Author: Migrant Tales

Thousands gathered in Helsinki for an anti-racism demonstration demanding government action against racist politicians and ministers

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Yahya Rouissi

Photos: Enrique Tessieri

In a powerful display of unity and determination, around 11,000 people gathered at Töölönlahti in Helsinki on a Sunday afternoon for the “Me emme vaikene” (We won’t keep silent) anti-racism demonstration. Organized by impassioned activists, this event sent a clear message to the Finnish government: it’s time to take concrete actions against racism.

Photo by Enrique Tessieri

A peaceful march for change:

The demonstration began at Senatintori, in the heart of Helsinki, where thousands of demonstrators came together. They marched peacefully to the Töölönlahti event park. It was a visually striking display of solidarity. Both the Helsinki police and the event organizers commended the peaceful nature of the protest.

Demanding more than words:

One of the most powerful aspects of this demonstration was the demand for action over mere rhetoric. Participants urged the government not only to denounce racism but also to implement anti-racist policies. This call for tangible change underscores the importance of addressing systemic issues at the policy level.

Expressing disappointment with government’s communication:

The organizers of the event were vocal about their disappointment with the government’s communication on anti-racism. They believe that the government’s efforts have so far fallen short. This sentiment reflects a growing frustration with the lack of progress in addressing racism at the highest levels of Finnish governance.

Addressing racist statements:

High-level politicians have come under scrutiny for statements that are seen as normalizing racism as experienced in throughout this summer marked by several Perussuomaliset* statements and a closet full of skeletons. The organizers of the demonstration expressed deep concern about this issue. They believe that such statements contribute to the perpetuation of racist attitudes and behaviors.

Photo by Enrique Tessieri

Pressures on media and research:

The demonstration also drew attention to concerns regarding freedom of the press, journalism, and academic research. Organizers highlighted the alarming fact; that  some ministers (mainly from the Perussuomalaiset party) are exerting pressure or manipulation on these important pillars of society. This raises questions about the state of free expression and intellectual inquiry in Finland.

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White-cleaning racism and lies may land you a ministerial seat, Mari Rantanen, but it won’t boost your crediblity

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Can anyone really trust Mari Rantanen, the Interior Minister of Perussuoalaiset (PS)* of Finland? All it took to whitewash her far-right racist views was to take down such posts from her social media sites after the election and claim that she does not believe in conspiracy theories.

What a coward! She spreads all these far-right racist conspiracy theories and then does not have the guts to stand by them.

What does that show?

It reveals moral cowardice and bravado.

One of her many infamous quotes is: “We must not be so blue-eyed that soon we will not be blue-eyed.” “Blue-eyed in Finnish means naive.

She has also wished that asylum seekers drown in Greek waters, Europe will turn into an Africa, and that if steps are not taken to halt non-white migrants, Europe is threatened with civil war.

PS Interior Minister Mari Rantanen is proof that far-right racism rooted in conspiracy theories will take you far in politics. Source: X (formerly Twitter).

Looking at Minister Rantanen’s racist track record, it’s clear that she is bankrupt of all credibility. How can you trust a minister who is openly racist and too chicken to stand by her toxic views? How much of an opportunist is she, and how much harm has she inflicted on Finland? A generous amount, I believe.

Her loathing of Muslims and other minorities is clearly evident. Take for example the so-called youth gang “problem,” which is a direct copy from Sweden’s election and helped boost the Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots, to victory.

Continue reading “White-cleaning racism and lies may land you a ministerial seat, Mari Rantanen, but it won’t boost your crediblity”

The anti-racism statement has little to do with eradicating the social ill in Finland but all to do with saving the government’s skin

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One of the facts about the government’s anti-racism statement is that it has more to do with injecting trust in a government after it was hit by a string of racism and far-right scandals in the summer. At least for the time being, the statement succeeded at keeping the government from dissolving after the Swedish People’s Party gave it the thumbs up.

The statement also exposes the magic abilities and wishful thinking of the government: the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* isn’t a far-right party; politicians with problematic racist backgrounds are appointed ministers and with the wave of a wand, their racism instantly white-cleaned.

Read the full government anti-racism statement here.

