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.
It was clear that the request to the police by Perussuomalaiseet (PS)* Councilperson Maiju Tapiolinna to investigate whether Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein for ethnic agitation and slander would not make it to first base.
And that is what the police announced today. They said they will not investigate the complaint against Hussein for ethnic agitation and slander, reportsHelsingin Sanomat.
But what could you expect? How could there be ethnic agitation if the PS is not an ethnic group and no person was mentioned in Hussein’s tweet?
What is most ironic about the case is that it appears that Tapiolinna may have herself been guilty of ethnic agitation in a Facebook posting today.
Anti-Hate Crime Oganisation Finland asked today the police to investigate a Facebook posting by Tapiolinna where she allegedly encourages hatred for an ethnic group.
Tapiolinna writes today: “Is anyone surprised why the police will not investigate Hussein’s tweets? Not me, I’m not surprised since this is exactly what I expected to happen. It is now proven that we have double standards [in Finlan] and people who come from racist countries can rage in peace. This means that in the future the Perussuomalaiset [party] should take an even tougher stand on immigration. It’s already been proven that Muslims that come here have difficulties to adapt to their new homeland. I am still of the opinion that if one is not happy with things here, they should think of moving somewhere else. We should surely take note of the [Vietnamese] boat people who came to Finland forty years ago. They are diligent and respect others. We are thus contentedly r..cists since this has happened.[1] The next thing we should do is investigate the enormous aid Somali associations received. It is good to continue from here.”
The police should investigate the matter and determine whether Tapiolinna is guilty.
* 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.
[1] This sentence is unclear to translate. I asked Tapiolinna to explain what she meant but she has not responded.
So here is the story… Two years ago I applied to the Migration Office for a residence permit under the base of entrepreneurship (toiminimi). Later on that same 2017, I received a full-time working grant from Koneen Säätiö – Kone Foundation for my literature project Mutanttikieltä. I informed Migri about it arguing that my situation changed because the grant demanded for me a full-time commitment: silence…
Last August, a year ago, I received a letter from Migri (The Finnish Immigration Service) with an appointment at the airport-terminal 2, a rare thing but possible considering that I used to live in Vantaa. ‘Ok, good! I’m going to pick up my residence permit’ I thought. How naive. Once there, the conversation went like this: – Spanish, right? – (Me) Yes, but I can handle it in English. – No, no, we are gonna call an interpreter. So then I got suspicious and decided to record the whole interview (which I used partly on my performance at Kiasma, lol). Once inside the office, they connected a telephone to the speakers with a Spanish-accent translator on the other side of the line. The statements in a nutshell were: 1. You applied as an entrepreneur. 2. But what you really want is to live from the stipend (Kone’s grant). 3. Anyhow, we consider that the country has enough ‘graphic designers’ (the area of my company at that time), therefore we consider it won’t be profitable. 4. So we ask you to leave Finland back to Mexico. It was a surprise for me and for the person informing the decision. When they asked me for my opinion I said that I didn’t agree considering that I’ve been working professionally since 2013, that I had a full-time job here, and that my work had cultural value towards the country (even opening spaces for Finnish and non-Finnish authors, artists and emergent talents from the youth). Anyhow when I asked for their suggestions considering that they are the legal entity who knows about this cases they said: get a lawyer. So I did, and the attorney told me that we were not going to win the case and that this process resets/erases my time living in Finland, he also said – let’s appeal to avoid deportation and meanwhile you can apply to a residence permit that is suitable to your status. (By the way, in situations like this you have to pay first to the lawyer, then to the judge for making the appealing process and later for the new residence permit application. So a well-spent grant-salary I might say, isn’t it?) Then time passed by, it’s 2019, the process has denied me the possibility of traveling outside the country and I have made already (based on different sources of counselling) my new application under the status of ‘Professional Artist’; an abstract and discriminatory kind of visa where being a restaurant musician is not worthy enough to be considered professional. Anyhow, I covered all the criteria: To live professionally of your work (Kone and my own company) and Being a member of an artists’ association (as a board member at Suomen Pen Finnish Pen and Globe Art Point. in my case). Before summer holidays Migri wrote to me asking for more supplementary documents regarding my other sources of income. PEN and GAP made wonderful letters in Finnish on my support which I provided to Migri among all the invoices sent throughout my company (now ‘Manuke. Lit, Media Art & Design’): clicked and sent. Some days ago I received a message from Migri (deadline on August 16th) with another supplementary request which says: [ – According to the documents you have provided, your grant with Koneen Säätiö was finished in June 2019. From what kind of work do you receive your main source of income now? Please note, that if your main source of income comes from the work that you do through your own business, you should apply for entrepreneur’s residence permit. ] An ‘Entrepreneur’s Residence Permit’, the same one that they rejected from me already. On top of that, this time they are politely suggesting me to make the ‘correct’ residence permit application (which they did not when I provided Kone’s grant decision two years ago), furthermore they waited ’til my grant got finish to make this repetitive request, and third… why do the work made within my company is not considered artistic professional work? So, voidaan mennä varjoon! I mean, the ones who know me may have noticed that I am not a person that complains that much. I have found a home in Finland with the support of so many friends, colleagues and beloved ones; I wouldn’t be pushing forward otherwise. I am generally quite positive, grateful and ambitious, but also critical and generally consistent. These two years have been mentally exhausting, it has made me feel demotivated, ashamed, depressed, self-destructive, a bit bitter, more difficult to be contacted affecting all the areas of my work… And it’s just sad, like feeling punished. This is an issue that happens in even worst proportion to other people here, asylum seekers for instance. And a constant subject remains on the lack of proper information, a matter