EU President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented Tuesday her team and the new structure of the next European Commission. Apart from having no minorities on the commission, von der Leyen, raised a lot of eyebrows by nominating Margaritis Schinas of Greece as the new Commissioner for Protecting Our European Way of Life.
In a story in The Independent, states that the title suggests that immigration and cultural diversity are threats to Europe.
The fact that at this point EU President-elect von der Leyen seeks a Commission for Protecting our European Way of Life suggests that racism and social exclusion of minorities and people of color will continue to get the short end of the European stick.
Molly Scott Cato, a British Green MEP, was quoted as saying in The Independent: “This looks like the portfolio to fight back against the rise of the fascists, but only by adopting their divisive rhetoric around ‘strong borders.'”
The new nominees for commissioner are all white. Even Finland’s commissioner, Jutta Urpilainen, had a difficult time understanding almost ten years ago what cultural diversity means and who are people of color. Her (in)famous avice to immigrants: In Rome do as the Romans do. Urpilainen will be in charge of international partnerships and forging relations relations with Africa.
Dutch liberal MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld added: “The very point about the European way of life, is the freedom for individuals to chose their own way of life. We do not need a Commissioner for that, thank you very much.”
She adds: “The implication that Europeans need to be protected from external cultures is grotesque and this narrative should be rejected.”
ECRI added: “[t]o tackle growing racist and intolerant hate speech, better coordinate integration activities for immigrants and review the law requiring transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their new gender legally recognized.”
Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities is a Mayday call to do something.
But how can anything effective be done if Finland’s second-largest political party in parliament, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, are spreading ethnic hatred and demanding to do away with hate speech laws?
How much harm and fuel to the fire of racism is spread when politicians like PS First Vice-President Riikka Purra near-constantly attacks people of color by labeling them “human scum.”
Adding to the problem are mainstream parties like the National Coalition Party and Center Party that give mixed messages on accepting the PS as a future partner in government.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that one of the big problems in Finland is enforcement of hate speech laws. For some, the police are seen as part of the problem.
Even so, ECRI said that “it welcomes the adoption of a new anti-discrimination law and the prohibition of ethnic profiling, as well as measures taken to combat hate speech, including the setting-up of Hate Speech Investigation Teams in every Police Department.”
Some 900 Finnish police officers have received training on preventing and combating hate crimes.
* The far-right 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 has 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.
Helsinki City Councillor Abdirahim Husu Hussein, who is now giving racists and parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* a taste of their own medicine proves a point: There is too much racism in Finland, and too little is done to counter it.
Disagree? How many hate speech, hate crime, and cases involving racism ever reach the courts? How long does it take to reach the courts? How many get convictions?
Hussein’s case is a sad reminder that even if we have good laws against racism and hate speech, too little is done to enforce them.
Attacks against Hussein continue and show that Finland does too little to counter hate speech and racism.
Racism and hate are like a rabid dog that some politicians walk to impress and lure their voters. They forget, however, that that dog knows no master and can bite back hard, very hard.
* The far-right 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 has 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.
A report by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) warns that Norway and Europe may suffer from terrorist attacks in the next few months against Muslims, Jews, and the LGBTQ community, reports Yle, citing the Norwegian Police Security Service.
PST cites the Christchurch attack against two mosques in New Zealand in March as a source which may encourage some to act.
Apart from alligator tears from then Foreign Minister Timo Soini, PS Youth’s Johannes Sipola blamed in the tweet below the killings in New Zealand on multiculturalism.
Even PS Chairperson Jussi Halla-aho played down what happened in New Zealand in March. He considered the attack due to mental health or social marginalization.
Considering that “quiet” Norway suffered its worst attack after World War 2 on July 22, 2011, when Anders Breivik murdered 77 innocent victims, and a new attack happened in August when a young white Norwegian did not succeed at killing Muslims at the Al-Noor Islamic Center near Oslo.
Writes PST: “Some right-wing groups internationally will insist on urging their members to carry out terrorist attacks. The groups are spreading terrorist propaganda as part of their goal to launch a revolution and a racial war.”
What about Finland? Has the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) conducted a similar assessment? I’m certain that they have but why haven’t they warned the public?
Considering that radical right groups like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are spreading the very hatred that fuels and feeds white terrorism, this may discourage them from being too public about the threat.
Finnish exceptionalism and simple ignorance on the impact of racism may also be factors.
