National Coalition Party MEP Henna Virkkunen is hoping to become an EU commissioner. However, there is a question: Is a person qualified if he or she would care less or very little if people die when coming to Europe?
In the 2019 MEP election, she responded in the Alma Meter election compass in the affirmative to the question 13*: “The EU must save all those migrants who are at risk of drowning attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.”
Virkkunen “disagreed” that the EU must save those migrants crossing the Mediterranean from drowning.
In the 2024 election compass, Virkkunen still showed little regard for people crossing into the EU. Question 11 of Yle’s election compass asked a yes or no answer: “A person trying to reach Europe can be turned back at the border, even if it would put their life in danger.”
Virkkunen responded in the affirmative, yes, it was ok to push back the person even if his or her life were in danger.
Her response and possible naming as EU commissioner shows how low we have stooped in Europe.
How can the government be so worried about “national security” if you are ready to trash our most sacred rights like Human Rights, the Constitution, and international agreements?
The Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law, is not only concerning how the constitutional committee can sidestep our most sacred values as a society based on Human Rights, the Constitution, and international agreements but how politicians who should know better are demanding such changes.
It’s clear that the pushback law is not only a move to undermine our rights, but will lead to other changes by using the pretext of “national security.”
I lived in Argentina during one of its most violent military régimes. The way the military could throw Human Rights and the rule of law in the trash can was “defending national security.” To do this they committed atrocities that led to the disappearance of over 30,000 people.
After they got rid of their enemies, the left-wing guerrillas, they looked for “potential” terrorists. You read right. People who could become terrorists.
Finland’s shameful politicians of the pushback law are President Alexander Stubb, National Coalition Party (NCP) Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Constituional Committee Chairperson Heikki Vestman, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, Aministrative Committee Chairperson Mauri Peltokangas, and Justice Minister Leena Meri.
The above list is NOT conclusive. We can name many PS, NCP, and Center Party politicians who would fit the bill. One of these is former President Sauli Niinistö, who has had an ambiguously hostile view of asylum seekers and Russian dual citizens.
Upper left to right: President Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Constitutional Committee Chairperson Heikki Vestman (lower row left to right) Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, Administrative Committee Chairperson Mauri Peltokangas, and Justice Minister Leena Meri.
What anti-Human Rights “merits” do the following politicians have?
Alexander Stubb: After being elected president, Stubb has shown how little he regards Human Rights, the Constitution, international agreements, and minority rights. Apart from holding such values as suspect whenever it is convenient politically, his support of the pushback law can also be seen as payback to Petteri Orpo, who supported him as the NCP’s presidential candidate. His statements are political and lack the credibility of a statesman. One of these was toMTV, when he mentioned that the asylum seekers at the border are not “real” refugees.
Erna Bodstöm tweets: “In recent years, according to Migri, Yemenis and Syrians have practically always been granted asylum, and Iraqis and Ethiopians in at least half of the cases. So these people are genuine asylum seekers and many are likely to be eligible for protection.”
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen got bitten hard by her own and some of the party’s racist statements on A-studioby host Marja Sannikka.
Rantanen’s ignorance and loathing of migrants, especially Muslims and people of color, shines through as usual. The PS is the first modern party in Finland to capitalize on xenophobia.
The A-studio interview reinforced a lot of matters about Rantanen’s and the PS’s xenophobia. Rantanen claimed that the PS had the right to change migration policy “democratically” even if such changes exclude and discriminate against migrants.
Rantanen like her party, incorrectly believes, that they have a carte blanch to say and do almost what they want with migrants, who don’t have the right to vote them out of power.
Social Democrat MP Nasima Razmyar (left) and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen. Source: A-studio
In November 1990, Sheku Amadu Jalloh arrived in Denmark from Sierra Leone as a stowaway, escaping the political turmoil of his homeland. Over three decades later, the stowaway, Jalloh who has studied journalism at the University of Liberia with a three-month training program in the USA, is a Danish citizen and a dedicated employee at the Royal Library. Jalloh is also a celebrated activist committed to combating racism and discrimination.
