Month: August 2017

Finland’s government to tighten again immigration and asylum policy

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The desperation of New Alternative* or Blue Reform (BR) party, the faction that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in June to keep their jobs as ministers, must be overbearing. BR Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho announced Thursday that the government plans to tighten immigration and asylum policy laws in the face of the Turku attack, according to YLE News. 

Interior Minister Paula Risikko, as well as other government officials, announced after Turku plans to tighten immigration policy and give greater surveillance powers to the police and the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO).

Just like the good old days when the PS was one party before it imploded on June 13, BR’s Minister Terho is the one giving statements about tougher immigration policy.

Apart from making it a crime to help undocumented migrants, Terho said that the nationality would see modifications so that suspected terrorists who are dual nationals can have their Finnish citizenship revoked.

While these points are nothing new since they have the clear stamp of PS Chairman Jussi Halla-aho, it is sad to watch how short-sighted and opportunistic the government is and how it wants to punish the migrant and minority community. No matter how much they tighten immigration and asylum policy, it will never make Finland safe from terrorism.

Nour Gamal, a #righttolife activist, told Migrant Tales by phone that government aims to tighten immigration and asylum policy is part of a long-range plan to make life as miserable as possible for asylum seekers in Finland.

Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho is as much an Islamophobe as Jussi Halla-aho.

“They [the government] are not only making life difficult for asylum seekers but for Finns that want to help undocumented migrants as well,” he said. “It’s a systematic plan to make the lives of asylum seekers as miserable as possible, so they’ll leave the country and so that no new refugees will come here.”

Gamal said that the parliamentary elections in 2019 are the only hope left to asylum seekers.

While not mentioned, plans to change the nationality act may also have dire consequences for dual citizen rights in Finland.

As long as BR remains in government the worse matters will get for migrants and minorities in this country.

* After the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity.  One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic. 

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

Kilteillä tädeillä ja turvapaikanhakijoilla on oikeus turvaan

Posted on by Reija Härkönen

Ehdotan, että tiedusteluoikeuksien nopeutettu lisääminen ja terroristien jahtaaminen jätetään hetkeksi vähemmälle huomiolle ja valtakunnan johto ja poliisi keskittyvät kotimaisessa turvallisuudessa ilmenneisiin puutteisiin:

1. Poliisi hoitaa huolellisesti loppuun saakka etenkin naisiin ja tyttöihin kohdistuvaa internet- ja sähköpostihäirintää ja uhkailua koskevat ilmoitukset. Tämä tarkoittaa myös sitä, että kun nainen tekee uhkailusta rikosilmoituksen, poliisi ei ilmoita, että rikoksen tutkimista ei jatketa, koska siitä määrättävä rangaistus olisi niin vähäinen.

2. Poliisi ei kehota ulkomaalaisen näköisiä ihmisiä olemaan osallistumatta julkisiin tilaisuuksiin ”oman turvallisuutensa takia”. Suomessa on jokaisella asukkaalla oltava oikeus liikkua vapaasti ja kaiken näköisillä on oltava koskemattomuus esim. kirkon järjestämissä muistotilaisuuksissa. Myös ulkomaalaisen näköisten ihmisten kantasuomalaisilla ystävillä on oltava oikeus näyttäytyä turvallisesti ja pelkäämättä heidän seurassaan jokaisessa tilaisuudessa. Turvapaikanhakijoilla on myös oltava oikeus näyttää tunteitaa ja osallistua yhteiseen suruun ja iloon. Rasistisen uhkailun ei pidä vaikuttaa siten, että muiden asukkaiden oikeuksia rajoitetaan.

muistotilaisuus-kauppatorilla-olli-sulin-02-550x500.jpg Muistotilaisuus Turussa elokuussa 2018 (kuva: Turu kaupunki/Olli Sulin)

3. Poliisin pitää uskaltaa ottaa vastuu rasistien valvonnasta pakottamatta naisia ja tyttöjä apuun. Esimerkiksi Rautatientorilla pitkään jatkuneen turvapaikanhakijoiden mielenosoituksen aikana turvapaikanhakijat ja heidän suomalaiset avustajansa velvoitettiin – häpeällistä kyllä – menemään rasistien pitämään leiriin ”neuvottelemaan” mielenosoituksen jatkosta, sijainnista jne. Kaiken lisäksi rasistien sallittiin tuollaisissa ”tapaamisissa” videoida turvapaikanhakijoita ja heidän avustajiaan ja levittää videoita nettiin. Jos poliisin pitää neuvotella äärioikeistolaisten rasistien kanssa, poliisi hoitakoon neuvottelut itse.

