Every society has its racists but the question is where we draw the line. For a country like Finland, the problem of drawing a clear line hinges on that there are so few immigrant and ethnic groups that moved to this country from the second half of last century.
Author: Migrant Tales
MTV3: Being critical of immigration isn’t synonymous with being racist
I just saw an interesting article published in MTV3 on anti-immigrant pressure group Homma ry chairman, Matias Turkkila, who wants to tell us that being critical of immigration isn’t synonymous with being a racist. “(Death) threats are a sad path that one should not take,” he said. “I am against such actions, but I understand in some cases the frustration of those people that make such threats.”
PÄÄKIRJOITUS: Maahanmuuttajat, suomalaiset ja muutos
Niin sanotut ”maahanmuuttokriittisten” ryhmien strategiat voivat epäonnistua pahasti jos he uskovat, että keskustelemalla vain avoimesti aiheesta ”kansa yhdistyisi” ja heidän kielteiset näkemyksensä maahanmuuttajista ja pakolaisista muuttuisivat. Eräs suuri virhe, jonka maahanmuuttajavastaiset ryhmät tekevät on, että he uskovat etteivät kulttuurit koskaan muuttuu, ja siksi maahanmuuttajat eivät voisi sopeutua Suomeen.
EDITORIAL: Immigrants, Finns and change
So-called “immigrant-critical” groups may see their plans backfire badly if they believe that by debating openly immigration is all it takes to strengthen their negative stand against immigration and refugees. One of the biggest flaws these groups use is that that they believe that since cultures are so different, they can therefore never adapt to Finland.
(Another) disturbing Keskisuomalainen editorial
Jyväskylä-based Keskisuomalainen, which appears hellbent on enlightening us on how Finland should relate to other cultures, now dedicates an entire editorial based on two cases of circumcision practiced on children by their parents.While such operations should be only carried out by trained medical staff, it is surprising how forcibly Keskisuomalainen condemns such an act.
PÄÄKIRJOITUS: Kuinka suuri on tietämättömyys maahanmuutajista?
Jotkut väittävät, että pitäisi antaa anteeksi niille suomalaisille, jotka ovat esittäneet ihmeellisiä kannanottoja maahanmuuttajista ja pakolaisista, koska se johtuu heidän tietämättömyydestään asiaan. Jos on vakavia puutteita kotouttamisohjelmassa, niin siinäkin voidaan syyttää tietämyksen puuttumista.
EDITORIAL: Are Finns ignorant about immigration?
Some claim that one should forgive some Finns for their outrageous statements on immigrants and refugees since they are fuelled by ignorance. If there are serious shortcomings in our immigration and integration policy it can be blamed on our lack of experience.
Employment of immigrants in Sweden
Here is a neat article in Zuzeeko’s blog about employment of immigrants in Sweden. According to the article, 41% of the cleaners in Sweden are immigrants.
A-Talk: What is wrong with the Social Democrats?
At least for me, the debate on immigration on A-Talk on Thursday was a disappointment. The only sensible persons on the show were Anni Sinnemäki of the Greens and Jyrki Katainen of Kokoomus. The two opposition leaders, Jutta Urpilainen of the Social Democrats (SDP) and Timo Soini of the True Finns were a disappointment filling the airways with hollow catchwords that reeked of populism, protectionism and heavy doses of obnoxious nationalism.
Keskisuomalainen’s incredulous editorial on immigration
Here is a good example of an editorial in Jyäskylä-based Keskisuomalainen that shows how little the top editors of the newspaper understand immigration. If the editorial were written in the Washington Post, Financial Times or El País of Madrid, the editor would probably get the boot for making negligent statements and for practising lazy opinionated journalism.