The Iraqi family with two children aged 6 and 5 will meet in Tampere with a representative of the Red Cross at noon. The family was evicted from the Red Cross-managed Kemi asylum reception center after the Finnish Immigration Service said their asylum process was over and had to leave the country.
The father said that he was worried if his family would get the same treatment as in Kemi.
The city of Kemi turned its back on the family by granting only 10 days of room and board in two 5-day installments.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Asylum seekers (from left to right): the father, son, daughter, and wife.
Isabela Mihalache, who is an expert on the Roma in Europe and who works at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Europe’s largest anti-racism NGO, speaks to Migrant Tales editor Enrique Tessieri about the situation of the Romany minority in Europe.
The ongoing debate in Finland if the so-called Isis wives and their children, who are Finnish citizens, should be given assistance and allowed to return to the country is another example of the former government’s lofty disdain of Muslims, human rights, and the rule of law.
It is shameful that a country like Finland, which stands by its laws and institutions, would put obstacles by prohibiting its own citizens and their children from returning to the country.
“Finnish citizens shall not be prevented from entering Finland or deported or extradited or transferred from Finland to another country against their will.”
The reason some ministers of former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government (2015-2019) have difficulty grasping Section 9 of the Constitution, is that politics and their prejudices against Muslims get in the way of their good judgement.
Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) tweets: “Finland should not help Isis wives to return. I have no sympathy for them, who left Finland voluntarily to serve in a terrorist organization. The situation of the children is different and should be looked at on a case-by-case bais.”
Sakari Timonen, one of Finland’s most popular bloggers, would put it in the following words: First take away one group’s rights and eventually it will be your group’s turn later.
Orpo is the same politician who was interior minister responsible for tightening immigration policy against asylum seekers, who were mainly Muslims.
He belonged to the same government that wanted to water down civil and human rights even of Finnish citizens. Orpo has led Kokoomus in becoming, after the populist Perussuomalaiset*, the most anti-immigration party in Finland.
We should not be discussing whether a Finnish citizen has the right to assistance and if he or she can return to the country. If a person committed crimes while in Isis, that person should face justice. In our country, everyone is innocent before proven guilty by a court of his/her peers.
Comments by ministers of the former government sound like lynch-mob leaders that want to score the maximum amount of political points.
After over twenty years working as a journalist and foreign correspondent in countries like Finland, Spain, Italy, Argentina, and Colombia, it becomes routine to spot fishy stories that are fake.
Fake news can encompass a lot of things. One area where it appears a lot is in stories about asylum seekers, migrants, especially people of color, and other minorities.
In 2016, Migrant Tales published throughout 2015 a list of stories that were biased and racist. In my opinion, the one below is one of the worst examples of Finnish journalism. There are, unfortunately, many more.
The above story appeared in September 2018 on state-run Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle).Yle changed the picture of the story shortly after it was published. The story was a poll about different parties’ views on migration and migrants. There are no “niqab” or Muslim parties in Finland. The Muslim woman in the picture does not represent a party. Source: Yle.
Migrant Tales offers an easy guide to spot these types of stories. Below, is a “classic” trick used by populist anti-immigration politicians over and over again. When they get away with it, you can hear them laughing all the way to the bank.
Case #1
A politician makes an outrageous claim to a journalist, who doesn’t even bother to question its veracity. Eventually, the journalist may do some investigating and find out that he or she was fed malarkey. By then it’s too late because the story is already out there.
One example of the latter is when National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma got a lot of media attention five years ago by claiming that welfare is obligedto buy new baby carriages to Somali mothers (sic!) while Finnish women were more “ecologically conscious” because they didn’t mind using used babby carriages.
Migrant Tales’ racist and biased news test
If you answer YES to any two, the chances are that you are reading a racist and biased story. If you answer YES to three or more, you are reading a racist and prejudiced news. If you answer NOT SURE three or more times ask a knowledgable person what he or she thinks about the story.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Migrant Tales understands that an Iraqi couple with two children who were forced to leave the asylum reception center and granted a five-day stay at a hotel is without money and will be homeless by Tuesday. The man, 29, who came to Finland in 2015, has a wife, 31, and boy and girl aged 6 and 5, respectively.
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) and the police have asked him to leave the country after getting nine rejections for asylum.
“I am worried because I don’t know where my children are going to sleep [after tomorrow] and where I am going to get them food,” he said. “I would go to Helsinki but I don’t have any money for the bus fare.”
According to the man, the Red Cross asked him to leave the reception center with his family and paid five days boarding at a Kemi hotel. The last time he received an allowance from the state was in May, according to him.
“I am very worried,” he concluded. “I don’t know what to do and what will happen to us.”
Ever wonder why there is an obsessive interest by the Finnish media of Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho? Most of his views are centered on anti-immigration rhetoric and white supremacy (fear of becoming a minority) as well as conservative views on topics like economic policy and the environment.
The media’s interest in Halla-aho is one reason why he got the most votes (30,527) than any other politician in the parliamentary elections. His campaign budget was only 308 euros.
In Finland, the media played a critical role in the rise of the PS and politicians like Halla-aho. It’s clear that whenever the media writes about such parties and its leaders, it is because such stories sell well to their readers. Another culprit is the near-silence – and incompetence – of most of Finland’s political class to challenge the far-right threat.
In short, Finland lacks politicians with a vision to defend our institutions and reinforce the rule of law, which are under threat today thanks to parties like the PS.
