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Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Mauri Peltokangas is on a roll Tuesday. First, he demands the Swedish-Finnish border should be closed, and now he tweets and insults history researcher Oula Silvennoinen.
Folks, this hothead Islamophobe represents the second-biggest party in parliament. Imagine, is people like him would call the shots in Finland?
I wonder where MP Peltokangas got educated and what his parents taught him at home.
The PS MP tweets to Silvennoinen: “Thank you for your replay Oula. When I watched your last program, where you appeared as an expert, I could not tell whether you spoke from the head or the ass.”
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Mauri Pelokangas is a hothead Peurussuomalaiset (PS)* MP who has gained notoriety for his Islamophobic statements. He demanded the police to release the identities of two men at large believed by him and the PS to be foreign terrorists.
Those two “foreign terrorists” turned out to be Swedish nationals who speak Finnish.
Since Peltokangas’ conspiracy theory was trashed and he was made to look like a horse’s ass, the PS MP is now demanding that the Swedish-Finnish border be closed:
“Since Swedish national have come to Finland to shoot at the police, wouldn’t it be time to shut the Swedish and Finnish border? Border checks should be implemented.”
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
After the Oulu sexual assault cases came to light at the end of November and rapidly spiralled out of control in the media, is one sad example of Finland’s Islamophobia problem. Not only are politicians from parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* trying to reap the political benefits, but the media, and police, too.
All of those groups that participated in the social media lynch mob got something out of it like the PS, which almost won the parliamentary elections of April,
With the Oulu sexual assault cases behind us and with eight people of color sentenced to prison, a question arises: What role did the media, politicians, and Oulu police have in fueling the hysteria?
Yle alone reported 77 stories on the topic, 13 on one day, about the sexual assault cases during November 27-February 13. During that period under review, the Oulu police published 13 statements on the topic.
Writes Päivi Happonen of Yle who took the unprecedented step of questioning in a blog the Oulu police’s over-enthusiastic communications policy of the sexual assault cases.
She writes: “So what bad did [Oulu police’s communication] inflict? A lot. Many have the impression that Oulu became the crime capital of Finland, where asylum seekers rape all the children they can.”
Happonen, whom the Oulu police attacked in a tweet for her brave words was proven right by her employer despite police objections.
One may rightfully ask if all the hysteria was worth it considering that out of an estimated 20 suspects eight ended up with prison terms. Is this how the Finnish media and public reacts when white Finns sexually abuse children?
Apparently not. A story about a pedophile ring accused of sexually abusing 6-15-year-old boys lasted only a week in the news with seven stories published by Yle.
One important rule that journalists learn is that words are a powerful weapon. Since that is the case, it means that we have to be fair in our reporting. No need to kill an ant with a bazooka.
Imagine as well the harm that the Oulu police, the media and especially politicians of the PS and National Coalition Party inflicted on Finland’s migrant and especially the Muslim community.
According to Imam Abdul Mannan of Oulu, Muslims in that city did not feel safe and tried to avoid going to the city center due to the hostile environment.
When I asked a reporter of the Oulu-based Kaleva if unbalanced reporting was an issue, he shrugged off my comment by stating that this is what always happens.
Always happens? Did the reporter read Happonen’s column? Was he too scared to question the lynch-mob mode of many of his colleagues and the media they worked for?
Tabloids like Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat, have a long history of publishing racist stories that label and question other people’s right to be treated fairly and with dignity. A recent example of this type of reporting is Mika Koskinen, who not only editorializes his stories but shows his Islamophobic worldview and hatred of asylum seekers.
Koskinen was one of the most enthusiastic journalists in January to label wholesale all Muslims and asylum seekers as a danger to society.
In a video interview, he claimed in mid-January that Finland was naive in allowing over 30,000 asylum seekers in 2015 because there is evidence that suggests that such people are prone to commit rape crimes.
Despite Koskinen’s claim, he never cited any reliable evidence that backed his claims.
In the latest tirade against Muslims and people of color in Finland, Koskinen took on board the PS conspiracy theories about the two suspects involved this weekend two suspects that shot at police and which led to their arrest on Monday.
In the first story, Koskinen misleads readers by putting words in Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo’s mouth and then interviews Islamophobe PS MP Riikka Purra, who attacks Ohisalo’s refugee policy as “ultra-liberal” and “detached from reality.”
The only problem with Koskinen’s two stories is that Ohisalo’s words were his personal interpretation of what the minister said . The only thing that Ohisalo said was that it is a human right to seek asylum backed by international agreements signed by Finland.