Words have consequences and those words are copied by the PS and other hard-right groups. Apart from fueling racism and discrimination, it’s pretty clear that labeling Muslims and Africans as a threat to Finland is the poison pill that these white terrorists like to hear.
All of the PS MPs who got elected this year used Islamophobia or some form of populist anti-immigration rhetoric in their campaigns.
Racism and and spreading ethnic hatred has become so normal in Finland that the PS’ first vice-president, Riikka Purra, asks with a poker face if it is racist to call an African rapist “human scum.”
Indeed, it is racist, especially when the person making such a comment is white and belongs to an Islamophobic party like the PS.
As words have consequences so does spreading racism. Racism is like a rabid dog that populist anti-immigration politicians use to impress their voters. They walk around with this dog but keep it on a short leash. Since the dog knows no master, it can bite its owner hard.
The rise in hate crime in Finland is already one indication that should start to worry.
Let’s hope that this concern turns to action to tackle all forms of hatred.
* The far-right 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 has 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.
A racist is an individual, always an individual, who does not like people based on race – must be conscious – and who intentionally seems to be mean to them.
Robin DiAngelo, sociologist
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED
In English, we have a lot of words for bullshit: baloney, hogwash, crap, wise tales, poppycock, malarkey, snow job, lies, deception, rubbish, and many, many more. Some of these words pop up in my head when I hear politicians from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* partyspeak about their pet punching bag: migrants, asylum seekers, and minorities.
If we look at DiAngelo’s definition of a racist, it sits well with many, if not all, members of the PS.
One of these politicians is Frist Vice President Riikka Purra. She had the gall to tweet the following question after appearing on Susanne Päivärinta’s talk show: “In your opinion, is it racist to call an African rapist human scum?”
Do we need to answer her offensive and racist question, or does her question answer the question?
PS First Vice-President Riikka Purra writes a lot about immigration, but she can’t get her facts straight. She could not mention in Susanne Päivärinta’s talk show what were the three most prominent national groups in Finland. Since she doesn’t know, Purra likes to make up lies and spread conspiracy theories about migrants, especially people of color.
Apart from her fear-mongering, about how white Finns will be taken over by people of color, she uses terms like “harmful immigration” and “mass immigration” to justify her racism and hatred of Muslims, Africans, Middle Easterners and people of color in general.
Considering that Finland is one of the whitest countries in Europe, Purra’s claim that white Finns will become a minority is ludicrous. Considering that Finland is the second-most violent country for women to live in the EU, it is disingenuous of her to state that Finland has one of the best cultures in the world for women.
Purra disagreed that Finland is such a violent place for women. She criticized the methodology of the study.
The PS politician should take a look at the mirror and listen to her anti-immigration rhetoric and ask if this is how people of “one of the best cultures in the world” speak to and treat asylum seekers?
She also mentioned that when a person becomes a naturalized Finn it does not make the person “an ethnic Finn.”
What is an “ethnic Finn?” Is there only one type of Finn?
Certainly not, Purra. There are today, as there were before, many types of Finns. There are Afrofinn, Muslim Finns, Russian Finns, and the subcategories are almost endless.
I will say it once again: Purra is a disingenuous politician whose anti-immigration rhetoric is a sham.
* The far-right 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 has 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.
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* First Vice- President Riikka Purra asked in a tweet: “In your opinion, is it racist to call an African rapist human scum?”
Indeed, it is racist! It is especially racist if you are a white politician who is a member of an Islamophobic and Afrophobic party.
Can a human, irrespective of the crime, be referred to as subhuman?
Her question is a bit similar to what former UK Prime Minister David Cameron called migrants trying to enter Britain as a “swarm,” which is a term applied for fish and insects.
It is not appropriate for anyone, especially politicians, to refer to people as “scum” or a “swarm.”
Purra, who hates asylum seekers and is near-constantly spreading conspiracy theories tweets: “In your opinion, is it racist to call an African rapist human scum?”
In the interview with Susanne Päivärinta on Wednesday, the chair of the parliamentary administration committee, which oversees immigration policy, Purra could not name the three biggest national groups in Finland.
She told Päivärinta that they were the Russians, Estonians, and Somalis. Wrong. The three biggest groups are Estonians, Russians, and Iraqis.
Purra talks big and spreads Islamophobic fear but has problems with her facts like what percentage of foreign nationals live in Finland.
She didn’t even know.