While there was nothing new in the statement except for criminalizing Holocaust denial, Nazi and Communist flags, it was a rehashing of what the government is obliged to do to protect the rights of all people in Finland irrespective of their background.

The statement would have never been drafted if it weren’t for the scandals that the government underwent.

The statement highlights, however, the ongoing problem of racism in Finland: We acknowledge the social ill’s existence but are not willing to challenge it head on.

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Yahya Rouissi: Is the government serious about racism?

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“The government must unequivocally distance itself from racism,” emphasizes Anna-Maja Henriksson, Swedish People’s Party chairperson and minister of education. National Coalition Party Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, declares, “As a government, we maintain a policy of zero tolerance for racism.”

Upon hearing the above-mentioned statements, one should not be surprised why some are in a state of doubt and shock, especially when people are told that they should forget and forgive the racist statements of some MPs who were appointed as ministers in June.

For example, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Vilhelm Junnila resigned in disgrace after about 10 days as trade minister but was recently elected as the first vice chairperson of the PS parliamentary group.

Junnila’s successor, Wille Rydman, assumed the role of trade minister but faced a scandal due to his racist, anti-Semitic, and dehumanizing private messages, which were made public by Helsingin Sanomat. These messages also exposed Rydman’s disturbing Nazi views and ideologies. Surprisingly, the minister did not offer a public apology for the offensive messages.

The series of scandals involving the PS this summer prompts us to question whether these so-called self-proclaimed saviors of Finland understand the term “racism.” It’s important to note that Finland is bound by various international agreements aimed at addressing the social ill:

·      Finland has ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which places significant obligations on the government to dismantle racially discriminatory structures in society. Additionally, freedom from discrimination is enshrined in several UN treaties and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

·      The Durban Declaration and Program of Action, adopted in the World Conference against Racism in 2001, commit states to anti-racist efforts and addressing the consequences of colonialism.

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Länsi-Savo: Racism is a serious social ill

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An article in Mikkeli-based daily Länsi-Savo (10 August) interviewed three members of the Finns Party (PS) from the South Savo region who claimed that racism has no place in the party. If this is true, it is significant and welcome news.

In the face of the numerous racism scandals that have overshadowed the activities of the PS over the years and, at the latest, in July, the claim by the members of the party is fantastical. We believe that racism has historically been as important to the PS as the Swedish language is to the Swedish People’s Party.

But in the name of fairness, I (Tessieri) would like to thank the PS who, in the meetings of the Mikkeli City Council that I have attended, do not speak of immigrants in a demeaning way like their fellow MPs in parliament.

However, the PS is historically the first major contemporary Finnish party to have benefited from the polarization between different groups and to have attacked other ones, such as Muslims, Africans, and other non-EU nationals, as unequals.

Racism is a serious social illness in which groups of people are treated as inferior due to their ethnic origin, skin color, nationality, culture, or religion.

While the party may not necessarily recognize its immigration policy as racist, it is highly discriminatory. The changes proposed by the government, especially the PS, in the new policy promote inequality and make it more difficult for migrants to participate in our society as equals.

We also disagree with Jani Sension that this summer’s numerous racism scandals is something made up by the media.

If the racism scandals have highlighted an important point, it is the Finnish media’s important role in defending the rule of law and the fundamental rights of all people, regardless of background.

PS Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, who has also published racist and far-right posts and removed them from her social media sites, has said that the government’s immigration policy will undergo a paradigm shift.

We hope that in light of these racism scandals, the media will experience its own paradigm shift in its role as the nation’s watchdog and not leave a stone unturned in its important work.

Enrique Tessieri, Yahya Roussi

The authors are members of the board of Kansainvälinen Mikkeli, a registered association promoting diversity. Tessieri is also a deputy city councilperson of the Mikkeli City Council.

Read the original letter to the editor here.

Finland’s and Europe’s blind spot of racism

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After many years of writing about racism and discrimination in Migrant Tales, I am always disappointed by Finland’s and Europe’s blind spot of racism. A good example of the latter was a feature by Yle of far-right youths whose only contribution, in my opinion, in the story was their suspicion and loathing of migrants and minorities.

It is sad that the media continues not to see its blind spot of racism but perpetuates and spreads hatred and stereotypes about migrants.

