Author: Migrant Tales

Why is the Perussuomalaiset party riling mad at the Finnish media?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

You know that there is something wrong whenever a group, never mind a major political party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS), start accusing the media for their problems. This is exactly what Matti Putkonen and MP Jussi Halla-aho did Wednesday on  YLE, when they blamed the media for treating the PS unfairly compared with other parties.

This view was contested by Risto Uimonen, chairman of the Council for Mass Media in Finland and a guest on the show. He said that since the election, when the PS became the third-largest party in Finland, it’s only natural that it has come under greater media scrutiny.

Even though Putkonen, who was convicted of rape in the early 1990s, vows to restore the PS’ good name in the media, it’s pretty clear that any such attempt will end up in failure before it leaves the drawing board.

If we look closely at what Putkonen and Halla-aho said, it’s clear that the party is pretty much in the dark about the watchdog role of the media.  Statements by them and PS MP James Hirvisaari, who has called the media “bloodthirsty hyenas,”  should instead sound alarm bells.

I am certain that if these PS politicians had their way, they’d be the first to curtail press freedom in order that the media would write what they wanted. Putkonen said in a letter to journalists that the media should “serve the fatherland when writing the news.”

Does “serving the fatherland” mean distorting the news and self-censorship when reporting on the PS?

If the PS were fair and had a drop of self-criticism, they’d understand that much of the so-called negative coverage of the party is self-inflicted. Have they forgotten PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, sacked PS councilman Tommi Rautio, Ulla Pyysalo, Helena Eronen, Freddy Van Wonterghem and a long, long list of others?

Sad but true. Every month, sometimes every week, we are questionably entertained by some scandal that hits the front pages of the tabloids.

The ignorance and contempt that some PS members have for the media and for freedom of expression in Finland can be seen as well how the party addresses other issue like immigration and cultural diversity.

In their amateurishness and populist anti-democratic wishful thinking, they seek to rewrite history and move the goalposts of  society to fit their intolerant world.

The media is the best insurance that such a thing will never happen.

 

Update: Older woman assaulted at Myllypuro metro station in Helsinki

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Thanks to a tip off, Migrant Tales correctly reported that the  older woman who was attacked and beaten, allegedly by a group of white Finns, at Myllypuro metro station in Helsinki on Wednesday was a Somali. The woman suffered injuries to the face and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

These types of attacks, now apparently made by young men on older women, are an indication of the violence that some immigrants suffer in Finland.

Migrant Tales earlier reported three deaths of Muslims over a span of about three weeks. A Perussuomalaiset (PS) councilman, Tommi Rautio, boasted on Facebook that he would decorate the white Finnish male who killed the third victim and seriously wounded another before taking his own life in a pizzeria in Oulu.

Migrant Tales believes that attacks of the kind seen in Helsinki are the tip of the iceberg, even though the police reported that hate crimes had fallen by 15% in 2010 compared with the previous year.

The low number of reported hate crimes could be interpreted as a vote of little to no confidence in the police from certain immigrant groups.

Migrant Tales moves to http://migranttales.net on May 17

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Migrant Tales

I almost fell off my seat when I saw this message on my screen on March 29. The first thought that raced through my mind was that five years of hard work had come to an end. To ensure that nothing similar ever happens to Migrant Tales again, we will be moving to another domain (http://migranttales.net/) during May 15-19.

We  have seen unprecedented growth in traffic this year thanks to our readers. Our aim is a very simple one:  “…to be a voice for those whose views and situation are understood poorly and heard faintly by the media, politicians and public.”

Thank you for your support!

Migrant Tales’ was deactivated for about 13 hours on March 29-30. Some of our enemies were prematurely dancing and celebrating over our grave. To their surprise we were back the following day.

PS anti-immigration wing: “a new [Cadillac] model every year”

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Helena Eronen, the parliamentary aide who suggested armbands for foreigners, is what Malcolm X once said about racism and Cadillacs:  “They make a new model every year.”* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party’s far-right anti-immigration wing led by MP Jussi Halla-aho have a new model: Helena Eronen.

Hirvisaari was fined in December for hate speech, which explains why he chose Eronen as his aide to write and be his ideological alter ego.

Taking into account the outright rejection by the media especially after the election of the Counter-Jihadist writings of Halla-aho, Olli Immonen and Juho Eerola, it’s pretty clear that this group needs a fresh new face, and a new writing style to get across the same anti-immigration message. That person is none other than Eronen.

Even if Eronen claims no political affiliation, she used to advertise her affiliation to the far-right Muutos2011 on her Uusi Suomi blog. Many of her blog entries confirm her anti-immigration views, such as the last one published in Uusi Suomi and headlined, “What on Earth would you do about exotic- [skin-] colored rapists.”

Hirvisaari shines through in the text, and Eronen also mentions MP Olli Immonen, who inquired in Parliament about rapes committed by immigrants.

