“No party is immortal and there are clear signs of the Perussuomalaiset* party’s vulnerability. Their success hinges on how much they can scapegoat migrants and play down global warming. The fact that migrants are not a threat to Finland and that global warming is a very serious threat ensure an eventual fall from political grace for the PS.”
Valkoinen valta means white power in Finnish. This picture was taken on a school wall in Mikkeli. Photo: Enrique Tessieri
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform was wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. 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.
“Harmony makes small things grow. Lack of it makes big things decay.” ? Sallust
Migrant Tales julkaisi vähän aikaan sitten listan “anna hukkua” -eurovaaliehdokkaista. Nämä ehdokkaat katsoivat, ettei ole EUn velvollisuus pelastaa siirtolaisia hukkumisvaaralta Välimerellä. Kolme näistä eurovaaliehdokkaista valittiin parlamenttiin 26.5.: Teuvo Hakkarainen ja Laura Huhtasaari perussuomalaisista sekä Henna Virkkunen kokoomuksesta.
Alma Media vaalikoneen väitteessä 13 lukee: “EU:n velvollisuus on pelastaa kaikki hukkumisriskillä Välimeren ylittävät Eurooppaan pyrkivät siirtolaiset.”
Vaikka ei olekaan yllätys, että islamofobiset puolueet, kuten perussuomalaiset, olisivat “täysin eri mieltä” tai “eri mieltä” yllä mainittusta väitteestä, melkein kaikissa puolueissa oli eurovaaliehdokkaita, jotka olivat eri mieltä tai suhtautuivat neutraalisti väitteeseen numero 13. Virkkunen oli “eri mieltä” väitteestä.
Kaiken kaikkiaan, 36,3% (85/234) suomalaisista eurovaaliehdokkaista olivat täysin eri mieletä, eri mieltä tai neutraali väitteseen.
Se, että näin suuri määrä eurovaaliehdokkaista arvelee, ettei ole EU:n velvollisuus pelastaa ihmisiä hukkumisvaaralta Välimerellä – välittämättä politiista seurauksista – osoittaa, kuinka syvälle me yhteiskuntana olemme vajonneet omaan suohomme.
Holokausistakin tiesi suuri joukko ihmisiä, joista enin osa kuitenkin päätti sulkea silmänsä, olla kuulematta toisten ihmisen kärsimyksistä: juutalaisten, romanien ja muiden vähemmistöjen, Natsi-Saksan vihollisien.
Virkkunen seisoo sanojensa takana ja lähetti seuraavat twitit:
“Harmony makes small things grow. Lack of it makes big things decay.” ? Sallust
Migrant Tales published recently a list of “let them drown” European election (MEP) candidates who felt that it wasn’t the EU’s obligation to save the lives of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Three of these candidates got elected on May 26: Teuvo Hakkarainen and Laura Huhtasaari of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and Henna Virkkunen of the National Coalition Party.
Statement #13 of the Alma Media election compass reads: “It is the EU’s obligation to save all those migrants who are at risk of drowning attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.”
While it isn’t surprising that members of Islamophobic parties like the PS and candidates like Huhtasaari and Hakkarainen “strongly disagree” with the above statement, there were candidates of most of the mainstream parties who disagreed or were neutral about statement #13. Virkkunen “disagreed” with the statement.
All in all, 36.3% (85/234) of Finnish MEP candidates disagreed or were neutral about the Alma Media election compass statement.
The fact that so many Euro election candidates can agree that it isn’t the EU’s obligation to save people from drowning in the Mediterranean without any consequences shows how far we have stooped as a society.
A lot of people knew about the Holocaust but the vast majority closed their eyes and became deaf to the suffering of the Jews, Roma, other minorities and enemies of the Nazi regime.
Virkkunen stood by her answer and tweeted the following:
People always have to be helped. My answer in (not the Alma Media) election compass 1/2: “We must stop migrant smugglers already at the port. We have to make migrant smuggling economically unprofitable by creating legal paths to job-seeking migrants who want to move to Europe. And the way @HennaVirkkunen to put an end to migrant smuggling is disagreeing with this [election compass] statement: “It is the EU’s obligation to save all those migrants who attempt to come to Europe and are at risk drowning in the Mediterranean.”My answer continues: “European officials should be given the possibility to handle applications and grant the needed permissions [to migrants]. Moreover, the situation of the migrants’ country should be improved through, among other matters, common [EU] foreign policy, trade policy, and through development aid policy…”The answer continues:…” by fostering peace, stability, better living conditions by investing in better administration, education, entrepreneurship, and investment possibilities” I am not of the opinion that people should be allowed to drown. But the smuggling of people must end.
I tweeted this question to MEP Virkkunen but never got a reply:
I asked you Tuesday @HennaVirkkunen what was your opinion about human rights? (1) Human rights are old fashioned and should be shelved or forgotten; (2) Human rights should be preserved; (3) Human rights should be strengthened.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform was wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. 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.
Seeking asylum and/or a better life is not a crime.
What is one to think of plans by the new government to use electronic ankle tags to monitor the movements of asylum seekers whose asylum application is rejected. Is it ok?
How would you like to wear an electronic ankle tag? Would it enhance your feeling of human worth or be just another example of Finland’s ever-worsening hostile environmentagainst migrants and minorities?
Moreover, the use of ankle tags by asylum seekers reveals a fact about how Finland sees asylum seekers, especially those who are Muslim. It shows the authorities do not believe asylum seekers’ suffering and plight.
Source: @Amnestyusa
If one thinks that the hostile environment in Finland began in 2015, you should think twice. The hostile environment is an integral part of this country’s history throughout its independence.
Disagree?
How come it took almost 66 years after independence, in 1983, for Finland to have in force its first immigration law?
Things were much worse. So much so, in fact, that few people ever moved to this country.
