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.
Source: Facebook.Another company in Canada has cut all ties with Turtiainen’s company. Source: CPU.
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.
Thanks to the United States, Latin America has suffered human rights abuses, poverty, exploitation, and a long line of dictators. The latest coup we saw in that part of the world was in Bolivia when Jeanine Áñez usurped power and named herself president.
I lived under a ruthless dictatorship in Argentina. Memories from those times were so harrowing that I can never forget them even if I wished. Indeed, the military rulers who gave us the dirty war (1976-83) caused terrible scars on the country.
Argentina’s bloodiest coup in 1976 had the blessings of US President Gerald Ford and executed by his faithful henchman, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Some generals, like former Secretary of Defence James Mattis, rebuked President Donald Trump this week by stating that he is a danger to the constitution and that USAmericans in uniforms serve USAmericans, not a political agenda.
Mattis added: “We can unite without him [Trump], drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”
Even if some have hailed Mattis for speaking out against Trump, his military career raises a lot of questions. The Marine Corps general fought in the Perian Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
Amnesty International had questions about Mattis before his confirmation as Trump’s secretary of defense in 2017-2019.
“If confirmed, General Mattis would wield tremendous power, including the ability to order torture and flood Guantanamo with new detainees held without charge. General Mattis has said that those at Guantanamo should be held indefinitely – even though nearly all have been held without charge for more than a decade. However, he is reported to have rejected torture as a useful method of interrogation in conversations with [then] President-elect Trump.”
Mattis, who admitted that the Iraq War was a mistake, led the 1st Marine Division during the invasion and later oversaw the bloody retaking of Fallujah from insurgents in 2004. Some estimates claim that 90% of the people that the Marines killed in Fallujah were civilians.
Is General Mattis a war criminal, and is he an honorable broker with so much war history and blood on his hands?
Other high-ranking military leaders like John Kelly, John Allen, Mike Mullen, Richard Myers, Martin Dempsey, and others have also rebuked Trump. Even former President George W Bush, who condoned torture and invaded Iraq, is giving the thumbs down to Trump.
Remember formerWhite House chief of staff and general, John Kelly, who defended the practice of separating immigrant parents from their children at the border.
Kelly is now making money off caged children. He is currently the board member of Caliburn International, the parent company of Comprehensive Health Services, which operates four massive for-profit shelters that have government contracts to house unaccompanied migrant children from south of the border.
It all sounds like a Hollywood movie with an unsure ending and a list of actors who may have committed war crimes and human rights violations. In all of this, we lose sight of the real issue: #BlackLivesMatter, social justice, and change.
In Argentina, the last military dictatorship that overthrew the democratically elected government of Isabel Martínez de Perón did so to restore “law and order.” They did this with presidential elections nine months away.
Coups in countries like Argentina usually kick off with a communiqué. The first one stated that “The country finds itself under the operational control of the armed forces…”
President Isabel Martínez de Perón being flown off by a helicopter from the presidential palace.
Even if Communiqué 1 asked for calm from the civilian population and not to intervene, it hid its most sinister plan, which was to unleash the suffering and death of tens of thousands of Argentineans.
If the end of democracy is near in the United States, I suspect it will kick off with an announcement like in Argentina in 1976. Contrary to Latin America, which is crude, even vulgar, in handling public relations with its population, the coup in the United States will not look like one but appear sugar-coated with deceitful lies.
The transition from an imperfect democracy that serves mostly whites at the cost and exploitation of blacks and other minorities won’t be hard. The United States has a lot of experience in Latin America, where its support for military and civilian dictatorships, domination, and torture are the trademarks.
The demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 not only brought down a superpower without firing a shot but started the deterioration of another one called the United States.
The social chaos in the United States could end if the country were honestly interested in turning a new leaf and change its ways.
In the next few months, we will see the direction the country is heading on its wayward and perilous path.
Perussuomnalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtiainen [1], who was expelled from the parliamentary group Thursday, but could rejoin the group after the end of the year if he had changed his racist ways.
To this offer, Turtiainen gave a redundant no.
“I am not going to request joining [the parliamentary group] again, but they can come to ask me with cap in hand,” he was quoted as saying in Yle.
Turtianen admitted that the racist tweet about George Floyd was a mistake and placed the blame on people who don’t understand “dark humor.”
“Dark humor?” Since when did Turtiainen start a new career as a comedian?
Turtiainen said that he was planning to create a one-man party in parliament and was unsure if he’d take part in the municipal elections of Juva next year.
US-based Elitelts announced Friday that it is ending its business relationship with Ano Turtiainen’s company, Metal Sport & Gear. Source: Facebook.