Muistotilaisuus Tukholma Outi Popp 1 Muistotilaisuus Helsingin Rautatientorilla huhtikuussa 2018 (kuva: Outi Popp)

4. Poliisin tulee lakata korostamasta sitä, että he turvaavat tasapuolisesti kaikki mielenosoitukset. Poliisilla on lain mukaan kaikki oikeudet lopettaa rasistiset, kansanryhmää vastaan kiihottavat ja väkivaltaiset tilaisuudet. Nyt tilanne on se, että poliisi edesauttaa rasistisen aatteen levittämistä ja yhteiskuntarauhan häirintää. Rasisteille ei pidä myöskään antaa sellaista käsitystä, että heidän vihanpitonsa on oikeutettua. Maahanmuuttoa voi vastustaa, mutta kenenkään maahanmuuton vastustaminen ei saa vahingoittaa muiden vapautta ja turvallisuutta ja pilata yleistä ilmapiiriä maassamme.

5. Sisäministeri lopettaa kunniallisten kansalaisten uhkailun rankaisemisesta siitä, että he auttavat hädänalaisia. Yhteiskuntarauhan säilyminen edes nykytilassa on pitkälti ollut siitä kiinni, että kiltit, rauhaa ja ihmisiä rakastavat naiset ja miehet ovat jaksaneet pitää huolta turvapaikanhakijoiden ja muiden pakolaisten asioista ja avustaa heitä silloin, kun yhteiskunta on jättänyt heidät heitteille. Vapaaehtoiset, samoin kuin vastaanottokeskusten uuttera väki, ansaitsevat valtiovallalta kiitosta ja tunnustusta. Mitä he nyt saavat? Kyräilyä, mustamaalausta ja vihaa.

IMG_0032.JPG Turvapaikanhakijoilla ja heidän avustajillaan on oikeus osoittaa mieltä neuvottelematta siitä rasistien kanssa!

Continue reading “Kilteillä tädeillä ja turvapaikanhakijoilla on oikeus turvaan”

Finland’s Draconian immigration policy today has its roots in the Cold War era

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Sound policies aim at producing good results. Bad policies made with malicious intent only bring suffering and disaster.

The quote sits well with Finland’s Draconian immigration and asylum policy. The number of undocumented migrants has soared from an estimated 300. Those who are lucky enough to get a residence permit can say goodbye to ever bringing their loved ones to this country because family reunification requirements were tightened.  In sum, the Finnish government and the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) have done everything possible to make their lives as miserable as possible and expel them from here.

You don’t have to be an expert on immigration policy to understand how we have arrived at this shameful juncture. Even if the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* – today Blue Reform, or the “new” Perussuomalaiset – was primarily responsible for the tightening of immigration policy, such policies were backed by its two partners in government, the Center Party, and National Coalition Party.

In Argentina, the Finns founded a colony in 1906. Even if life was hard, they weren’t threatened with deportation as many asylum seekers are today in Finland. That goes for the majority of the over 1.2 million Finns who emigrated from this country. It is sad that Finns don’t learn at school about this fact, which was efficiently whitewashed and confined to a few festivities. The Malinen family is posing in front of their farm in Argentina in the 1920s. Photo: Lahja Malinen.

Even if the government has tightened immigration policy, opposition parties like the Social Democrats haven’t distanced themselves from such policies but supported them with their near-silence.

In the spring of 2016, the Social Democrats voted in their majority to do away with granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds. One of the Social Democratic MPs to vote in favor of this measure was Nasima Razmyar, a former refugee. This law (2/2016) is responsible for the high number of undocumented migrants.

The only parties that voted against the law were the Left Alliance, Greens and Swedish People’s Party.

Why so much animosity towards asylum seekers? I believe it has to do with Finnish history and education that teaches from a very young age nationalistic myths and be suspicious of foreigners and people who are different from the white Finnish-speaking majority.

While it may surprise many, the Cold War era for Finland (1944-91) reinforced official suspicion of outsiders. There was a time in our short history as an independent nation when foreigners were deported without any right to appeal, were prohibited from buying land, establish businesses in key sectors of the economy, organize demonstrations, among other human rights violations.

Even if in a different context, the total disregard for asylum seekers’ safety we see today was a part of Finnish policy in the Cold War, when Soviet asylum seekers were returned against their will to face harsh punishment in the USSR.

Is it here where Finland wants to return?

