By Enrique Tessieri
As the demonic rumors and stereotypes spread by Finland’s anti-immigration groups lose their appeal among voters, expect a new round of vicious attacks by them as the municipal election nears on October 28. The good news, however, is that using the usual crime statistics and racist arguments that gave some Perussuomalaiset (PS) candidates their ticket to parliament in the April 2011 election will be a hard sell in October.
One of the main reasons is the PS itself, which has given us a good taste of what kind of a party it is thanks to the numerous scandals that have rocked it. Voters are wiser today about the PS than they were on April 17.
Another important reasons is Anders Breivik, who shocked Norway and the world with his outlandish mass killings on July 22. All parties in the Nordic region that are anti-EU, anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam suffered as a result significant losses in recent elections and in the polls.
Racism is like an ogre that you cannot control once you let it out of the cage and give it an opportunity to flood society with hate. It can bite back, and hard, as we saw when Breivik went on his mass-killing rampage.
On a much wider scale racism can as well lead to wars and conflicts as it has in the past, according to the U.N.
“Racism and racial discrimination have been used as weapons to engender fear and hatred,” said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message marking this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. “Racism undermines peace, security, justice and social progress.”
Another reason why extremist and populist anti-immigration politicians will have a difficult time selling their message in the municipal election is because it is utter baloney based on exaggerated fiction. The media, some politicians and the general public have learned after close to one year of watching PS shenanigans in Parliament the distinction between fact and populist fiction.
Jussi K. Niemelä, a writer and editor of the Vallan vahtikoira blog, told Migrant Tales that the PS has the highest number of convicted criminals among their ranks when compared with other political parties. Many of their MPs are members of the far-right Suomen Sisu association.
Niemelä has been threatened by two PS members for his critical stance against the party. The police are presently investigating the matter.
More and more Finns understand racism, like hate, is a serious threat to our society.
The PS is also the only political party who had a convicted violent rapist as their campaign manager during the last elections but not a single mainstream media outlet called them out on it. We can only hope that things will be better this time around.
BlandaUpp, here is some more on convicted criminals in the PS:
http://www.aamulehti.fi/cs/Satellite/Kotimaa/1194677434237/artikkeli/yllatys+perussuomalaisten+kansanedustajilla+on+nippu+rikoksia+taustalla.html
http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/rikos.shtml/il-uusilla-perussuomalaisten-kansanedustajilla-tuomioita/2011/04/1315363
So Anders breivik will have more effect than Mohamed Merah? Oh dear.
–So Anders breivik will have more effect than Mohamed Merah? Oh dear.
Look at the elections in Norway, Denmark and even in Finland. Anti-immigration groups got a blow after July 22. Mohamed Merah is another sad case. Since Breivik is Norwegian it kind of strikes more at home to us here in the Nordic region.
Here is something I picked up from a blog called Mtlskeptic that highlights her feelings about the Treyvon Martin case in Florida. Could it apply to Finland when we speak about racial profiling in our society? One good matter, however, Finns cannot go shooting “suspicious looking” people like in some parts of the U.S.
I am saddened and quite frankly disgusted about what happened to Treyvon Martin. I’m not an idiot and I know there is still blatant racism still present in our society. It doesn’t make it anymore sad when things like this happen. That Treyvon got shot and killed merely for being black in what some asshole decided was a white neighbourhood is tragic. That the asshole in question didn’t get arrested is abhorrent. I am so angry because it’s looking like this guy is going to get away with this without even so much as a slap on the wrist when we all know that if the positions had been reversed and Treyvon had been the one with the gun, he would have gotten charged in twenty seconds flat. That’s not acceptable. We should not stop bringing these injustices to light until they don’t happen anymore.
Maybe the PS will organize some zumba classes in Tampere? The greens have already their live election posters on the streets.
Here the winner (Kokoomus) takes it all, the looser standing small.
”Jan Vapaavuori (KOK) (asuntoministeri) tuomio pahoinpitelystä ja varkaudesta sekä rattijuopumuksesta
Taru Tujunen (KOK) (Kokoomuksen puoluesihteeri) tuomio myymälävarkaudesta
Jyrki Katainen (KOK) (Kokoomuksen puheenjohtaja, epäilty pöytäkirjanotteen väärentämisestä
Kimmo Sasi (KOK), kuolemantuottamus
Kari Häkämies (KOK), tuomio kolmesta pahoinpitelystä
Petri Salo (KOK), tuomittu kunnianloukkauksesta 2007 ja törkeä liikenneturvallisuuden vaarantaminen 2010
Jari Vilén (KOK) (entinen kansanedustaja), Pro Gradun plagiointi
Harri Jaskari (KOK), laiton uhkaus
Olli Nepponen (KOK), rattijuopumus
Sirpa Pietikäinen (KOK), rattijuopumus
Pia-Noora Kauppi (KOK), törkeä liikenneturvallisuuden vaarantaminen
lista jatkuu..
Lisäksi muita lahjontoja ja harmaata taloutta. Talousrikolliset tukevat Kokoomusta Cayman-saarten kautta.
Göran, so what does this say about generally about politicians? Does two wrongs make a right? What about on top of this if some moralize about how bad immigrants are/criminals/social bums etc. What does that say about political oportunism?
Hi MT.
The “kicked-out guys” or “chillers” are becoming frequent in our blog.
Our English friend has expresses his liking for Breivik while downplaying the Merah case. Or better up-playing. This guy plays stupid when looking at his own English situation where some “hard cases against right wingers and wrong police interventions” are at stake. So simple.
The Swedish guy acts in the same way as other denouncers from the Hommaforum website. Opponenets come from many different angles. But also in Sweden the “black/brown” under the white shirt is known for a very very long time. So simple.
Breivik as an “example to follow” is so simple. The Templars (not my favorites) were far more smarter. So simple as that.
Zumba is contagious for those people who denies it, So simple.