Koskinen’s wanted to show in the stories as well that Ohisalo was not up to the job to guarantee people’s safety in the face of the two suspects who were then on the run and speculated by PS conspiracy theorists to be Muslims or asylum seekers.
Both of the suspects were Swedish nationals who spoke Finnish.
Saku Timonen writes (in Finnish) about Koskinen’s opinionated reporting in this column.
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Just like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party exploited to their benefit the Oulu sexual assault cases earlier this year, the same was happening after two gunmen shot two police officers in Porvoo over the weekend.
Rumors about a conspiracy theory by the police were rife and being spread by PS politicians, who believed that the suspects were Middle Easterners or asylum seekers.
Most of these politicians looked like a horse’s ass today when the police revealed today that suspects were Swedish nationals who spoke Finnish.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this most recent case, it is how the PS and its xenophobic message has spooked Finland. The fact that so much emphasis is placed on the nationality of the suspects is a perfect example of this country’s obsession with ethnicity.
It is clear that such obsession and a party like the PS ready to orchestrate and capitalize on such fear means that they will continue to do well in parliamentary elections as happened in April.
Finland has stooped to new low depths this decade thanks to the PS, which win elections by spreading fear of non-white people by grossly exaggerating stories of foreign crime.
Below is a perfect cartoon by Ville Ranta that reveals the crocodile tears of xenophobes like Halla-aho and his party.
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Migrant Tales will start publishing news about how the far-right, specifically the radical right, is dupping half a million Finns. I consider the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* as the biggest menace to Finland’s democracy, our Nordic way of life, and vibrant cultural diversity.
Former PS party secretary and MP, Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, disagrees. She said on A-studio (31.8) that the PS is “middle of the road” and would not define her party neither as far-right nor radical right.
History researcher Oula Silvennoinen, who was also a guest on the program, stated that there are two types of far-right parties: radical right (see below for definition) like the PS, and extremist groups like the neo-Nazi PVL.
Slunga-Poutsalo was, however, adamant: “We are a conservative party but not far-right.”
Even if the PS likes to play own its ties to far-right extremist groups like Kansallismilisten Liittouma, the neo-Nazi PVL, and other likeminded groups like the Soldiers of Odin and Suomen Sisu, these relationships always pop up in the strangest of places.
At a summer camp in mid-July arranged by Kansallismielisten Liittouma, participants took potshots with bow and arrows and air-rifles at ministers like Prime Minister Antti Rinne, Minister of Education Li Anderson, and Minister of Employment Timo Harakka, all left-wing politicians.
One prominent PS official at the summer camp was Hannele Al-Hamzawi, a member of the far-right association, a Holocaust denier, and, surprise, surprise, chairperson of the Southwest Finland region PS women’s chapter.
If you Google the association’s chairperson, Tero Ala-Tuuhonen, you will find a picture of him wearing a uniform with a rank patch of an SS stumhauptführer. White terrorist Anders Breivik emailed Terhi Kiemunki, a former PS member and vice-chairperson of the association before he went on a rampage and killed 77 people in Norway on 22/7.
Just like the members of the Kansallismielisten Liitouma board, which have ties to or are members of neo-Nazi, Nazi-spirited groups like the Soldiers of Odin and Suomen Sisu.
Al-Hamzawi views on immigration were so radical that she was removed as a municipal candidate for the Christian Democratic party in 2017.
Radical Right 101
Thanks to the vital work of researcher Silvennoinen and others, Finns have learned more about the far-right and radical right and what are their political goals.
What are some of the political aims of a radical right party like the PS? How would they rule Finland if they got power?
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Migrant Tales insight: Ali Rashid, who is a board member of Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland, posted something that many foreigners, especially people of color, face in Finland. If people fear sitting next to you because of your ethnic background, do you think they believe you are an equal member of society? Are you socially equal or socially unequal in their eyes?
Go to original posting here.
This post was reposted with permission.
For some foreigners or Finns who are not white, Milliklubi (Kaivonkatu 12, 00100 Helsinki) is not the top night club on their list. In 2013, a Yle documentary on discrimination showed how the bouncers at the night club denied entry due to ethnic background.
Daniel Malpica, an artist who lives in Finland, states in a posting published by Migrant Tales the poor treatment he received from an older bouncer.
Malpica said that sometimes the rough and racist treatment of the bouncers incite customers to make racist statements against non-Finnish customers.
The same bar was filmed by a Yle crew in 2013 of not letting people in due to their ethnic background.
On August 11 there was another incident at Milliklubi. A black man ended up in hospital after being allegedly beaten with a brass knuckle and sprayed with tear gas.
