Racists, xenophobes and populist opportunists from parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* like to be intentionally mean to Muslim and African asylum seekers by labelling them “harmful” immigration.
Using the term harmful immigration to describe non-EU migrants by especially politicians of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is as bad as using the n-word.
Ville Manner did not understand in a tweet what was wrong with calling certain migrant groups harmful.
When Helsinki councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein tweeted that the PS, its voters, and follower are racist, it’s clear that the party got a generous taste of its own medicine.
PS vice-chairperson Riikka Purra is now on a rampage to prove that Europe’s whitest country will look like Mexico City in 2100. In her far-right conspiracy theories about “The Great Replacement,” she wants to keep out Muslims and Africans from coming to Finland.
A paper by Frank Ndukwe about the experiences of Africans in the Helsinki area states: “When immigrants migrate, especially to such a culturally homogenous country, there is often the tendency of fear from the natives in the mainstream and the political circles, about the ‘cultural disruption’ immigrants could bring to the society.”
Whenever the PS uses the term “harmful immigration” when speaking of Africans and Middle Easterners, we can also ask if there is such a thing like harmful native, or Finn?
Who is a harmful native? A vulnerable member of society who is probably unemployed and living on the fringes of society.
Either way, the term is insulting and should not be tolerated.
The Festival is organized by the group, No Labels No Walls, which consists of over 30 organizations from five different countries and brilliant individuals, whose idea is that separation is never equal, and who want to promote, activate and empower everyone to participate in life and society.
Los Angelesissä toimivan The Strindberg Laboratoryn ja nyt Suomessa Strindberg Laboratory ry:n tehtävänä on käyttää teatterin ainutlaatuista voimaa tukemaan huono-osaisia ja syrjäytyneitä yksilöitä sekä marginalisoituja yhteisöjä. Tavoitteenamme on rakentaa siltoja erilaisten taustoja omaavien ihmisten ryhmien välillä.
It is surprising that in Norway, one of Europe’s wealthiest and whitest countries has suffered some of the worst terrorist attacks in Europe. Eight years ago, on 22/7, Anders Breivik emerged and killed 77 people.
The most recent terrorist attack by an alleged white supremacist in Norway on Saturday attacked with the Al-Noor Islamic Center near Oslo overpowered by a 65-year-old man who suffered minor injuries.
According to Aktuelltfokus, the suspect, Philip Manshaus, 21, was armed with shotguns, pistols and wore a uniform and helmet aiming to kill as many Muslims as possible. Manshaus was overpowered after he shot one person.
The suspected terrorist is Philip Manshaus, 21. Source: Aktuelltfokus.
The Nordic region has seen a spike in Islamophobia in recent years and fuels Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.
Muslims in Finland don’t feel safe, and the recent terrorist act in Norway will not reassure them. Matters are exacerbated in Finland by the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, where anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam rhetoric is their political bread and butter.
The Mosque in the northern Finnish city of Oulu has suffered nine acts of vandalism since September 2018. After the Christchurch mass killings when a white supremacist killed 51 Muslims in March, the Oulu congregation guards the Mosque during Friday prayers.
“This is very sad what happened in Norway,” said Dr. Abdul Mannan, the imam of the Oulu Mosque. “Norway is supposed to be one of the safest countries [in Europe]. These things should not be happening. We need to forge peace [between people],”
With parties like the PS fear-mongering that white Finns will lose power at the cost of non-white Finns, it is clear that matters will get worse before they improve.
Even so, our society, politicians and the media must wake up to the threat of white supremacist terrorism, which is the biggest threat to our security, democracy, and the rule of law.
Vänsterpartiet MP Malcolm Momodow Jallow of Sweden posted his reaction on Facebook: “The Government, the security service and so-called terrorism experts, can continue to mislead, lie and pretend like others but as long as you are not prepared to realize the seriousness [of the situation], it is a fact and true that these terrorists will continue with their terrorist acts and attacks!!! I hope that the police department is doing everything in their power in Sweden that makes sure that Muslims in Sweden can celebrate in security their [Eid] feast tomorrow.”
* 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.
A “young white man” was arrested in Norway after shooting inside a mosque today, according to the BBC. The man injured one person after he opened fire on the Al-Noor Islamic Center near Oslo.
According to a tweet by Tommi Kotonen, “Norwegian newspaper [VG] reports that police is investigating a forum post related to the Oslo Mosque shooting. A post from Endchan shows [the] alleged perpetrator claiming he was a follower of NZ shooter, refers to race war and urges other to follow him.”