Purra is a disingenuous politician whose anti-immigration rhetoric is a sham.
* The far-right 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 has 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.
Migrant Tales does not usually publish opinion polls. However, the latest one published by Yle warrants a quick response.
White Finnish newspapers headlined the news as, “Support for the Perussuomalaiset* party surpasses 20%.” I and many of my friends see it differently: “Support for the PS shows that Finland has a serious untreated racism problem. Watch out brothers and sisters and get ready for more hostility and violence.”
Politicians like PS Vice-President Riikka Purra may ask how can one insinuate that half a million voters could be racist.
My answer: How many millions of Nazi Germany were indirect or direct complices in the Holocaust? How many millions of white Europeans and USAmericans were involved in slavery and the slave trade?
Yes, the PS is a racist party that exposes Finland’s untreated social ills like racism.
* 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.
Migrant Tales wrote a story in 2013 on how the City of Vaasa, in cooperation with the Suomen Uimaopetus- ja Hengenpelastusliitto (SUH), the Finnish swimming instruction and lifesaver’s association, deemed the burkini “a security risk and not hygienic.”
Despite the initial eagerness to ban the burkini, the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman now recommends that all swimming halls in Finland permit the use of the burkini. According to the ombudsman, such prohibitions could be discriminatory.
I remember speaking to a representative of the City of Vaasa six years ago about its plan to ban the burkini. The attitude of the municipal official was quite hostile, asking why Muslim women should be given special liberties if men cannot wear shorts at swimming pools.
“We have for as long as I can remember men from wearing shorts [at pools]. There are no exceptions,” said the Vaasa city official, adding that “99.9% of the swimmers are for the ban.”
Even if the City of Vaasa was planning to ban the burkini, no representatives of the Muslim community were contacted.
The SUH representative said that it had got in touch with the Somali Association of Finland and a Somali city councillor, but none of them had commented on the matter.
The critical reporting and credibility of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) have suffered in recent times star reporters quitting and parties like the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* influencing editorial content from the board.
There is no better example of Yle’s partiality and toothless reporting than a recent political human interest article about Riikka Purra, PS first vice-president who spreads white Finnish supremacist ideology.
One of Purra’s pet topics is how white Finns will become a minority in their country due to non-white immigration. She spreads such far-right fear-mongering despite knowing that Finland is one of the whitest countries in Europe.
Articles like the one below by Riikka Uosukainen, which raise Purra to a pedal stool because of her stellar rise in politics and possibly the next leader of the PS, are the partial and toothless stories that Yle writes uncritically today.
Imagine, in Finland today that a politician’s stellar rise hinges on spreading hatred and conspiracy theories about migrants. This is how low our country and Yle have stooped.
If we look at these pictures in the story, it is clear that the reporter likes Purra and wants to give her the best image she can in the story.
That is what serious journalists blame opinionated and toothless journalism for spreading racism and hostility towards migrants and minorities.
In the last picture with the new party secretary, Simo Grönroos, the reporter describes him as “a nationalist” who founded Suomen Sisu, a far-right Nazi-spirited association.
Just like Purra and her white Finnish supremacist conspiracy theories, Suomen Sisu is against Finns marrying foreigners because it would be bad for “racial hygiene.”
The article is one more slippery slope of how Finland is normalizing racism and white supremacy.
* 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.
Finland is a country that enjoys the greatest amount of press freedom, according to Reporters without Borders.
I suspect that one way that Finland has attained such a high ranking in the press freedom index is because politicians are not directly manipulating what the media should do and write.
A rude example of such abuse, however, is Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Jani Mäkelä, who didn’t agree with what Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily, wrote about an interview with Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.
“According to a statement by the [Hungarian] embassy, @hsfi has misrepresented #Unkari the foreign minister’s quotes. The accusation is serious – I demand and require that the newspaper and its editor @KaaiusNiemi answer the embassy and correct publicly those mistakes!”
PM Mäkelä wrote in a tweet that he demands and requires that Helsingin Sanomat corrects what they published about the foreign minister.
In the first place, Finland is not Hungary, where strongman Viktor Orbán has effectively killed press freedom. Mäkelä can bitch and cry all he wants but it is the newsroom that decides what is written in the newspaper.
Let’s hope that our country will never take Hungary’s path to create a country where the state censors and oppresses dissident voices.
With people like Mäkelä and parties like the PS, this would be possible if they held absolute power.
* 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.