Making a speech on 21 March during the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
A Journey from Sierra Leone to Denmark
Jalloh left Sierra Leone due to the political instability and civil war that plagued the West African country for 11 years and sought a better life in Denmark. Since then, 30 years have passed and he has deeply integrated into Danish society. He recently celebrated 30 years working at the Royal Library.
At a trade union congress.
Leadership in the Fight Against Racism
“A Denmark in which justice and equality are not just ideals, but realities for all of its inhabitants,”
As chairman of SOS Racism Denmark and board member of the Afro-Danish Collective, Jalloh advocates against racism and discrimination. These organizations aim to create a society where everyone has equal opportunities, regardless of their background. Jalloh states that their mission is to prevent the spread of racism and discrimination. Despite Denmark ranking fourth in Europe as a racist country, according to Information in November 2023, Jalloh notes that this view is not representative of all political parties. Some parties offer support to immigrants and people of foreign descent.
Making speech on workers day on May 1st (Left picture) – From a meeting with Rosa Lund (right front photo sitting), an MP of the Red-Green Alliance political party. An anti-discrimination action plan was discussed at the meeting. (right picture)
A broader alliance for equality
In addition to participating in the Afro-Danish Collective and SOS Racism, Jalloh is a strong advocate of Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, a coalition organizing activities and protests to encourage communication with legislators and lobbying for anti-discrimination laws. In the face of the government’s erratic refugee quotas, which were lowered from 500 to 50 and are currently 200, Jalloh and his associates are unwavering in their demands for greater acceptance rates. They stress that, in light of other countries’ efforts, even the former quota of 500 is insufficient.
Celebrating the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The Role of Trade Unions
A major component of Jalloh’s approach is mobilizing trade unions for the cause. He anticipates using the combined might of organized labor to present a unified front against racism and discrimination. “My goal is to involve more trade unions in the anti-discrimination battle and every year on March 21, we celebrate the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day together with five to six trade unions participating in the events,” he said.
A vision for the future
Jalloh and his fellow activists were instrumental in the adoption and enactment of the anti-discrimination action plan in Copenhagen in 2023. Seeing that their efforts have proven fruitful, he has now resolved to attain similar outcomes with an equivalent national legislation.
Addressing delegates at the HK Stat Trade Union congress.
Despite the many challenges, Jalloh remains unfazed and his vision is clear: “A Denmark in which justice and equality are not just ideals, but realities for all of its inhabitants,” he continued. “One thing we have to work very hard on is coming together to fight racism and discrimination.”
Jalloh’s story is one of zeal, perseverance, and unflinching dedication. From his beginnings in Sierra Leone to his current position as an activist in Denmark, he shows the impact that one person can have in the battle for a more equitable, inclusive society. Through his work, he continues to inspire and motivate others, demonstrating that the route to equality, while arduous, is “undoubtedly worth every step”.
In the 2019 European Parliament election, Henna Virkkunen of the National Coalition Party agreed that the EU was not obligated to save people from drowning in the Mediterranean. She was in good company with the likes of Perussuomalaiset MEPs Laura Huhtasaari and Teuvo Hakkarainen.
Virkkunen reasoned that we should stop traffickers, even if it means allowing people to drown and die at sea.
After five years of being in the EU parliament, she still believes that people should die after being pushed back at the border.
Question 11 of Yle’s election compass: “A person trying to reach Europe can be turned back at the border, even if it would put their life in danger.”
The good news is that only five of Finland’s 15 MEPs would care less id people died trying to cross the border. These are three from the National Coalition Party (NCP), one Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, and one from the Center Party, which has a wishy-washy track record on immigration.
The Center Party MEP and then finance minister, Katri Kulmuni, posted in 2019 an Internet poll asking if repatriating “[Finnish] children only” or “children and [Finnish] mothers” from the al-Hol camp in Syria.
Tynkkynen, who was convicted three times for ethnic agitation, likes to give the image of a “tolerant” politician since he is gay and married to an African. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The last two, Mika Aaltola and Pekka Toveri, are fuelled by bravado and opportunism.
Aaltola is a media creation and Toveri is a general who likes to talk tough.