Moreover, the incident appears to have gotten wide attention in the media and published by Finland’s largest daily, Helsingin Sanomat. Even prominent members of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party have commented on the incident, claiming that what happened was another false racism alarm by a person of color.
The interesting question about this incident and whatever may have led to the black person being hospitalized, is if this is a hate crime? Even the police came out rapidly to absolve the doorman and basically place the blame on the black man.
Writes Christian Thibault: “Some things don’t add up here: Was he beaten first and then gassed? Or was he first gassed and then beaten? In both cases very wrong and the doorman would have had to care for the victim. Was he beaten twice, once before the gassing and once after?”
“In Finland 2019 and in downtown Helsinki is a [night] club where the bouncers choose the customers based on the color of their skin. Last weekend [August 11], my big brother wanted to spend the evening at the Milliclub but he was stopped at the door and told he cannot enter because he was black. The evening ended at the Töölö hospital emergency department with a fractured jawbone, nose and eye socket. Note: The posting claims that the doorman had beaten him with a brass knuckle and sprayed him with tear gas. The police, however, denies that it was the doorman but another person who attacked the black man.”
The black person who is in the hospital will take a year to recover from his wounds, according to a source.
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
I was surprised that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho posted on his Facebook page what I consider inciting ethnic hatred against Muslims, which he refers to as “harmful immigration.”
The fact that far-right politicians like Halla-aho feel free to insult and incite hate against Muslims shows that the work of the police on this front is inadiquate.
Let’s see what Halla-aho posted. You can decide whether this posting falls under hate speech.
A very good question that we could ask the police about hate speech is the following: (1) what percentage of all hate speech cases and how long does it take before the suspect is brought before justice? (2) how many get convictions?
The answer to the latter could reveal that hate speech, like hate crime, are not taken seriously enough by the police.
History researcher Oula Silvennoinen sheds light on this problem.
“The problem [concerning hate speech] isn’t due to the lack [of clear] laws, but that too few who break the law face justice,” he wrote on his website, adding that the police should prioritize hate speech by guaranteeing such public services and the judiciary have enough resources to tackle the social ill.
There are too many examples that remind us that the Finnish police is not impartial when it comes to migrants and minorities. Close to 50% of the police surveyed in 2016 said they voted either for the National Coalition Party, NCP, (25.1%) and the PS (24.4%).
Both the NCP and PS are the most anti-immigration parties in Finland.
There are many other examples like a secret Facebook page in 2017 that was rife with racist comments against asylum seekers, migrants and members of our culturally diverse community.
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Even if Islamophobic parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* rarely mention the word “Muslim(s)” in their hate messages and campaigns, Islamophobia is without a doubt the most significant threat today to Finland’s institutions and society.
Apart from the steady rise of hate speech and hate crime, Islamophobia is spearheaded by parties like the PS. It, if any, is responsible for fueling racism, hate speech, and hate crimes in Finland.
Words matter, and they can kill, too.
One of the reasons why the PS is the second-biggest party in parliament today is because we have a serious Islamophobia and racism problem in this society.
Such social ills will not recede until we wake up and acknowledge them for what they are – threats.
Downplaying far-right ideology and its toxic fruits like Islamophobia is reckless and dangerous. In Norway, we have seen two attempts to murder Muslims as Anders Breivik did in 22/7 and Philip Manshaus tried but fortunately failed this month.
Considering the PS’ good showing in the April parliamentary election, it’s clear that matters in Finland are going to get worse before they improve.
Just like the PS avoids naming Muslims as their main enemy but speak instead of “people of migrant origin,” which is code for non-EU citizens who are either black and/or Muslim, so do politicians and the media when speaking of parties that directly fuel Islamophobia in Finland.
A good example of the latter is Swedish People’s Party Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist, who was quoted in Uusi Suomi on Monday speaking at a foreign ministry event.
“Unfortunately, [social media] debate in [our] society has polarized and fueled hate speech and hate crime to grow here and elsewhere are serious threats to maintaining social harmony,” he said. “Systematic harassment, threats, and defamation threaten freedom of expression, public authority, research, and [media] communication.”
While I agree with what Blomqvist stated, it is surprising how little attention his words got in the national media.
The near-constant playing down of far-right ideology and Islamophobia by the PS offers us an answer to why populism and Islamophobia have grown this decade.
Apart from the media being too white, many reporters lack experience and knowledge about reporting on topics like racism and populism.
It is unfortunate, considering that it is the role of the media to protect and watch over our democracy and expose those forces that seek to destroy it.
* The far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.