Considering Turtiainen’s racist and offensive style, few will miss him and hope that he will only serve one term as MP.
Turtianen was elected in 2019 to parliament with 3,264 votes.
In a Yle election compass, Turtiainen’s view on immigration should not come to any surprise.
In one recent 2:36-minute monologue, which was taken down, Peltokangas used the following swear words every 20 seconds:
Shit (paska): 2 times
Fucked (perseestä): 2 times
What the hell, hell (mitä helevetti, helevetti): 2
The devil (perkele): 2
A Peltokangas monologue is like watching Benito Mussolini speaking from a balcony.
There are differences, however. One speaks Finnish and the other Italian; one wears glasses on his forehead while the other one does not wear glasses; one was in politics from the 1920s until he was hung lifeless by the feet in Milan in 1945, while the other one is building a political career today.
Check out the two videos and their loud-mouthed crude populist pomposity below and tell me if Peltokangas and Mussolini aren’t two peas in a pod.
For some strange reason, the video below where Peltokangas rants like Mussolini was taken down.
Since the PS are in government, they have been trying to clean up their acts. This involved whitewashing their racist rants.
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* parliamentary group unanimously expelled Thursday MP Ano Turtiainen [1] until the end of the year for posting a racist tweet about the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
“The suspension is permanent,” PS parliamentary group leader Ville Tavio was quoted as saying in Yle. “We had a discussion that if he wanted, Turtiainen could apply for membership in the [parliamentary] group after the end of the year if he’s corrected his behavior for good.”
Turtainen’s Facebook page is strangely quiet and makes no mention about the suspension. Source: Facebook.
Why wasn’t Turtiainen sacked permanently from the party? Because he wasn’t, it is difficult to assess if the outrage of the PS is genuine or just a publicity stunt.
I suspect the PS parliamentary group to be disingenuous. No matter how racist your ideas are, you will always find a home in the PS even after you’ve been expelled.
Apart from placing George Floyd’s purple-colored face on the pavement before he was killed with the words “Pink Floyd,” it is the comment the former PS MP made that was equally disturbing.
In the racist tweet, which he took down Wednesday, claimed that as blacks get more rights, the more unruly they become and the more difficult it is to put them in their places.
Turtainen did not offer any apologies to George Floyd’s family, #BlackLivesMatter, Finnish people of color and people of African decent, but stated that he took down the tweet because it harmed the party.
[1] ”Ano” is a real name in Finland. The equivalent name for women is Anna. The translation of “ano” in Spanish is the anus.
Migrants search for hope. Their searching offer us hope.
Fourteen-year-old Ilayta’s family history and her drawings offer a glimpse of what hope is. They were searching for five years for a new home in Greece, and four years in Finland finally paid off in July 2019, when they were given a residence permit in Finland.
Uncertainty and deportationalways fiollowed them during those years like a shadow.
A long and grueling nine-year journey for Ilayta and her family that came to a happy ending in July 2019. From left to right: Sabah, Donya, and Ilayta.
Migrant Tales wrote about Ilayta and her family in January 2019.
“Their daughter [then] 13 years old and she speaks at least five languages. Since she is the only one who can speak Finnish, she not only interprets language but the family’s anxiety and fear.”
Despite that difficult phase of their lives, Ilayta draws a picture of a bird below to symbolize their new beginning in Finland.
“I drew a bird because it expresses freedom,” she said. “As asylum seekers, we weren’t free because everyone told us what to do. Now we are free [to get on with our lives].”
“Lintu on vappa ja se lentää niin kin muutkin linnut taivassa.” Translation: “The bird is free and its flies like other birds in the sky.” Drawing by Ilayta S.
“I want to become a language teacher and teach you people,” she said.
Ilayta speaks Turkmen, Finnish,, Greek, English, Finnish, and a little Swedish which she has learned at school.
“Speaking a language is important,” she continued. “Speaking five languages is like being five persons. Problems can be solved more easily because each langague offers a different perspetive.”
“Voi olla hyvää jos noi ulkomaalaiset ei olisi täällä! Älä arvostele toisi niiten ulkonään perusteella, et voi ikinä tiedää ne on kokenut!” Translation: “It may be a good matter if those foreigners weren’t here. Don’ judge others based on their appearance since you can never know what they have gone through!
We wish Ilayta and her family the best and how to write more stories about their lives in Finland.
Poor timing by Ano Turtiainen? Today, people in Helsinki demonstrated in solidarity with George Floyd and #BlackLivesMatter, according to Yle News. At the same time, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Ano Turtianen mocks at the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Today’s demonstration to show support for George Floyd was a great show of solidarity by the people of Helsinki. What didn’t sit well now or ever a racist horse’s ass tweet by PS MP Turtainen denigrating George Floyd’s memory.