Even if such a toxic narrative may bring you fame and power as a politician, even a ministerial position, it is a perilous path that can lead us to the slippery slope of the pyramid of hate.

The Holocaust and other genocides offer red-flag warnings.

Historian Stefan Lehnstaedt hit the nail on the head about our blind spot of racism through his analysis of the Holocaust.

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Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* In the face of rising far-right nationalism, Yle publishes (again) a story about youths who hate foreigners

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Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) published Saturday a story about two far-right youths belonging to the openly fascist and racist Blue-and-Black Movement (Sinimusta liike), and one to Suomen Sisu, which the authorities named in 2011 as “a Nazi-spirited association.” Thanks to the Yle article, the reader can read how much these so-called “radical nationalists” hate migrants.

Pyry-Lii Soinio is a twenty-two-year member of the Blue-and-Black Movement. He does not hide his loathing for outsiders. “I don’t think immigration should be restricted,” he said, “but [foreign] people should be deported altogether. I don’t care whether immigrants are good citizens or taxpayers. What matters to me is whether they are Finns.”

This is the third article that Yle has published on far-right members in the last three years. The first one was in 2019 by TV host Sean Ricks on far-right youths, followed by Suomineito in 2022.

Both stories received their fair share of criticism.

Yle defended its decision to air Suomineito.

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Unequal social welfare for forigners: The wettest dream of the Perussuomalaiset and National Coalition Party

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Plans to pay migrants less social welfare planned by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government are a wet dream that spans back to 2016, when then Social and Health Minister Hanna Mantylä aimed to pass legislation that would grant migrants less social welfare than native Finns. Fortunately, such a law did not see the light of day since it was unconstitutional.

The unconstitutionality of such a law rests on Section 6 of the Constitution: “Everyone is equal before the law. No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.”

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

Thus, if you are going to pay less social welfare to a group, the measure must apply to everyone in order for it to be constitutional.

Efforts to get foreigners to get less social welfare than native Finns, was brought up again in 2018 by Finland’s Nobel Prize in economics, Bengt Holmström. He said that white Finns must not share power and privileges with migrants and their children. In other words, they should get lower salaries and social security benefits so that it does not irritate Finns.

According to Statistics Finland’s Working Paper series published in 2014, Finland is no land of opportunity for migrants, according to Pekka Myrskylä. He claims that the employment level of Estonians and Thai citizens matches that of white Finns. The majority of migrants, however, live in poverty in Finland because they make less money, according to him.  

I have tweeted to Riikka Purra about her suggestion not to pay social welfare to foreigners. My question to her was: If social welfare is left to a minunum, does it mean that foreigners have to pay taxes?

Surprisngly, she did not respond to my tweet.

National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma is another politician who has been hellbent that migrants should be paid less social welfare.

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Suomen hyvinvointivaltio ja demokratia ovat vaarassa

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Perussuomalaiset on villi kortti, joka on valmis tuhoamaan Suomen hyvinvointivaltion ja demokratian. Hyökkäykset mediaa vastaan ovat tuttu strategia Donald Trumpin pelikirjasta.

Liikenne- ja viestintäministeri Lulu Ranne (ps) sanoi Helsingin Sanomissa tänään ”jotain rajaa” uutisointiin perussuomalaisista.

”Minä olen sitä mieltä, että tämä on mennyt aivan överiksi,” hän varoitti.

Kuvittele, että ministeri kertoo tiedotusvälineille, miten ne voivat tehdä työnsä. Mistä he saavat kirjoittaa.

Jos Suomi ei varo, PS ei miettisi kahdesti Kokoomuksen kanssa kansalaisoikeuksien ja demokratian heikentämistä.

Krooninen rasismi ja valheet sivuutetaan, mutta suurin niistä on Riikka Purran lupaus siitä, että pienituloiset eivät kärsisi leikkauksista.

Takinkäännös ennätys!

PS ei ainoastaan hyökkää tiedotusvälineitä vastaan vaan kieltäytyy puhumasta toimittajille. Tämä on vaarallinen strategia, ja sen pitäisi olla punainen vaate.

Purra ei ole vielä antanut medialle haastattelua rasistisista kirjoituksistaan huolimatta Helsingin Sanomien kaltaisten tahojen vivahteikkaista pyynnöistä.