist sentiment through the Perussuomalaiset* party supported by mainstream ones like the National Coalition Party and Center Party.

Continue reading “YouGov survey reinforces what we’ve been seeing in some EU countries: authoritarian populist sentiment”

Finland rolls back the clock and flirts with the cold war when every foreigner was seen as a potential threat

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Migrant Tales

In another move to punish former migrants who are naturalized Finns, the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä plans to introduce a new law to parliament within weeks that will prohibit dual citizens from holding certain jobs that involve national security, according to Seijnäjoki-based daily Ilkka, which cites Finnish News Agency (STT).

Some sensitive national security jobs are found in defense, Finnish Border Guard, police service, customs, diplomatic service, and communications, according to Kirsi Äijälä, who heads a committee drafting the new law. She said, however, that hiring decisions are made on a one-by-one basis and the law will permit exceptions.

The new law, if passed, is a sign of how Finland is flirting with the Cold War years when nationalism and suspicion of anything foreign were the rule.

During the 1990s with the demise of the Soviet Union, there was an opening up of Finland with Western Europe. It joined the Council of Europe, in 1995 it became an EU member, drafted a new Constitution, which promoted social equality, anti-discrimination, and cultural diversity as well as passed new dual citizenship laws.

The short opening up of the country started to falter in 2011 when the Perussuomalaiset* party won their historic parliamentary victory by raising the number of MPs to 39 from 5. Instead of passing laws that promote diversity, the Finnish government is passing today laws that penalize migrants.

Apart from laws that discourage cultural diversity and promote nationalism, the government has failed in containing the rise of racism and the ever-worsening anti-immigration climate of Finland.

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

Continue reading “Finland rolls back the clock and flirts with the cold war when every foreigner was seen as a potential threat”

Migrants’ Rights Network: [UK]Government agenda – Roll back the rights of all migrants

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Migrant Tales

Don Flynn*

The policy pronouncements at the Conservative conference show how far the government is prepared to go to turn migration into a rights-free zone. Both EU and the third country migrants will lose out under these plans. We need a campaign that unites them all if rights are to be preserved.

The immigration policies which Theresa ay and her home secretary, Amber Rudd, revealed at the Conservative party conference last week seem to have got short shrift from just about everyone.

Business interests weighed in with heavyweight warnings of conflict if the government pushes ahead with plans to make firms account for every foreign worker they take on. Seamus Nevin, head of employment and skills policy at the Institute of Directors, said: “It is clear that immigration will continue to be a major bone of contention between companies and this government. Businesses know that the EU referendum result means change to free movement of workers from the EU, but people were not voting to make the economy weaker. The evidence is clear that migrants are a benefit to the economy.”

Condemnation

The passage in home secretary Rudd’s speech in which she threatened policies that would end the right of large numbers of universities to enrol international students brought strong condemnation. Eyebrows were raised when she said claimed that the current system “… treats every student and university as equal… “ She promised a consultation “…that will ask what more can we do to support our best universities – and those that stick to the rules – to attract the best talent … while looking at tougher rules for students on lower quality courses.”

Continue reading “Migrants’ Rights Network: [UK]Government agenda – Roll back the rights of all migrants”

Marianne Kiukkunen is no “Amazon” but a sad example of how low the police service has lowered the bar

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Migrant Tales

THE STORY WAS UPDATED

Finland’s fascination with hardline nationalists and bigots continues unabated. Police official Marianne Kiukkunen was interviewed on the Enbuske, Veitola and Salminen (EVS-ohjelma) talk show and introduced by the host as an “Amazon” superwoman, the very embodiment of white privilege. Her appearance on the show and her comments are examples of how low the police has lowered the bar.

Instead of introducing her as “an Amazon hero of white Finns,” I would introduce her as a sad example of the nationalism and bigotry that is found in the police service. Her views and persona are the same ones that are opening the door to xenophobia and fascism in Finland today.

The EVS-ohjelma is a talk show for white Finns, about white Finns and their privileged views of Others.

One of the many revealing matters about the short interview is that she is a member of the racist MV-lehti online publication’s closed Facebook page. According to her, the closed group has some 3,000 members, many of them police officials.

At present, the editor of MV-lehti, Ilja Janitskin is at large. His online publication commonly steals stories from other publications like Migrant Tales and spins them to fit with their own far-right worldview.

