Month: August 2023

Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Alex Rühle: “I was irritated by Wille Rydman’s repeated accusation of frivolous and false reporting”

Posted on by Migrant Tales

An email published on Twitter has caused a stir since it implied that Minister Wille Rydman. I got in touch with Alex Rühle to confirm if what he wrote is true.

Alex Rühe is the Nordic correspondent of Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Below is the original email published Wednesday:

“Dear all,

The sentences quoted on Twitter come from a private, confidential email which I wrote to a source in Finnland. This email was not intended for publication. However, the source forwarded this email without my knowledge to the person, who calls herself on Twitter @PistolSolja and whom I don’t know.

She in turn published the sentences – again without my knowledge or consent.

I chose my words in this private mail because I was irritated by Wille Rydman’s repeated accusation of frivolous and false reporting.

In my mail I incorrectly gave the impression that Mr. Rydman had written me an email personally. In fact it had been written by his assistant in response to questions I had sent Rydman in preparation of my last text about the political situation in Finnland for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. I have never claimed that Rydman threatened me nor do I feel threatened or scared by Wille Rydman or his assistant.

Sincerely, 

Alex Rühle

For further reading: The daily has covered (in German) numerous scandals of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government:

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Media Monitoring Group of Finland [1]: A Perussuomalaiset minister threatens the foreign media

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The Media Monitoring Group of Finland has received some disturbing news about how Perussuomalaiset (PS) Minister for Foreign Trade Wille Rydman allegedly sent hostile messages to Alex Rühle, the Nordic correspondent of the Munich-based daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

We offer our 100% support to Rühle and condemn forcibly Rydman, the PS, and the government for intimidating the media.

In a message below retrieved from Twitter, Rühle states that he’s received another “disgusting, poisoned letter from Rydman.”

Source: Twitter

The embattled minister, whose racist emails were made public in July by Helsingin Sanomat, Rydman has accused certain Finnish activists and academics of conspiring with the foreign media to discredit the government.

Rydman’s action against the daily is an affront to press freedom. We shouldn’t be surprised by Rydman’s behavior since it is the way radical right parties operate. If they don’t get their way, they attack democratic institutions like the media.

For further reading: The daily has covered (in German) numerous scandals of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government:

[1] Media Monitoring Group of Finland aims to promote fair and accurate reporting by the Finnish media of underrepresented cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious groups. As Finland’s cultural diversity continues to grow, the role of the media in forming public opinion and attitudes about minorities becomes even more relevant.

A “special kind of evil” to place pregnant women and children in harm’s way in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The government of Prime Minister Orop plans to tighten the already vulnerable situation of undocumented migrants in Finland, according to a statement by the ministry of social affairs and health. “Removing the right of illegal residents [undocumented migrants] to non-urgent health and social services and social security…”

In plain English, non-urgent health services include:

  • children’s health services,
  • pregnancy and childbirth services
  • health checks and vaccinations

There are an estimated 3,000 undocumented migrants in Finland, of which 300 are children.

Abdirisak Ahmed is a medic, and he is shocked by government plans.

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Finland’s refugee policy returns to the Cold War

Posted on by Migrant Tales

I was surprised again to read a story in Yle about Russian army deserters crossing the Finnish border “without permission.” Without permission?! Understanding that the Russian deserters had crossed the border to ask for asylum in Finland, can we state that there is something “illegal” about this?

A ridiculous claim by a Finnish tabloid. How can a refugee be “illegal?” Source: Ilta-Sanomat

Moreover, another Cold War term used by Yle in the story is loikkari, or defector.

In the 1930s, Finns who moved to the Soviet Union were also called loikkari.

In the face of sensitive relations between Finland and the former Soviet Union, the Finnish authorities avoided back then calling during the Cold War a Soviet citizen an “asylum seeker.”

During the Cold War years, one or two Soviet citizens were granted asylum status in Finland. One of these, apparently, was asked to leave the country after getting asylum.

Migrant Tales had the opportunity to interview in 2012 one of these former Soviet citizens who was caught crossing the border and returned to the USSR despite having sought asylum.

Article 14 of the UN Human Rights Declaration, reads: “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”

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