Migrant Tales, Author at Migrant tales

The far-right PS 1984 logic: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Riikka Purra, the chairperson of the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, defended Jussi Halla-aho’s blog writings that are full of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-democratic worldviews. In one of Halla-aho’s writings, he hopes foreigners rape MPs like Eva Biaudet and Tarja Filatov.

The former PS chairperson’s blog writings were under scrutiny again after he was named chairperson of the foreign affairs committee. He also denied mentioning Eva Biaudet’s name in the infamous blog post.

It was disproven by Helsingin Sanomat and Halla-aho stuck by his lie, stating in the interview he would not apologize for what he wrote.

Imagine Purra, who holds a master’s degree and who is writing her doctoral dissertation and is one chosen offspring of the Finnish education system, can spread so much racism and hatred against people who never had the same opportunities as her.

Her logic went as far as to defend Halla-aho’s racist writings that are a good example of George Orwell’s famous quote in 1984: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,” and our own “racism is cultural understanding.”

Keep it up, Riikka Purra, don’t stop now. Kick out all the migrants and “let God sort ’em out.”

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Migrant Tales

There are a lot of baffled faces at the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. “Did you see our regional election result?!” one asks while the other states: “A Yle poll saw us nosedive by 3.3 percentage points to 15%. and now Helsingin Sanomat reinforces the latter.”

In our opinion, the PS is a far-right party that beats mainly the anti-immigration drum. The party is so obsessed with anti-immigration themes that it lost, a long time ago, its good sense if it ever had any.

Its good showing in the 2011, 2015, and 2019 parliamentary elections hinges on its anti-immigration theme. Before 2011, Finland was being intoxicated with racism from politicians like Jussi Halla-aho, the 2015 election was helped by a sexual assault case in Helsinki, and in 2019 by the overblown sexual assault cases of Oulu.

All of the PS 39 MPs elected in 2019 had an anti-immigration platform.

So what gives? Why are the PS facing a crisis in the polls?

Contrary to the past, politicians are more outspoken and openly question the PS racist and far-right ideology. Voters are also getting tired of hearing, like a broken and scratched record, the same anti-immigration theme over and over again.

Moreover, the PS has lurched further into the far-right thanks to Halla-aho and its new chairperson, Riikka Purra, who parrots what the former chairperson says.

If this type of strategy by the PS does not work and forces the party to suffer election losses, I hope that they continue spreading the same hateful rhetoric until they are blue in the face. More of Halla-aho, Purra, Mauri “Perkele” Peltokangas, Jani Mäkelä and a long list of others.

Keep up the “good” work, PS!

Kick out all the migrants, “let God sort ’em out.”

Convicted PS MP of ethnic agitation voted to chair parliament’s foreign affairs committee

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Migrant Tales

THE STORY WAS UPDATED

The new chairperson of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Jussi Halla-aho, did not get such a warm reception. In a highly unprecedented move by the committee members, 11 voted in a secret ballot in favor of Halla-aho while six abstained.

Halla-aho took over the committee’s chair Mika Niikko, its former chairperson, resigned in disgrace after suggesting that some Western leader should assure Russia that Ukraine will not seek Nato membership.

Even if the PS wouldn’t care less, too many in Finland have not forgotten who Halla-aho is and that he was convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion. The former PS chairperson’s writings in the 2000s are full of racist Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia, or for suggesting that three women politicians be raped by foreigners.

Halla-aho has not apologized or regretted his past writings.

Below are some of his recent tweets:

Halla-aho tweets (left) that we’d have “no reason to masturbate” if there were no news about migration and asylum seekers. On the right, he states: “Trump is the best thing that happened in a long time to the United States and the Western world.” Source: Twitter

Considering that people like Halla-aho could build a political future by spreading racism, those very things he said have come back to haunt and bite him.

He might get a lot of votes, but he would never become prime minister, never mind president.

Thanks to Halla-aho, the PS has become even more racist and openly flirted with neo-Nazi and far-right groups.

Should we be surprised that six MPs abstained on Halla-aho’s appointment to chair the foreign affairs committee?

Not at all.

His racist writings and opinions will follow him till the end of his days.

If Finland believes in its laws, it must give residence permits to undocumented migrants

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Migrant Tales

The ministry of interior published on Thursday its recommendations on what to do with some 3,000 undocumented migrants who came to Finland in 2015-2016. Of this group, about 300 are children living in legal limbo thanks to a 2016 law that abolished granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds.

The number of undocumented migrants rose from a few hundred to a few thousand thanks to the 2016 law.

Before the passing of the law during Prime Minister Juho Sipilä’s government, asylum seekers who could not be sent to their country because of human rights violations were given temporary residence permits.

Racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination, and misogyny are a blow to Finnish police trust

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Migrant Tales

London Mayor Sadiq Khan took a proactive approach to discrimination in the Metropolitan Police. We need the same in Finland to deal with a problematic issue in the Finnish police force.

