THE STORY WAS UPDATED
Perussuommslaiset (PS)* Finance Minister Riikka Purra’s announcement of 900-billion-euro cuts in next year’s budget is seen by some a political stunt with a strong anti-immigration PS stamp. On the same day as Purrra’s announcment, Matias Turkkila, the editor of the party’s newspaper and the main strategist of the PS’ xenophobic message, became Purra’s special advisor.
A coincidence? Not.
One Yle story described Turkkila as “a master of political provocation.”
And that is what he is. Turkkila is the perfect advisor to Purra because what he does well is to provoke and polarize.
It remains to be seen if Turkkila and breathing sronger life into the PS’ anti-immmigraion message will save it from itself.
Even so, I don’t believe Turkkila is very talented in his racist provocations. He knows, however, to exploit the racist undercurrent that flows in Finland.
Turkkila’s, Purra’s, and the PS’ victimization of minorities like Muslims is not only racist but affects, for example, innocent children at school. The most shameful matter is that the media and many politicians cannot muster up enough courage to denounce such racism, which explains why Turkkila is still kept in some regard by the mainstream media.