The online publication is facing a number of charges like ethnic agitation and defamation of character.

MV-lehti is a favorite of many Perussuomalaiset (PS)* politicians like MP Teuvo Hakkarianen and councilwoman Terhi Kiemunki.

Both are facing charges of ethnic agitation.

See the full story here.

When asked on the whow what she’s doing in such a Facebook closed group, Kiukkonen plays down and speaks fondly of the MV-lehti editor.

“Ilja certainly has such a style that he says things pretty harshly but maybe more in the language of the people,” she said, adding that the issue at hand is that “there should be freedom of expression in Finland.”

One of the hosts sitting and listening to the interview commented that freedom of expression doesn’t mean spreading false information.

“Not everything [published in MV-lehti] is false information I can vouch for that…” she responded.

Continue reading “Marianne Kiukkunen is no “Amazon” but a sad example of how low the police service has lowered the bar”

PS’ Terhi Kiemunki is charged with ethnic agitation – how many more will be charged of the Perussuomalaiset party?

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset* chairman of Tampere, Terhi Kiemunki, will be charged for ethnic agitation, according to Tampere-based daily Aamulehti. Kiemunki achieved national notoriety this year when she published on Facebook that it was unfortunate that she didn’t have any condoms to give Muslim children trick-or-treating in April.

Kiemunki has other dubious merits. Anders Breivik emailed her before murdering 77 people on July 22, 2011.

Her son is a member of the Soldiers of Odin vigilante group.

She has organized bus trips to Tornio las autumn to demand the government close the borders to asylum seekers.

Kiemunki only got a light tap on the hand for her Facebook comment.

Even if Kiemunki was forced to resign as first vice president of the PS’ Pirkanmaa regional board, she was able to keep her job as PS MP Lea Mäkipää’s aide. On Saturday, the PS of Tampere gave her support as chairman.

PS MP Mäkipää said she will make a decision whether to sack Kiemunki in a few days after reviewing the latest case.

One of Terhi Kiemenki’s fans is PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation. In the comment by Halla-aho on her Facebook page reads: “So asylum seekers rape, harass and mistreat people…”

Continue reading “PS’ Terhi Kiemunki is charged with ethnic agitation – how many more will be charged of the Perussuomalaiset party?”

Finland’s asylum reception centers are like a game of Russian roulette without bullets

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Migrant Tales

I got an SMS today from an asylum seeker at the Suosaaren reception center: “Just now I was told that an Afghan guy tried yesterday to commit suicide by slitting his wrist. The ambulance and police arrived at 3:30pm.”

The person, who thought about ending it all, was kind and cordial, according to the source.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, there have been 15-20 suicide attempts since October by asylum seekers. Only 5 have succeeded.

Even if the victim appears to have survived and is recovering, people at the Suosaaren reception center, which is located 9 km from Mikkeli, some are starting to feel desperate after months and months of waiting for their residence permits.

Yesterday was an especially gloomy day for Afghans in Europe since the EU and the Afghan government signed a repatriation agreement.

This means that Finland will be able to deport Afghans whose asylum application is rejected back to Afghanistan.

The source that broke the sad news to me, left me with a quote that sheds an eerie light on the today’s plight of asylum seekers in this country.

“Being at the asylum reception center has turned into a game of Russian roulette,” he said. “You pull the trigger expecting the bullet to fire. But after a while, you notice that you’ve been fooled. There are no bullets in the revolver to put an end to our suffering. The only thing that remains after making such a discovery is a sense of being nowhere where life doesn’t go forward.”

How long will the wait be? The secret of that answer is fate, according to the asylum seeker.

Two stories, two versions about an incident involving asylum seekers in Finland

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Migrant Tales

Two stories, two versions. One by Migrant Tales where asylum seekers allege that a white Finnish driver in a GMC SUV tried to hit them and another one in Mikkeli-based Länsi Savo where the police suspect a traffic dispute that led to an argument where one asylum seeker got hit in the head.

Here’s what was published in Migrant Tales: Three asylum seekers were returning to the reception center near Mikkeli, located 230km north of Helsinki, on Sunday at 2-2:30am after going fishing. An SUV on the road came so close to hitting them that two had to jump off their bikes. The people in the SUV went after the asylum seekers with an axe and shovel.

