The surprising matter about the Avarn Security scandal, when (in)security guards used excessive force and humiliated their victims, was that it wasn’t a surprise. Poor selection criteria, lack of proper psychological training, little to no internal and external regulation, and near-blind trust would eventually lead us to the present scandal. The positive side of the…
Month: December 2022
Avarn Security Managing Director Niclas Sacklén should step down
The scandal that has rocked and come to public light about Avarn Security gets more incriminating by the day, revealing a culture of downplaying and coverup. Avarn Security Managing Director Niclas Sacklén’s initial reaction to Helsingin Sanomat was disbelief. According to the daily, Sacklén considered the allegations “unbelievable.” Moreover, he initially would not confirm if…
The Avarn Security scandal reveals too much trust and too little scrutiny of the system
Helsingin Sanomat has closely followed the story about six Avarn Security guards suspected of assault. In the latest stories, the daily reports that four security guards have now been remanded into custody. It also raises three unanswered questions about the scandal. Mikko Minkkinen, crime commissioner of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, said in a statement Wednesday: “In the…
Alleged dereliction and abuse of duty by Avarn Security guards
THE STORY WAS UPDATED Migrant Tales has written several stories about how security guards on local trains in Helsinki and the Greater Helsinki Area have suffered brought treatment by security guards. The Eastern Uusimaa Police Department announced Monday in a statement investigating assault cases in which at least six employees of Avarn Security are suspected…
Oulu 2019: Is the media going to allow the PS to pull another fast one on it?
What kind of reaction can you expect from a country that continues to see foreigners like Muslims and other people of color as a threat? Remember Oulu and the sexual harassment cases that spun out of control thanks to the fuel that politicians, the media, and the police were feeding? It’s déjà-vu again: politicians, the…
Kokoomus’ Atte Kaleva: The MP cashing in on anti-immigration tirades for political profit
Parliamentary elections are in April. How can I tell? When National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) politicians like MP Atte Kaleva spread lies and populist soundbites about migrants. Kaleva has a tough time stomaching criticism, and usually, his answers are knee-jerk reactions. One of these is when he charged Professor Panu Ratikiainen with defamation because he called…
When poor customer service at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport exposes alleged “overreaction” by security guards
Yassin, a father of a two-month-old daughter, was pinned to the floor by three security guards and handcuffed at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The ordeal ended at 23:30 am after trying, without luck, to get on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. His wife and two-month-old daughter accompanied Yassin. “I have never been handcuffed in my life…
“Youth gang violence” is a political stunt based on lies
I would go as far as to predict that after the election in April, the youth gang issue will disappear. It was the case in Oulu when Finland became hysterical about sexual assaults committed by migrants. We’re in the same situation today. True, we have to address social problems with good social policy. Fortunately, Finland…
Migrant Tales Media Monitoring: Framing youth gang violence by MTV
When the media speaks of youth gang violence, it usually spikes it with provocative adjectives and fear-mongering. MTV’s interview and good comments by Elina Pekkarinen, ombudswoman for children, were exceptions. If you want a good example of how the media frames this topic, look at the picture behind the host. It reads “violence” next to…
A watershed that may impact April’s parliamentary election
Two hard-hitting editorials by Helsingin Sanomat on the mistreatment of labor migrants could indicate how the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset* will do in the parliamentary election. I make such a claim because I am an optimist. We saw something similar in the US Midterm elections, which showed how voters rebuked Donald Trump and his election deniers. Apart…