How to make a zero-tolerance winter recipe for boiled rocks in a pot, spreading fear and throwing the elderly, disabled, and low-income people into the woods.
Get fresh carefully planted governmental hate seeds and a handful of conspiracy-based theories.
Add to them as many social media posts and photos encouraging discrimination based on racial, ethnic, and religious background.
RWell grounded in your portfolio, a deep-rooted pinch of racial superiority to attract as many voters as possible.
Once it is ready, it doesn’t take long to cook, do not worry if you get far-right terrorism and racist crimes – it’s only collateral damage.
The recipe and prize for ‘Her Blue Eyes’ is a stench strong enough to cover up unfulfilled yellow promises of the Perussuomalaiset.*
Enough to cover up the unfulfilled yellow promises of Blonde Edward Scissorhands’ parody and the incompetence (didn’t do, can’t be blamed) of Mr. Blue, Blue Blue (code name 00 Zero tolerance).
If this recipe is done properly, it can affect your appetite to ask for more. For example, you can blame the victims, not directly of course, but by using them all in the same pot to promote ethnic profiling, body searches, and more (the thing with the badger symbolism-doctrine or way of being).
A naïve person’s question: Would Timo Vornanen be stopped, searched, or even suspected?
Would the 15-year-old suspect of the second Oulu stabbing at te Valkea shopping center be suspected?
Would Juhani Sebastian Lämsä , who was involved in the activities of the banned Nordic Resistance Movement, stab a 12-year-old child with a foreign background in almost the same place.
If the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a far-right party, is it correct to say that the National Coalition Party a radical-right party?
After the second stabbing in a week in Oulu, politicians are sending their condolesneces. The question we should be looking at is the level of disingenuity.Parties like the PS and politicians like Interioir Minister Mari Rantanen and Finance minister Riikka Purra are to blame.
President Alexander Stubb, who has been quite after the first stabbing, is now quoted by Yle as saying the second stabbing is “perhaps” a wakeup call for Finland.
It IS a long overdue wake up call! Wake up Stubb!
Rantanen, who based her campaign on racist and far-right conspiracy theories, was quoted as saying in an Helsingin Sanomat interview that there is no connection between the stabbings in Oulu and the government’s migration policy and debate of the issue.
One of Rantanen’s racist soundbite “hits:” “We must not be so blue-eyed that soon we will not be blue-eyed.” In Finnish, sinisilmäinen, or blue-eyed, means being naive. Source: Facebook
“I don’t see any connection between the stabbings in Oulu and immigration policy and talking about it,” she said, adding that her infamous statement about blue eyes was not racist.
“I don’t think I have spread racist thinking in Finland.,” continued Rantanen. “And what does that have to do with this stabbing in Oulu?”
And then there was Purra, who blamed the first stabbing on youth gangs comprising of brown and black members. She was later forced to eat her words.
Kansainvälistyminen on mahdollisuus. Näin kuvasi myös Mikkelin kaupunginjohtaja Janne Kinnunen Länsi-Savon haastattelussa 9.6. Etelä-Savon ja Mikkelin väestökehityksen näkökulmasta se on jopa välttämättömyys.
Väestön väistämättä ikääntyessä ja vähetessä kohtaamme merkittäviä haasteita erityisesti työvoiman saatavuudessa. Tarvitsemme uusia asukkaita, sekä edellytyksiä yrityksille ottaa vastaan työvoimaa myös Suomen rajojen ulkopuolelta.
Suomalainen yhteiskunta on aina ollut monimuotoinen, ja ihmiset edustavat erilaisia kulttuurisia, uskonnollisia ja kansallisia taustoja. Väestötietojen perusteella kuitenkin Mikkeli ja Etelä-Savo jäävät moninaisuudessa jälkeen muista Suomen kaupungeista ja maakunnista.
Tilastokeskuksen mukaan, vuonna 2023 Mikkelissä muuta kieltä kuin suomea ja ruotsia puhuvien osuus väestöstä oli 5,4 prosenttia. Vertailun vuoksi Helsingissä vastaava luku oli 19,5, Tampereella 10,4, Lappeenrannassa 9,9 ja Jyväskylässä 6,8 prosenttia. Vaikka Mikkelin vieraskielinen väestö on kasvanut 20 vuodessa, ja on nyt 2 810 asukasta, on kasvu ollut vaatimatonta.