Demonstrators show their support for George Floyd and against police brutality at Helsinki’s Senate Square this afternoon. Source: Twitter
Turtiainen’s “joke?” It was apparently George Floyd’s wide-eyed face full of terror colored purple with the name of the 1960s rock band “Pink Floyd.”
Cruel, racist, and unbecoming of an MP but that’s not all he tweets. Turtainen stated that as black people get more rights, they become more unruly. He suggested that going back to Jim Crow and slavery would be an effective way of keeping blacks in line.
People should organize to do everything possible that MPs like Turtiainen don’t get reelected in 2023.
Meanwhile, PS parliamentary group leader Ville Tavio told Iltalehti that Turtiainen would face disciplinary action for the tweet.
Disciplinary action?! Why not sack him from the party?
Turtiainen’s latest tweet is really from the “ano,” or anus in Spanish. He tweeted a picture of George Floyd’s face on the ground as police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck.
The tweet is not only a slap in the face of George Floyd and to all the suffering black people are experiencing, it is also a swipe at Finland black community.
The “joke?” George Floyd’s wide-eyed face full of terror colored purple with the name of the 1960s rock band “Pink Floyd.”
Cruel, racist, and unbecoming of an MP but that’s not all he tweets. Turtainen stated that as black people get more rights, they become more unruly. He suggested that slavery would be an effective way of keeping blacks in line.
George Floyd and Turtiainen’s racist humor. In the tweet, he states that as blacks get more rights the more difficult they become.
As a matter of policy, Migrant Tales no longer publishes racist pictures by racist politicians.
MP Turtiainen is a meber of Finland’s biggest opposition party.
Thank you Reija Härkönen for the heads-up!
[1] ”Ano” is a real name in Finland. The equivalent name for women is Anna. The translation of “ano” in Spanish is the anus.
I have often thought that if a rational Fascist dictatorship were to exist, then it would choose the American system.
Noam Chomsky
US President Donald Trump has threatened to employ the army to end nationwide riots that have engulfed his administration and the nation, The Guardianreports.
“Today, I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the national guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets,” Trump said. “Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming presence until the violence is quelled.
And adds: “If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
Trump’s promise to quell the riots with military might is the same law-and-order tactic that dictatorships use to justify their power.
The eroding of civil rights, social and economic inequality, which have been crudely exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lynching of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, are just chickens coming home to roost in USAmerica.
The social and moral implosion we are witnessing in the US is not Trump’s fault since he is only one of its symptoms. Dr. Cornel West said, “We are witnessing America as a failed social experiment.”
In Latin America, as in other parts of the world, the United States was and is directly responsible for waging wars and installing dictatorships that would care less about the rule of law and human rights.
Wasn’t the United States the first country in the world to use nuclear weapons against humans? Let’s not forget the horrendous crimes committed against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945?
USAmerican exceptionalism is at fault and plays a prominent role. Waging war throughout the world and being directly responsible for the deaths of millions of people means that your hands will become drenched with blood.
The lies perpetrated by USAmerican exceptionalism may help us to become partially color blind and not see dripping red blood from our hands, but the injustices are there socially camouflaged. Like Trump’s battle cry, it is only a distraction; police brutality, social inequality, among many other issues, are still real and unresolved.
In Argentina, where the military restored “law and order” with the help of a dictatorship (1976-83), there was peace because everyone was terrified. There was silence too, but it was an eerie one, resembling that of a cemetery.
After the military coup of 1976, which overthrew a democratically elected government, walls were whitewashed and an eerie cemetery-like silence overtook Buenos Aires’s residential streets. Photo: Enrique Tessieri.
If USAmerica looked at itself in the mirror, it would see itself as a broken system combing its soul with the brush of self-deceit.
“We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.” — Malcolm X
“I can’t breathe.”
— George Floyd
What is the Coronavirus Revolution?
Covid-19 + mass unemployment + balooning social inequality + racist self-serving US president = CORONAVIRUS REVOLUTION.
Social movements, like the one we are seeing in the United States today, are sparked by people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breona Taylor, and others in the same way that Rosa Parks did on December 1, 1955, when she ignited the Civil Rights Movement.
Good analysis by Dr. Cornel West. “We are witnessing America as a failed social experiment,” he said.
The Amy Cooper incident in New York’s Central Park added more fuel to the fire when she falsely accused a black man of threatening her.
A revolution is always unexpected and one step ahead of those who want to crush it.
But the big question is where all these protests will take us. Will they be suppressed with violence or will it be the beginning of a more just and inclusive world?
