If there is one party that has brought out bigotry, racism and populist far-right ideology as of late it is the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*. But Finland is so much in denial about its bigotry and white privilege that it sees no harm in the PS. This means that the government will do little, except offer lip service on how to challenge social ills like racism.
Month: May 2017
“Tolkun ihminen” and Finland’s version of the Okie from Muskogee
President Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and the deputy head of the Finnish Immigration Service, Raimo Pyysalo, have one thing in common: They believe that the ongoing debate about asylum seekers, immigration and our ever-growing culturally diverse society is dominated by two extremes.
Finland’s immigration and asylum policy is only a momentary Pyrrhic victory
The picture below isn’t from Gaza or some war-torn region but of the playground of the Konnunsuo immigration removal center in Joutseno, Finland, a country that claims to be proud of its social achievements and respect for human rights. The view is the one that a family with seven children had for over a month…
Iraqi asylum seeker: A near-deportation ordeal with the Finnish police
A twenty-two-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker who was detained illegally by the police three days before he had to vacate the asylum reception center in Pori is now a free man again. Thanks to the efforts of the Lex Gaudius law firm, the district court overruled the detention of the asylum seeker at the Metsälä immigrant removal center in Helsinki, where he was held from April 27 to May 9.
Finland to deport an illiterate, 70-year-old asylum seeker to Iraq
Migrant Tales has learned that a 70-year-old Kurdish woman will get deported from Finland within 30 days. The woman, who is illiterate and came to Finland in 2015, got three rejections for asylum.
How a story in Migrant Tales was incorrectly judged as “hate speech”
A news story I published Saturday about two black and one foreign woman who were insulted and threatened in a racist manner got taken down in the Rasmus forum. It was the first time ever that this has happened to me in Facebook. Facebook only gave me a note stating that the story didn’t abide…
Dear Finnish Nightmares, are you for real?
Dear Finnish Nightmares, When generalizing about how some white Finns may react, why is it that all of your characters are white? There are “other” Finns, too. Do you take them into account? Do you ever fear that generalizing a “model” reaction may reinforce stereotypes and as a result promote a monocultural and over-simplified view…
Throwing water and hurling racist insults at black people is ok if you are a white Finn
Migrant Tales has followed a story that sadly began in the Helsinki neighborhood of Herttoniemi in May 2016. A white woman threw a bucketful of water at three adults and four children from the second floor and started hurling racist insults. Two of the victims were women from Kenya and another one was a white woman from the United States.
Muhammed Shire and Johanna Ennser-Kananen: “Your Finnish is not good enough” and other myths migrants face on the job market
If you are a migrant who has applied for educational programs or jobs, chances are that you have heard some of the following myths. In this article, we debunk them by explaining their racist nature.
Seiska: Keuruu’s reception center manager Rasul Azizan relieved of duties by Red Cross due to “loss of confidence”
The manager of the Keuruu asylum reception center, Rasul Azizan, has been relieved of his duties by his employer the Red Cross due to “loss of confidence,” according to Seiska. In May last year, Deputy Manager Jari Sillantie of the Kolari asylum reception center was sacked by the Red Cross because “he wasn’t suited for the job.”