The director of the mosque, Irfan Mushtaq, was quoted as saying that the victim injured was a 75-year-old man who was a member of the congregation.
“One of our members has been shot by a white man with a helmet and uniform,” Mushtaq was quoted as saying to he local newspaper Budstikka.
In the face of rising Islamophobia in all of the Nordic countries, Norway has seen the greatest bloodshed when Anders Breivik attacked eight years ago on 22/7 killing 77 people.
Finland has a lot of top-quality journalists. Even so, the coverage of migrants like asylum seekers by the media is in too many cases not only slanted and unfair but deficient, even racist and misleading at times.
Helsingin Sanomat. called last month The Squad, who are four congresswomen of color as “people of migrant origin.” On the left is the first take and on the right the corrected headline.
A recent example of such opinionated and poor journalism was the coverage of migrants suspected of sexual assault in Oulu. Migrant Tales documented 77 stories published between November 27 and February 13. On January 14, Yle published in one day 13 stories about the topic!
In its coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases, Yle forgot one of its most important rules: fairness. You don’t need a bazooka to kill an ant.
Having been a journalist and foreign correspondent in countries like Spain, Argentina, Italy, Colombia, and Finland for over 20 years have taught me a thing or two about how the media frame migrants and minorities.
Without getting into a more in-depth discussion about the topic, I am always amazed at how a far-right Islamophobic party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* has set the pace and given its anti-immigration rhetoric a lot of weight.
The PS is always bringing up new fear-mongering topics for public consumption. The latest one is a pseudo-theory about how white Finns in the face of migration will end up becoming a minority in their county.
Even if these pseudo-theories are racist and misogynistic, the PS would care less. Making outrageous claims is one of the communication strategies of racist parties like the PS. Below is an example of how it works:
A politician makes an outrageous claim to a journalist, who doesn’t even bother to question its veracity. Eventually, the journalist may do some investigating and find out that he or she was fed malarkey. By then it’s too late because the story is already out there.
Journalists should watch out for the following matters when writing about the PS’ and other parties’ anti-immigration stances:
They rarely say directly that they are targeting Muslims;
-They use code to refer to Muslim asylum seekers/people of color such as “harmful immigration,” “social welfare freeloaders,” “mass immigraion,” “person/people of foreign origin” and others;
-Since they are speaking of these groups, who are mostly Muslims and asylum seekers, they refer to about 10% of all migrants in Finland;
-When a PS politician starts to speak about these groups, the reporter should ask what group they mean and how many people he or she is talking about;
-Since the media allows the PS to speak of migrants in the most general terms, it gives the impression that all or most migrants in Finland are asylum seekers;
-Do some journalists and the media write this way because they too are Islamophobic?
* 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.
Parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in Finland eagerly talk about how one of Europe’s whitest country’s will be taken over by people of color and become minorities.
Writes Farhad Manjoo: “’The Great Replacement’ is a racist and misogynistic conspiracy theory that holds that white people face existential decline, even extinction, because of rising immigration in the West and falling birthrates among white women (caused, of course, by feminism).'”
Together with PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho, vice-chairperson Riikka Purra is one of the most eager to spread racist and misogynistic conspiracy theories.
PS MP Jani Mäkelä is infamous for his off the wall comments. Here he tweets: “Replacement theory. Harmful immigration. Yes, I said those words and will say them again.”
Manjoon continues: “The white-extinction theory plays well online. It has found its greatest purchase among a certain type of basement-dwelling inceledgelord, to whom it offers both an explanation for self-pitying personal circumstance and a set of convenient antagonists (roughly, the blame falls on race-betraying, sexually empowered women; immigrants; and the Jews said to control the whole system).”
PS MEP Laura Huhtasaari contradicts herself in two tweets: “Just like that. I don’t consider the Perussuomalaiset racists.” And then tweets again: “The Perussuomalaiset are racists. What of it?”
So what is behind all this nonsense about the Great Replacement and spreading fear about whites becoming a minority? Manjoo puts it well: Racism and misogyny.
* 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.
QUESTION (Q): What were the first feelings and impressions you had when you returnedto Kabul?
AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKER(AAS): It was a really bad feeling when they return me to Kabul. I feltthat my life will be really difficult in the future and I must try so hard to make a living. Three police, two men and a woman, accompanied me by plane to Afghanistan.
Q: Do you think it was a mistake to come to Europe? Do you want to return?