Eronen fails to share one absolute figure with the reader about how many rape cases have occurred. This is for obvious reasons, because we are talking about tens of cases and not discussing the white Finnish males who commit the lion’s share of rapes in Finland.

At the end of her blog entry she warns that two dailies, Turun Sanomat and Karjalainen of Joensuu, may not quote the text unless they want to pay a 100,000-euro fine. This shows how little Eronen understands and her utter ignorance of the media. It’s a pretty ludicrous warning: how can you write a public blog and forbid someone from quoting you?

We mustn’t forget that PS MPs Hirvisaari, Halla-aho and Immonen – and Eerola herself – are all social media creations.

Noting how much their racist writings and victimization of certain immigrant groups brought them money and a ticket to Parliament, it’s clear that they will not abandon social media as a platform for getting their anti-immigration message across to their followers.

*Thank you Sasu Xinkang Ölander.

Older woman assaulted at Myllypuro metro station in Helsinki

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

An older woman was attacked on Wednesday at Helsinki’s Myllypuro metro station, according to Metro’s April 26th edition.While the story does not state the ethnic background of the woman, Migrant Tales understands that the victim may be a Somali.

The woman, who suffered injuries to the face, was taken to hospital by ambulance.

The attacker, believed to be a young male, is still at large.

The police are expecting to determine the man’s identity by today.

Anti-immigration sentiment in Finland hinges in great part on the PS

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

The atmosphere for some immigrants in Finland has been an ever-worsening slippery slope. First the historic victory of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party last year and then the near-constant racist gaffes and foot-in-the-mouth shows.  

If you want to know what the PS stands on certain issues you have to watch for the but… in their sound bites. We are against racism but… We are against ethnic profiling but… We are for immigration but… We are for gender equality but…

It’s pretty clear that as long as an anti-immigration party like the PS remains the third-largest in parliament, matters will continue to worsen before they improve.

The PS are not only a threat to immigrants and visible minorities in this country, they are a tragedy for Finland. No matter from which angle at the situation, building a country on the populist ideology of the PS, which hinges on hatred, suspicion, racism and prejudice of other groups can never bring any type of prosperity to our country.

A story published by YLE Wednesday reinforced some disturbing news we already knew about immigrant youths. It states that immigrant youths have a five-time higher chance of being marginalized than Finnish- and Swedish-speakers.

It’s fair to say that the ongoing anti-immigration climate in Finland, thanks in part to the PS and to the economic situation, nothing far-reaching will be done to correct this situation.

The matter that causes youths and adults to be marginalized from society is a complex issue. Even so, the main culprit lies in between our ears.

Too many politicians, policy-makers, the public and even immigrants are content with the present untenable status quo. We agree on one matter and that is not to rock the boat.

It’s wishful thinking as well to believe that the integration and acceptance of immigrants and visible minorities in Finland will be easily solved by offering more Finnish-language course. It is a long process that will take generations and a lot of work from both sides. There are no easy fixes.

The role of mutual acceptance and respect are crucial if we aim to build a healthy and dynamic society in this century. At this moment there is too little of those important qualities.

The only way for Finland to shake off the present political nightmare and blow away those adverse anti-immigration winds blowing over our society is at the ballot box.

Fortunately time flies.

 

Aamulehti rape story: Minister Räsänen speaks out in favor of tougher sentences

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

The Aamulehti story that was published Wednesday, claiming incorrectly that 34% of all rapes are committed by foreigners, has Christian Democrat Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen now demanding in Iltalehti tougher rape sentences.  Nowhere in the Iltalehti story does Räsänen mention numbers. The only thing we can read in the story is that one third of all rapes are committed by foreigners.

The far-right anti-immigration wing of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is attempting to get political mileage from the story. Helena Eronen, the assistant to PS MP James Hirvisaari who created quite a stir when she suggested armbands for foreigners, wrote in her Uusi Suomi blog about the matter.

Nowhere in her blog entry does she mention volumes.

Earlier today Migrant Tales got in touch with Hannu Niemi at the Justice Ministry, who said that as a rule of thumb, around 50% of all rapes by foreigners in Finland are committed by tourists. The rest are committed by permanent residents.

Let’s look at the rape statistics. Over the period from 2006 to 2009 24% — not 34% as claimed by Aamulehti — of rape sentences were given to foreigners. Technically this means that 12% (around 62 out of a total of 262 total cases) of all sentenced rapes in Finland were committed by immigrants who live here.

Aamulehti calculated only one type of rape case in its story. If we use all three types, then they average to 24%.

What is even more revealing are the 2010 and 2011 figures, which show suspected rape cases totalling 141 (foreigners accounted for 27.5% of the total)  and 109 (26%), respectively. If the majority of these cases are dropped and around half of them concern immigrants, then we are speaking of a really small number that is not big enough to start victimizing whole groups.

An honest question: Is this a story? Is it such a big story that Interior Minister Räsänen must come out publicly and add more fuel to the fire of racism in this country or stir the storm in the teacup further?