On hyvä tunnistaa, että moninaisuus on hyvän työyhteisön ja elinympäristön ominaisuus. Työelämän monimuotoisuuden, tasa-arvon ja yhdenvertaisuuden edistämisellä on suuri merkitys Suomeen muuttaneiden työllistymiselle ja onnistuneelle kotoutumiselle.
Yhdenvertaisessa yhteiskunnassa eri väestöryhmät ovat edustettuina ja osallisina eri organisaatioissa ja työtehtävissä. Moninaisuusosaamistaan voi lisätä koulutuksen avulla ja sitä ansiokkaasti tarjoavat monet tahot, kuten THL, opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö, European Network Against Racism ja CEJI. Koulutus auttaa tunnistamaan syrjinnän muotoja ja antaa keinoja niiden purkamiseen.
Poliittinen tahtotila yhdenvertaisuuteen ja syrjimättömyyteen Suomessa on olemassa, esimerkiksi perustuslain ja yhdenvertaisuuslain muodossa, mutta laki yksistään ei riitä, ellei se toteudu arjessa ja kunnissa eri puolella Suomea. Siksi moninaisuuden ja sosiaalisesti kestävän kehityksen vahvistaminen on aloitettava nyt.
Kaupunki voi toimia esimerkkinä moninaisuusosaamisen edistämisessä kouluttamalla oman henkilöstönsä ja päättäjät vahvistamaan monimuotoisuutta edistäviä rakenteita, jotta Mikkeli on entistä parempi paikka kansainvälisten osaajien työllistyä ja juurtua.
Jatta Juhola ja Enrique Tessieri
Juhola on kaupunginvaltuutettu ja kaupunginhallituksen jäsen (sd.), Tessieri on varavaltuutettu (sd.).
In the face of the far right in government, the only thing that Prime Minister Petteri Orpo can parrot is that we have a good government program.
The recent MEP election revealed how little credibility Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government has. The Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, suffered a stinging blow. The National Coalition Party (NCP) was spared by the good showing of three candidates, Mika Aaltola, Pekka Toveri, and Henna Virkkunen.
The election changed a lot of matters. For one, did it weaken the support of the pushback law getting the needed two-thirds majority? Has the PS’ stint in Orpo’s government shortened? Did the poor showing of the PS embolden some MPs not to give their vote of confidence Tuesday to PS Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman?
Two stories with legal experts, university professors and other social influencers speaking out against the pushback law drafted by the government in Helsingin Sanomat and Yle.
The Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or pushback law is now at the constitutional committee. I am certain that its chairperson, Heikki Vestman of the NCP, would not think twice at throwing Finland’s Human Rights, international agreements and constitution under the bus. He does so because he falsely believes he’ll never become a refugee.
Moreover, and taking a look at other EU borders, it’s clear that in Finland will see violence, suffering, and death.
If we look at the brainchild and cheerleader of the pushback law, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and the PS with the support of the NCP, we only have to look at her social media history to conclude that she is the last person we should be listening to.
Looking at Rantanen’s and the PS’ racist history can be found in social media. It is there, trying to desperately hide from the public’s view.
Below, are some of Minister Rantanen’s most racist and infamous quotes:
Just before the MEP election on 9 June, the PS reached up the fear-mongering of asylum seekers in its campaign brochureby picturing them as hoards.
After Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Finance Minister Riikka Purra was forced to eat her words after falsely claiming that the stabbing of a 12-year-old in Oulu was the work of youth gangs, few if any analysis is being made about the government’s hard-right immigration policy and its spread of conspiracy theories like the great replacement.
In racist code, “youth gangs” means non-white youths.
A twelve-year old boy, “who is a Finnish citizen but with a foreign background, was stabbed in Oulu Thursday. Source: Yle.
Fiancne Minister Purra and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen disguise far-right conspiracy theories like the great replacement as “statistics.” The most recent example was a talk a little over a week by Purra and Rantanen.