If so, we’re going to put up a hell of a fight!

* After the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity.  One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic. 

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

Finnish Interior Minister Paula Risikko vacationing in a war zone

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Sira Moksi has made quite a name for herself by drawing cartoons that newspapers wouldn’t publish. In the one below, we see Interior Minister Paula Risikko vacationing in a “safe” country like Iraq or Afghanistan. Where would Interior Minister Permanent Secretary Päivi Nerg vacation? What about the director general of the Finnish Immigration Service, Jaana Vuori? What about Prime Minister Juha Sipilä? President Sauli Niinistö? Finance Minister Petteri Orpo?

Let’s challenge all of them to visit those countries they deem as safe and where asylum seekers are being deported, even entire families and children.

Interior Minister Risikko outdid herself again right after the Turku stabbings by suggesting, among other things, that there are plans to pass a new law that would criminalize helping undocumented migrants in Finland.

And now, without further ado, Moksi gives us Interior Minister Risikko enjoying a vacation in a war zone.

In Arabic: ???? ???????? ???????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???

 

In Finland the enemy is within and in the structures, not outside threatening us

Posted on by Migrant Tales

If I had to choose who discriminates and defends structural racism in Finland the most, I’d come to the following conclusion: Many of those who claim to be for social equality are the worst enemies of our culturally and ethnically diverse community. Their silence is one matter that exposes them but also their defensive stands whenever they feel that their power and privilege threatened.

If they feel threatened, they’ll go on the defensive and do everything to ensure that your efforts come to naught. Status quo sees another day in Finland.

A disgraceful example of the latter was the moral panic displayed by politicians in the face of the attack by a knife-wielding foreigner in Turku that left two dead and eight injured.

Their knee-jerk reaction and opportunism were so evident that even YLE wrote about the moral panic that had struck Finland.

People who belong to racist and bigoted groups like Finland First, Suomen Sisu, Suomen Vastarintaliike, the Perussuomalaiset* and others, are at least sincere about their hatred of cultural diversity. They are easy to spot. But what about those that smile in your face and assure you with a poker face to not to worry since social equality is guaranteed by the law?  

How can you spot these types of people? Easy. When they speak about how we all enjoy social equality and gender equality in this country, it’s usually a red herring.

While equality is paramount and an important value to defend in Finland, it is guaranteed by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.  Alarm bells should be ringing whenever they justify their discriminatory behavior by stating that you come from “a backward culture,” or that Muslim women are oppressed, 

They don’t debunk myths but perpetuate them in order to disenfranchise, exert control over migrant and minority groups.

Read more about Denouncing Myths of Women’s Rights, Muslim Women, Feminism and Islamophobia in Europe here. Published by the European Network Against Racism.

If you believe such wise tales, that we’re all equal, you’ll wake up eventually when you look for a job. If you are lucky enough to get a job, you’ll discover that you have little power and are a second-class employee.

In a story Migrant Tales published in June, and using three practical nurses working at a large company in Helsinki, I highlighted how structural racism and discrimination work at one company.

Continue reading “In Finland the enemy is within and in the structures, not outside threatening us”

PS’ Third Vice President Juho Eerola is suspected of ethnic agitation in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* third vice president Juho Eerola is suspected of ethnic agitation, according to YLE News. If convicted, only PS First Vice President Laura Huhtasaari would be the only board member of the party that doesn’t have a conviction for ethnic agitation. Chairman Jussi Halla-aho was convicted in 2012 and MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, the second vice president, convicted in January. 

Eerola, who is an anti-immigration politician who said Benito Mussolini’s fascism attracted him, got in legal hot water when he wrote in Facebook this summer that he spat at Roma beggars and asked them if they accepted Visa.

Eerola chairs the parliamentary administration committee that, among other things, oversees immigration policy.

Migrant Tales had the opportunity to speak by phone to Rikhard Blomerus, a Savonlinna deputy councilperson, who filed ethnic agitation charges to the police and brought the matter to the attention of the chancellor of justice.

“I filed charges not because I am a Roma, but I would have done it irrespective if the victim were Saami or any other minority like the Swedish Finns,” he said, stating that he knew Eerola when he was a member of the PS. “I think he made the [Facebook] posting to score brownie points [with the voters].”

UPDATED: Blomerus said that he had received a lot of comments about what he did.

“A lot of them are angry with me,” he continued. “One was even angry because he considered it an insult that a Roma would bring charges against a white Finn.”

