THE STORY WAS UPDATED
While what we see in the United States with nationwide protests is remarkable, what happened last week with former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party MP Ano Turtainen was equally significant.
Before mocking the death of George Floyd in a racist tweet, Turtiainen should have understood that there is a lot of sensitivity and support for black people who are constant victims of police violence and brutality in the US and elsewhere.
While Turtiainen has made racist remarks about blacks like in his infamous Ebola Facebook posting in which he claimed that Ebola is nature’s way of keeping overpopulation under control in Africa, Muslims are his usual targets of choice.
Apart from getting kicked out of the PS parliamentary group, further damage for his racism was handed by US-based Elitefts, a bodybuilding equipment company, which terminated its business relationship with Turtiainen’s company, Metal Sport & Gear.
The vast majority of the 240 comments (8.6) are by Finns, who thank the company for its action.
There is a troublesome question that arises from Turtiainen’s clash with the #BlackLivesMovement. What if George Floyd were a Muslim?
Would our collective reaction and outrage be as forceful?
Hopefully, the #BlackLivesMatter movement and our rebuke of US President Donald Trump and his policies will encourage us to condemn and take action against all types of racism wherever it may appear.