AAS: NO. Every person learns something new in a new place. I also learned a lot there [Finland] and it was good for me. If there is any chance to go back I will return especially due to the education system.
Q:What is the biggest injustice done to you?
AAS:The biggest injustice that has happened to me is to be separated from my family (father, mother, sisters, and brother). They live in Europe and I in Afghanistan. My family has a lot of problems now.
Q: Is there a future in Afghanistan?
AAS:There is no good future but I will work and this means I won’t be able to study. I don’t know what my future will be.The future vanishes in Afghanistan. All you do here is eat and live.
Q: How much money can one make and can one live off a salary?
AAS: I think 15000 Afghanis [171 euros] is enough for one person
Q: Where do you want your children to grow up?
AAS:I don’t know yet. Time will tell.
Q: What is the thing you miss most today?
AAS:My time at school in Finland. My education.
Q: What would you like to tell the people of Finland?
AAS:Nothing special. Just have a good and happy life with .health as well.
Q: What would you like to tell Migri? Did they treat you fairly?
AAS:Nothing special. They think first about their people, not refugees. They don’t want to accept all refugees it can be a danger for the economy of the country. The Finnish government is afraid.
One far-right politician who has eagerly spread white Finnish supremacist ideology is Perussuomalaiset (PS)* vice-chairperson and MP Riikka Purra. In her latest Facebook post, she attempts to defend her views with a chart that is misleading and racist.
One of the problems with Purra’s argument is that she speaks of white Finns as natives but excludes non-white Finns as eternal migrants or “people of migrant background.” In short, they are not “real” Finns and should be treated as a threat.
Purra’s arguments, which are filled with populist hot air and made in one of Europe’s whitest countries, aim to reinforce exclusion and hatred of people of color.
If you watch closely, the PS normally speak in code when spreading their racist views. When they talk about “harmful” migrants they mean Muslims and asylum seekers who came in 2015. When Purra talks about the “native” population she only means white Finns.
Far-right ideas like Purra’s are the same ones spread by US President Donald Trump and embolden white supremacists. One of its tragic manifestations was seen on Saturday in El Paso, Texas.
No matter the country, the white supremacist message is the same: Groups with power are afraid of minorities because they fear that when they become a majority, they will treat people like Purra in the same way as she talks and treats migrants and minorities today.
Apart from being a bunch of baloney, the chart, which was made by Kyösti Tarvainen, an astrologist, assumes that the Nordic region and Europe have always been white and that non-whites “invaded” the Nordic region. This type of thinking is what some call white supremacy. The chart shows the decline of the so-called “native” population but aren’t people, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds, “natives?”
Considering that far-right and white-supremacist rhetoric is keenly copied and pasted by politicians in different countries that form part of a global network, it is surprising how our own denial and exceptionalism has made our media reluctant to ask tough questions to politicians spreading far-right ideology.
One of these after the tragedy in El Paso is if the same rhetoric spread by Purra and PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho inspire people to start killing migrants and minorities in Finland?
MP Riikka Purra “Hey, you spoke a while back about how the Finnish population can change with more non-white migrants and Finns. What happened in El Paso must have shocked you. Could the same happen in Finland? Could you please answer this email by Wednesday? Thank you.
It would be wrong to blame Purra, Halla-aho and other PS pundits for the rise in racism in Finland. By blaming a party and its politicians, you lose sight of the root of the problem, which is our society.
The best way of challenging an Islamophobic party and far-right politicians is to take a good look at ourselves and take off the mask of denial.
* The 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.
Ethnonationalism and “white Finnish replacement” pseudo-theories are being eagerly spread in Finland by politicians like Riikka Purra and Jussi Halla-aho, vice-chairperson and chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party.
An important question arises in light of the tragic weekend when a white supremacist killed 22 victims in El Paso, Texas, and another man killed 9 more in Toledo, Ohio: Could the same happen in Finland?
Since the Finnish media is not interested in asking such a question, I wrote an email to Purra on Sunday if what happened in El Paso could happen here since parties like the PS are pushing ethnonationalism and ethnic replacement pseudo-theories.
The email to MP Purra below was short and to the point:
MP Riikka Purra
“Hey, you spoke a while back about how the Finnish population can change with more non-white migrants and Finns. What happened in El Paso must have shocked you. Could the same happen in Finland? Could you please answer this email by Wednesday? Thank you.
Purra did no answer my email.
In June, Purra suggested that Finland’s population, one of the whitest in Europe, is in danger of changing due to non-white migration.
* The 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.
