The leadership of Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Finance Minister Alexsander Stubb of the National Coalition Party never mind Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Foreign Minister Timo Soini is disgraceful and will go down as one of the low points in Finland’s history.
The language and stand of the government against ever-rising xenophobia in Finland vacillates from sensible to surreal statements.
A good example of the latter was Thursday, when Prime Minister Sipilä said in parliament that people should not immediately label people racists.
“When debating we should be sensible and calm so we don’t label these people racists that express their own concerns,” he said. “In my opinion, we have to hear what they want to say as well.”
Stubb took a more surreal approach after agreeing with what Sipilä said. “We have to be tolerant in every direction,” he said. “In this country we don’t approve of racism or hate speech…”
Said Prime Minister Juha Sipilä in parliament Thursday: (Top sentence) “When debating we should be sensible and calm so we don’t label these people racists that express their own concerns. In my opinion, we have to hear what they want to say as well.” (Middle sentence) A man is protesting at a refugee center in Lahti dressed as a Ku Klux Klan clansman. (Lower sentence) “Can we now call this person a racist, Juha Sipilä?”
One of the problems when following the government’s record on refugee and migration policy is how wishy-washy they are. They say one thing but then erase it with another statement. Back to square one.
In my opinion, the most outrageous statement made Thursday was by Minister of Social Welfare and Health Hanna Mäntylä, who responded to Swedish People’s Party MP Eva Biaudet’s concern about ever-growing xenophobia in Finland.
Mäntylä is one of the closest supporters of PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation.
Continue reading “The Finnish government’s wishy-washy and surreal stand on racism”