Social activist Joacine Moreira of Portugal was asked Friday if she feared the rise of the far right in Europe. The PS is in our opinion a far-right party. Her response was the following: “I am not afraid of the far right. I’m afraid of the mainstream parties [which should know better] but don’t do anything to change the situation.”
The political situation of Europe today could be compared with the rise of fascism in the 1930s. How many of those that supported Nazi Germany in the 1930s ever thought they would end up defeated and in ruins in 1945? Instead of facing justice, many of their leaders preferred the easy way out by taking a cyanide capsule.
Brazilian LGTB activist Jean Wyllys said that “The alternative media is the answer [to the traditional media for oppressed voices to be heard and construct their narratives].”
I could not agree more.
It is clear from the reporting by Finland’s and Europe’s mainstream media that alternative media is needed more than ever. That media, which gives a voice to minorities, must also adhere to ethical journalistic standards and fair reporting practices just like the mainstream media should.
The faster we act to elevate that voice, the better.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017,
into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue
Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off
the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament
plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of
Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or
“fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the
party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion
nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer
to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that
the acronym PS.
Jean Wyllys is a Brazilian LGTB politician who gave up his seat in congress due to death threats he received. He is an outspoken critic of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government and a fierce advocate of gay rights in Brazil. He is presently on “vacation” abroad and does not plan to return to the country anytime soon.
Wyllys was due to be sworn in for a third term in February but decided to relinquish his seat and flee the country. “This environment isn’t safe for me,” he was quoted as saying in Folha de S. Paulo.
Migrant Tales got a chance to hear and speak to the Brazilian activist. He said that the media is a big issue on how the narratives of Others are silenced and oppressed with the reporting styles of the traditional media. He offers us an answer on how we are changing matters:
“The alternative media is the answer [to the traditional media for oppressed voices to be heard and construct their narratives],” he said.
It is amusing to hear how some people, usually white Finnish males, are so concerned about free speech. From rock bands like Eppu Normaali to politicians from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and others, the message is clear: the state is undermining our free speech.
Really?
How can people who grow up with privilege and power in Finland feel so threatened? Why is it usually that white Finnish males and women who support them, usually those that hate migrants and minorities, the ones that feel so threatened?
We all know the answer to that question. The issue isn’t undermining your rights to free speech but the fact that white Finnish men and women are scared because their privilege is being challenged. One of these privileges is to insult, oppress, and bully Others.
A good example is the racist and disgraceful tweet in March that cost the Perussuomalaiset Youth chapter 115,000 euros of funding by the ministry of education and culture.
Those that remember the tweet, there is a picture of a black couple smiling happily at their newborn child with the following tweet: “Vote for the Perussuomalaiset so that Finland won’t look like this.”
PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho gave his usual defense of why racism should be seen as a “normal” matter by society and why it was wrong to cut funding to the youth chapter.
“My view is that cancelling and recovering funding is an unreasonable action over one silly tweet. There’s reason to appeal the decision – and if needed – take it to court,” Yle News quotes him saying on Facebook.
Anyone who is familiar with the actions of the PS Youth will conclude that it wasn’t a “silly tweet” by a member of that youth chapter but a clear pattern used over and over again by the party.
Playing down the impact of one’s racism is a common strategy used by racist parties like the PS. If racism happens, it is an exception “or silly” (sic!).
White Finnish privilege #62
It is a good matter that the ministry of education and culture cut funding (taxpayers’ money) to an organization that builds its support on racist ethnonationalistic views.
But the interesting question is why such parties feel so threatened that their free speech is being watered down?
The only answer I have is that it is the main thrust of the far-right message: Vote for us because you will be a minority. Are you scared? Vote for us!
White Finnish privilege allows you to cry about your privilege so you can continue to oppress and malign Others with impunity as well as keep institutional racism unchallenged.
If these people want, I will gladly offer a handkerchief to help them wipe the crocodile tears from their eyes.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
At a European Network Against Racism general assembly in Brussels (June 20-22), feminist and anti-racist activist Joacine Moreira of Portugal, gave her view if we should fear the rise of the far right in Europe.
“I am not afraid of the far right. I’m afraid of the mainstream parties [which should know better] but don’t do anything to change the situation.”
The ministry of education and culture decided to cut 115,000 of funding for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Youth for violating the Youth Act 2017, according to Yle News.The news was hailed by some anti-racist activists as a step in the right direction on how Finland should challenge institutional racism.
One of the important aims of the Youth Act 2017 is to promote social equality and inclusion.
PS Youth chair Asseri Kinnunen said he could appeal the decision.
The latest racist tweet that got the Youth chapter in trouble came in March. A black couple is smiling happily at their newborn child with a tweet by the youth chapter: “Vote for the Perussuomalaiset so that Finland won’t look like this.”
The racist outbursts by the PS Youth are a part of their DNA and political addiction. Below are a few recent examples:
While it is a positive matter that institutions like the ministry of education and culture are taking steps to address growing racism in our society, a lot more has to be done to address this social ill that is mocking and attacking our institutions and values.
Here is a good column (in Finnish) by Yrjö Rautio about how hate speech and racism have undermined the rule of law in Finland.
As the PS and its youth chapter cry us a river about how the decision to cut their funding this year is an infringement on their free speech and their right to be racists, we should not give them any further funding until we see a change in their ways.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017,
into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue
Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off
the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament
plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of
Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or
“fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the
party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion
nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer
to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that
the acronym PS.