Länsi-Savo quotes police officer Johanna Parviainen stating the following: “Apparently, due to the darkness, the driver didn’t notice the bike riders on the road. That turned into a situation where one of the bike riders fell off his bike even if the driver attempted to dodge them.”

The police claim the situation led to a dispute but didn’t allegedly interview the asylum seekers with an interpreter. The police promised to question the asylum seekers on a later date.

Here’s a simple question: What was the SUV doing near the asylum reception center at 2-2:30am and why did they have an axe and shovel in their possession?

There are other questions that the Länsi-Savo story raises. Why did it only take for granted the word of the police? Did the police give the benefit of the doubt to to the driver and passenger(s)? Why wasn’t there anything mentioned in the story about the axe and shovel used to attack the asylum seekers? Why didn’t the police mention this to the reporter who wrote the story?

Traffic violation or hate crime?

Could Länsi-Savo’s version of the story be an example of how the police and the media brush possible hate crimes under the rug?

We don’t know and the police investigation is still pending but its important that we get to the bottom of what happened.

Two stories and two versions about an incident involving asylum seekers and white Finns. The story on the left was first published by Migrant Tales and the one on the right after we tipped off Länsi-Savo.

Continue reading “Two stories, two versions about an incident involving asylum seekers in Finland”

Yksi asia kerrallaan

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen

Tämän kirjoituksen otsikko voisi olla “En ole perussuomalainen, mutta…”

Erehdyin lukemaan Iltasanoman päätoimittaja Ulla Appelsinin kirjoitus. Pääset helpommalla lukemalla Timo Soinin blogi ja Jussi Halla-Ahon Facebookin päivitykset. He pystyivät muutamilla lauseilla tiivistämän samaa mitä nyt Appelsin kirjoitti.

Ulla Appelsinin kirjoitus on siis pitkä ja hän teki kovasti työtä yrittämällä jäsentää tekstinsä asiallisesti. Kyllä Appelsinin kirjoitus on tasapainoinen.

Samalla tavalla voisi sanoa, että Timo Soinin kommentti on tasapainoinen varsinkin loppua kohti. Timo Soinin plokista: ”

Väkivalta on väärin, myös sillä uhkaaminen.

Minulle ihmiselämä on pyhä kohdusta hautaan.

Viime päivien tapahtumat sekä Otanmäessä että Helsingissä ovat yksiselitteisesti väärin. Minun ja Perussuomalaisten mielestä.”

Soini ja Appelsin sotkevat asioita. Vähän niin kuin molempien tarkoitus olisi vähätellä sitä väkivaltaa, joka Jimi Karttunen kohtasi natsien tapahtumassa. Väkivallan tekijällä on siis väliä. Appelsin menee pidemmälle kuin Soini. Hän ryhtyy väkivaltaisen natsin “puolustusasianajajaksi”: “Toisaalta tapahtunut on siinä mielessä yksittäistapaus, että pahoinpitely ei ollut tämänhetkisten tietojen mukaan etukäteen suunniteltu, eikä sitä suunnattu kehenkään ennalta päätettyyn poliittiseen vastustajaan. “ Tietääkö Appelsin jotakin mitä me muut emme tiedä?

Appelsin jatkaa: “Uhri osui tiettävästi paikalle sattumalta, kohtasi mielenosoittajat, sylkäisi ja ajautui poliisin mukaan jonkinlaiseen sanaharkkaan mielenosoittajien kanssa. Tämän jälkeen epäilty tekijä juoksi uhrin perään ja törkeästi potkaisi tai tuuppasi häntä, jolloin uhri kaatui. “

Riittää siis, kun sanot, että et ole suunnittelu toisen mukilointia ja jos toinen ihminen kuolee niin, et sitä suunnittelu ja näin et ole niin pahaa. Uhri on joka tapauksessa menetetty.

Nyt muistan viime viikon radiokeskustelua, jossa poliisikansanedustaja sanoi radiossa, että vaikka poliisi kirjaa rasistisia tapahtumia, niin harvoin asiaa pystytään todistamaan, koska tekijä yleensä kieltää rasismia!

Appelsinin mukaan se oli “tuuppaisu”, mutta jos oikein olen lukenut, polisi on sanonut, että se oli potku rintaan. Asioita voidaan pehmentää monin tavoin. Näköjään myös väkivalta.