of basic accessibility. So with real respect to all of them, I kindly ask you for advice, because I have uncertainty and the only thing that I have done in this summer has been holding to my literature (poetry/life) and to my work, the ultimate beauty saloon that makes all these narratives enjoyable. Here is my portfolio and, as always, thanks for watching Last August, a year ago, I received a letter from Migri with an appointment at the airport-terminal 2, a rare thing but possible considering that I used to live in Vantaa. ‘Ok, good! I’m going to pick up my residence permit’ I thought. How naive. Once there, the conversation went like this: – Spanish, right? – (Me) Yes, but I can handle it in English. – No, no, we are gonna call an interpreter. So then I got suspicious and decided to record the whole interview (which I used partly on my performance at Kiasma, lol). Once inside the office, they connected a telephone to the speakers with a Spanish-accent translator on the other side of the line. The statements in a nutshell were: 1. You applied as an entrepreneur. 2. But what you really want is to live from the stipend (Kone’s grant). 3. Anyhow, we consider that the country has enough ‘graphic designers’ (the area of my company at that time), therefore we consider it won’t be profitable. 4. So we ask you to leave Finland back to Mexico. It was a surprise for me and for the person informing the decision. When they asked me for my opinion I said that I didn’t agree considering that I’ve been working professionally since 2013, that I had a full-time job here, and that my work had cultural value towards the country (even opening spaces for Finnish and non-Finnish authors, artists and emergent talents from the youth). Anyhow when I asked for their suggestions considering that they are the legal entity who knows about this cases they said: get a lawyer. So I did, and the attorney told me that we were not going to win the case and that this process resets/erases my time living in Finland, he also said – Let’s appeal to avoid deportation and meanwhile you can apply to a residence permit that is suitable to your status. (By the way, in situations like this you have to pay first to the lawyer, then to the judge for making the appealing process and later for the new residence permit application. So a well-spent grant-salary I might say, isn’t it?) Then time passed by, it’s 2019, the process has denied me the possibility of traveling outside the country and I have made already (based on different sources of counselling) my new application under the status of ‘Professional Artist’; an abstract and discriminatory kind of visa where being a restaurant musician is not worthy enough to be considered professional. Anyhow, I covered all the criteria: To live professionally of your work (Kone and my own company) and Being a member of an artists’ association (as a board member at Suomen Pen Finnish Pen and Globe Art Point. in my case). Before summer holidays Migri wrote to me asking for more supplementary documents regarding my other sources of income.
PEN and GAP made wonderful letters in Finnish on my support which I provided to Migri among all the invoices sent throughout my company (now ‘Manuke. Lit, Media Art & Design’): clicked and sent. Some days ago I received a message from Migri (deadline on August 16th) with another supplementary request which says: [ – According to the documents you have provided, your grant with Koneen Säätiö was finished in June 2019. From what kind of work do you receive your main source of income now? Please note, that if your main source of income comes from the work that you do through your own business, you should apply for entrepreneur’s residence permit. ] An ‘Entrepreneur’s Residence Permit’, the same one that they rejected from me already. On top of that, this time they are politely suggesting me to make the ‘correct’ residence permit application (which they did not when I provided Kone’s grant decision two years ago), furthermore they waited ’til my grant got finish to make this repetitive request, and third… why do the work made within my company is not considered artistic professional work? So, voidaan mennä varjoon! I mean, the ones who know me may have noticed that I am not a person that complains that much. I have found a home in Finland with the support of so many friends, colleagues and beloved ones; I wouldn’t be pushing forward otherwise. I am generally quite positive, grateful and ambitious, but also critical and generally consistent. These two years have been mentally exhausting, it has made me feel demotivated, ashamed, depressed, self-destructive, a bit bitter, more difficult to be contacted affecting all the areas of my work… And it’s just sad, like feeling punished. This is an issue that happens in even worst proportion to other people here, asylum seekers for instance. And a constant subject remains on the lack of proper information, a matter of basic accessibility. So with real respect to all of them, I kindly ask you for advice, because I have uncertainty and the only thing that I have done in this summer has been holding to my literature (poetry/life) and to my work, the ultimate beauty saloon that makes all these narratives enjoyable. Here is my portfolio and, as always, thanks for looking.
… [EXTRA NOTE] Dear friends, if you want to share this story please copy and paste the text (cmd C / cmd V) in your timeline and tag me if you want. I am a public figure in Mexico, so I prefer to keep this message within my contacts and the contacts that you decided to share it with. Kiitos ja paljon!”
The white supremacist terrorist that murdered 20 innocent people and wounded two dozen on Saturday in El Paso, Texas, published a manifesto declaring war on Hispanics.
He wrote: “Hispanics will take control of the local and state government of my beloved Texas, changing policy to better suit their needs. They will turn Texas into an instrument of a political coup which will hasten the destruction of our country.”
In 2015, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP and far-right Suomen Sisu head, Olli Immonen, declared war on multiculturalism. He did not mention Hispanics but meant Muslims and people of color:
Even if some 15,000 demonstrators repudiated what Immonen stated, the same hatred we saw spewed by Immonen is spread today by PS head Jussi Halla-aho and the party’s first vice president, Riikka Purra.
The Finnish media should ask these politicians some hard questions about the consequences of their hateful rhetoric.
* 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.
A local pizzeria’s delivery car was vandalized a week ago in a small town in Eastern Finland located near Kuopio. Is it a coincidence that the owner of the pizzeria isn’t a white Finn.
Just like Donald Trump’s racism has consequences for innocent victims in the most recent white supremacist attack in El Paso over the weekend, parties like the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are polarizing our society and emboldening racists.
The vandalized car. Source: Facebook.
* 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.