“Last week I made it clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Cressida Dick) the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to rebuild the trust and confidence of Londoners in the Met and to root out the racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination, and misogyny that still exists. I am not satisfied with the commissioner’s report on being informed of this. Cressida Dick has offered her resignation of which I have accepted.”
“It’s clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police. “

Wise words by Mayor Khan.

Why don’t we hear the same from our politicians?

It is clear that the same issues that stain and undermine confidence in the Metropolitan Police also are a blow to confidence in Finland, especially among migrants and minorities.

We have read too many stories in Finland about racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination, and misogyny in the Finnish police.

The latest one was how little the police do to tackle human trafficking.

One explanation of disinterest could be resources, but another one would be racism. The vast majority of human trafficking victims are migrants.

Despite those police officials who stain the police service, many dedicated police officials do their job without the toxic baggage of racism.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Sweden is a great country thanks to immigrants

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Migrant Tales

“It always amazes me to hear Finland’s most xenophobic politicians from the Perussuomalaiset* and National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) pointing the accusing finger at Sweden about how the country has failed because of immigration. Sweden has a more dynamic and competitive economy than Finland’s because of migrants. If there are problems in Sweden, the state is one big culprit. Don’t just blame migrants. That’s cheap populism.”

Jussi Halla-aho, who wanted the Greek army to crush protestors ten years ago, is expected to replace Mika Niikko

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Migrant Tales

According to Helsingin Sanomat, former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-ago is expected to replace Mika Nikko, the chairperson of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, according to Helsingin Sanomat. Niikko resigned Tuesday evening after he suggested in a tweet that the West should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will not join Nato.

While Niikko is a loose canon, Halla-aho isn’t any better. He wrote in 2011, on Facebook that Greece should have a military junta to crush protests. He was temporarily banned from the party’s parliamentary group for the comment.

No media in Finland has mentioned how inappropriate Halla-aho would be as chairperson of the foreign affairs committee for suggesting, among other matters, a military coup in Greece.

In 2011, he was temporarily banned from the party’s parliamentary group after he wrote on Facebook that the military junta could best solve the crisis in Greece by crushing protestors.

PS chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee resigns after “careless” Ukraine tweet

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP and head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Mika Nikko, resigned today after he tweeted that come Western leader should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine must not join Nato.

The tweet, which was in conflict with Finland’s foreign policy, was deleted. Even so, it had created quite a stir and it was in the evening when Niikko announced that he’d resign as chair of the foreign affairs committee.

Surprised?

Not at all. Nikko, who has made a name for himself from his homophobic and Islamophobic stances, was never cut for the job. There is speculation that former PS leader Jussi Halla-aho named him as a joke to the foreign affairs committee chair.

Apart from his close relations with China that pay his visits, Nikko recently created headlines when he contracted Corona and used parasiticides as medication.

However, today’s inappropriate Nato tweet was the stick that broke the camel’s back and reinforces that he is a loose canon.

**The Chinese government has paid a number of trips to the country raising a number of conflict of interest questions. Sources: Iltalehti and Suomen Kuvalehti**

The PS will decide on Thursday who will replace Nikko. Some possible candidates are PS chairperson Riikka Purra, MP Sakari Puisto, and Halla-aho.

Migrant Tales Literary: Argentinean dirty war odyssey

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Leo Honka

Cemetery silence
emerging
from the ashes of death
next to gagged cobblestone streets
and I should be asleep
but I just can’t.

The keys of my typewriter
glowing red-hot
are razor-sharp
to the tuouch.
The night is at a standstill, now
searchlights are combing the state of siege
a few high-pitched sirens screaming
in the distance.
And I should be asleep
But I just can’t.

Strong bangs at my door
easily cornered
but not deterred:
What’s the big idea?
It’s the fight against terrorism!
Proceed!
Disappearing, without a trace
not even a timid objection
…only a few high-pitched sirens
screaming in the distance.
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1977

Seinäjoki police wrapping up their suspected hate crime investigation. Charges are expected this month.

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Migrant Tales

The Seinäjoki police, which had taken over a year and eight months to investigate a crime when Fares Al-Obaidi was attacked by over ten people from the Western Finnish town of Teuva, plans to bring charges this month, according to the victim. The incident happened on June 6, 2020 when over ten suspected townspeople from the Western Finnish town of Teuva physically attacked Al-Obaidi. His car was later vandalized.

Al-Obaidi was questioned by the police earlier last month, and one of the surprising matters that turned up was that the suspects, who attacked the young Iraqi, allege that they were provoked and attacked.

“I denied this to the police,” he explained. “I made it clear [to the investigating police officer, Aki Perämäki] that it was the townspeople of Teuva who started the incident [and attacked me].”

Al-Obaidi added that the police are accusing him of petty assault.

“My lawyer said at the questioning that even if they find you guilty of petty assault, it is not serious and you did so because you were defending yourself from the attackers,” he said.

One of the matters to watch closely, in this case, is if the Seinäjoki police will charge the suspects with a hate crime. The police said previously that what happened could well be a hate crime.

**Not only was Fares Al-Obaidiattacked by over 10 people in Teuvaa on June 3, 2020, but his car was also vandalized as well. Source: Facebook**