Sanoin alussa, että selviäisit helpommalla lukemalla Jussi Halla-ahon kommentteja Jimi Karttusen tapauksesta. Halla-aho on yhtä lailla kuin Appelsin moittinut sitä kuinka Jimi Karttusen tapauksesta on keskusteltu medioissa.

Appelsin moitti siis rasismia, natsismia ja fasismia vastaan mieltä osoittaneet ja laajaa keskustelua rautatieasuman tapahtumista samalla kun hänen edustamassa media myy tekemällä jatkuvasti juttuja muun muassa Jimi Karttusen tapauksesta. En minä näe siinä mitään pahaa. En myöskään siinä, että keskustellaan natsismista ja sen mahdollisesta uhasta. Eikö ole ihan hyvä asia, että keskustellaan eri aiheista? Miksi nyt tämän yhden aiheen ympärillä pitää olla vaitonainen?

Eli, kun nyt työttömät protestoivat työttömyysleikkauksia vastaan, tasapuolisuuden nimessä näin ei saisi tehdä, koska samalla pitää protestoida äitiyspäivärahaa tai lääkekorvausleikkauksia vastaan, ym. Sellainen on tämä tasapuolisuuden logiikka, joka tekee vääryyden vastustajistakin ääripää. Moni ajattelee, että yksi asia kerrallaan.

Ehkä luin väärin, mutta koko Appelsin kirjoituksessa ei löytynyt tilaa Jimi Karttusen nimelle!

Tästä pääset Appelsinin kirjoitukseen: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/kotimaa/art-2000001274402.html

The government of Juha Sipilä has failed with flying colors on its strategy to contain the rise of racism in Finland

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Migrant Tales

There has been an interesting debate on hate crime in Finland. If we’d believe the government, hate crime and racism in Finland are a far-right phenomenon and of a few racist hotheads.

Wrong.

The government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä is so much in dark and in denial about a social ill like racism that it actually believes that having a nationalist populist anti-immigration party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, which bases its popularity on spreading ethnic hatred, in government, its lame stance on racism and tightening immigration laws have no consequences on rising hate crime in the country.

Wrong again.

We can conclude that the present strategy and stance on racism and cultural diversity of the government is an utter failure that promotes violence against migrants and minorities.

When the government’s anti-racism rhetoric is only air and when they tighten immigration policy they send the following message to Finns: These people aren’t worthy of dignity and are a threat to our country.

Måns Enqvist of the Finnish police service states in the YLE News story what we all know but don’t want to admit:

“Yes, it’s [hate crime] clearly on the rise,” Enqvist said. “And there are many reasons. Of course one reason is that the climate for discussion in Finland has changed. We are more likely to say anything at all. And that creates a foundation for moving from speech to action.”

A good example of the hypocrisy of the government concerning racism in Finland was the participation of Finance Minister and NCP Chairman Petteri Orpo and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s participation at September 24 Stop this game! demonstration against racism and fascism in Finland.

The following Monday it was business as usual. The government was accused of lowering social welfare to migrants by 10% when compared with Finnish citizens.

Read the full story here.

Continue reading “The government of Juha Sipilä has failed with flying colors on its strategy to contain the rise of racism in Finland”

The Iraqi community of Kemi doesn’t feel secure after Friday’s shooting

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Migrant Tales

The shooting of an Iraqi asylum seeker in the northern Finnish city of Kemi has shocked the 400-500-strong Iraqi community in that city, according to an asylum seeker who spoke to Migrant Tales by phone. “The shooting [of what happened Friday] has made us very afraid,” he said. “Everyone [the Iraqi community] speaks about what happened on Friday.”

The twenty-one-year-old man who got shot at Friday spoke through a friend since he doesn’t speak English.

“My friend [the victim] feels depressed, scared and is in shock,” he said. “He got shot in his country and now he gets shot here.”

And added: “We escape danger[in Iraq] and all we want to do is live in peace.”

The twenty-one-year-old victim confirmed that there was also another asylum seeker, who is 19 years old, that was shot at on Friday as well.

The Finn who shot at the two asylum seekers speaks in an insulting manner to all refugees that pass by his home.

“For about a month or a month and a half this man has been insulting my friend [and other Iraqis] with words like vittu (f-word) and mene kotona (go home),” the victim’s friend said. “One day he just took his rifle and shot at them.”

Continue reading “The Iraqi community of Kemi doesn’t feel secure after Friday’s shooting”