Blomerus used to be a member of the PS but left the party after Halla-aho was elected chair in June. The Savonlinna deputy councilperson has complained previously about the anti-Roma sentiment in the PS.

“I don’t belong to any party these days,” he said. “I’m an independent.”

Read the full story here.

Continue reading “PS’ Third Vice President Juho Eerola is suspected of ethnic agitation in Finland”

Pari kysymnystä Yleisradiolle

Posted on by Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen

Poliisi epäilee eduskunnan hallintovaliokunnan puheenjohtajana toimivaa perussuomalaisten kansanedustajaa Juho Eerolaa kiihottamisesta kansanryhmää vastaan. Yleisradion toimittaja haastatteli Jussi Halla-ahoa, joka itse on saanut tuomion uskonrauhan rikkomisesta ja kiihottamisesta kansanryhmää vastaan.

Miksi samasta rikoksesta tuomittu on nyt pätevä puolustamaan toista rikosepäiltyä?!

Samalla logiikalla nyt voitaisiin haastatella raiskauksesta tuomittu selittämään miksi kaverinsa rikosepäily on väärin! Missä on kunnioitus oikeusoppineita kohtaan?! Kaikista mielipidevaikuttajista vain puoluekaveri ja jopa samasta rikoksesta tuomittu kelpasi haastatteluun! Miksi?

Elämme outoja aikoja.

Finland believes tighter laws will protect the country from terrorism but the real enemy is fear and opportunism

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The knee-jerk reaction of politicians after the tragedy that took place in Turku on Friday not only smells of populism but opportunism. What have we heard from them since last week?


In this story in Ilta-Sanomat, Interior Minister Paula Risikko exposes her ignorance of our laws by suggesting that suspected terrorists with Finnish citizenship should be barred from entering the country. Source: Ilta-Sanomat.

Below is a list of what some government ministers and politicians have suggested:

  • Interior Minister Paula Risikko wants to bar Finnish citizens from entering the country if they are suspected of terrorism;
  • Interior Minister Risikko wants to take away a person’s Finnish citizenship if he or she is suspected of terrorism;
  • Interior Minister Risikko wants to pass new legislation that would make assisting undocumented migrants a criminal offense;
  • President Sauli Niinistö and the government want to fast track new legislation that will increase surveillance and erode privacy;
  • Justice Minister Antti Häkkänen wants new legislation that would permit imprisoning undocumented migrants for six months if they don’t leave the country;
  • Perussuomalaiset* chairman, Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted for hate speech in 2012, wants rejected asylum seekers to be placed in detention centers like in Hungary;
  • Social Democratic Chairperson Antti Rinne wants Finns to have more babies;
  • After what happened in Turku, we have seen a spike in attacks and hate speech against migrants and minorities living in Finland.

Believe it or not, these are all Finnish politicians who represent a Nordic welfare state that bases its values on human rights, social equality, and fairness. They are worried about the rise of undocumented migrants on our streets. Even so, they created such a problem by voting to scrap residence permits on humanitarian grounds.

While many of these proposals are in conflict with our Constitution and a direct attack on the rule of law, these politicians believe that tougher laws will protect us from terrorism. What will protect us from terrorism is a cool head and not fear that lies in between our ears.

Another important message that these suggestions suggest is that Finland is still in deep denial about its every-growing cultural and ethnic diversity. This means that members of our community are excluded and don’t have any input.

 

The reaction of our politicians and their opportunism is so evident that they should tread with care because they’ll cause more harm to our system than what the terrorists would hope to accomplish in their wildest dreams.

* After the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity.  One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic. 

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

Zaki Husseini returns to Finland after being deported and staying 47 days in Kabul, Afghanistan

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Zaki Husseini, 19, became the first asylum seeker that came in 2015 to return to Finland after being deported. He got in touch with Migrant Tales  a day after he was deported to Kabul. Thanks to Hussain Kazemian, we were able to get a glimpse of his ordeal and bad luck. A day after he was forced to return to Afghanistan on July 4 with 11 other asylum seekers, the supreme district court ruled against his deportation. 

Below is the interview Kazemian did of Husseini on July 4:

Read the full story here.

Contrary to those grim days in Kabul, Husseini not only returned to his new home country but got a work permit.

“I am glad to come back to Finland again,” he said.  “I spoke Finnish at Finnish Embassy of Kabul and mentioned to them my life, friends, job and education I had in Finland. I knew and believed that I’d return back to Finland.” 

Continue reading “Zaki Husseini returns to Finland after being deported and staying 47 days in Kabul, Afghanistan”