Räsänen does throw a bone to the immigrant community by asking people not to label all foreigners as a result of the statistics: “But we should not underestimate the problem; the majority of foreigners are well-behaved.”

This story by Aamulehti is a a good example of how immigrants are victimized in Finland.

When I read stories like these it not only makes me feel ashamed of my Finnish background but of some of my colleagues who are sloppy and eager for attention.

Is Aamulehti’s claim of high rape convictions by foreigners in Finland correct?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Thirty-four percent of  convicted rape crimes committed during 2006-09 in Finland were by foreigners, according to Tampere-based Aamulehti. What is surprising, however, is that Aamulehti chose not to mention 2010 and 2011 suspected rape crimes, which totaled 141 (27.5% of all rape cases) and 109 (26%) in 2010 and 2011, respectively, according to Hannu Niemi of the Justice Ministry.

There are a lot of holes and question marks  about Toni Viljanmaa’s story. One of these is if it is a story at all. Or if the story should be that rape convictions have gone down sharply from 2006-09. There were a total of 261 convictions for rape during this three-year period.

If Viljanmaa claims that there were 34% convicted rapes during the period under review, he forgets to tell us that the actual number is 24% for all types of rapes.  If there were 141 and 109 suspected cases in 2010 and 2011 this suggests that convictions would be far less than the 34% claimed by Aamulehti.

Another big hole in Viljanmaa’s story is what types of “foreigners” is he referring to? The statistics he cites include permanent residents as well as tourists, according to Niemi.

Niemi told Migrant Tales that he had no idea why the Tampere daily published the news, which was picked up by Iltalehti. “You’d have to ask the paper [their motives for publishing these statistics],” he said. “This is public information. If a journalist asks us these types of statistics we are obliged to give it to him.”

While we are not playing down a crime like rape, what we should be asking is what does a story like this do to invite open and honest debate about a serious problem in our society and, most importantly, how to address it?

Apart from labeling and giving ammunition to anti-immigration groups to continue their victimization of certain immigrant groups, we should not forget another important legal point: A person is innocent until proven guilty.

On top of these distortions and editorializing by the reporter, he on top of this interviews an Iraqi resident and asks what he thinks about the situation.

This story is a good example of shoddy and lazy journalism.

Is the PS expecting a “catastrophic election result?”

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By Enrique Tessieri

The scandal ridden Perussuomalaiset (PS) is saving up for a rainy day if the party “suffers a catastrophic  election result,” said PS Foundation chairman, Raimo Vistbacka. YLE’s Ajankohtainen kakkonen revealed that the PS Foundation bought a 1.7-million-euro apartment in one of Helsinki’s most expensive neighborhoods for the party’s headquarters.

“The foundation supports as well district and local party boards,” said Vistbacka, “thus if we suffer a catastrophic election [result] we can continue to be active since the foundation has real estate.”

Another matter that raises questions is that many party members are in the dark about the whole deal and the role of the PS Foundation, which has a five-member board that can make decisions independently.

Taking into account the numerous scandals and polls that have marred the party, veteran PS MP Vistbacka comment raises an interesting question: Is the PS getting ready for a catastrophic election result?

PS chairman Timo Soini said recently that he aims to at least win 1,000 seats in the upcoming municipal election of October 28. The PS won 440 councilpersons in the 2008 municipal election.

At the present rate, such a goal suggested by Soini may be more wishful thinking than anything else.

The PS and the municipal election: Vicious campaign against immigrants and minorities

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

There are already clear signs that the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party has kicked off  its vicious campaign and instigated social-media lynch mobs against immigrants and minorities as the October 28 municipal election nears. The Eronen-Hirvisaari scandal as well as publishing the names of two minors found guilty of rape are some recent examples of  who the PS hopes to boost its depressing poll results.  

Teuvo Hakkarainen even declared war on prison inmates Monday by stating on Iltalehti that Finnish prisons are resorts where people can rest and eat good food.

Some may think that Hakkarainen’s shenanigans may be innocent small-town red-neck fun but there is more than what meets the eyes. The near-constant statements aimed at victimizing certain immigrant groups and minorities are a concerted campaign.

By attacking minors found guilty of rape and claiming that convicted criminals are on holiday in prison, Hakkarainen aims to boost his standings among voters.

Another sore thumb that sticks out is PS MP James Hirvisaari, who made his political career on hate speech and far-right anti-immigration rhetoric. Finland has created its share of social-media political Frankensteins.

In his latest blog entry on Uusi Suomi, Hirvisaari attacks immigrants in Finland by stating that this country was made for  Finns. Finland has no obligation to give social welfare to immigrants and especially refugees.

“Finland is no Red Cross. Finland is for the Finns,” he writes.

When you read blog entries and statements made by some PS MPs, don’t forget that very few things are left to chance in politics. The real motive behind ongoing efforts to victimize immigrants and minorities in Finland is nothing more than a vicious campaign boost the PS’ sagging popularity.