Racism is like a Cadillac. They bring a new model every year.
Malcolm X (1925-65)
We saw on Tuesday quite a political show in Finland with 22 MPs ditching the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and forming a new party called the New Alternative. But don’t hold your breath because nothing has changed. It’s just a marketing of the same thing, a new Cadillac model as Malcolm X said, right-wing populist nationalism and all the toxicity that goes with it.
But why aren’t we told this by the media? Where are those visible minority reporters and our voice in this political row? Nowhere, because our opinions don’t count.
Between Sunday and Monday, when the newly elected PS chairperson Jussi Halla-aho was shown the door by Sipilä and Orpo, the government had a unique opportunity to step out of its harsh and hostile economic and immigration policies and put itself briefly on a moral pedestal.
The Nuiva manifesto is a far right proposal on how to tighten immigration policy and make life more difficult for migrants and minorities in Finland. Those who signed the manifesto in 2010, all in all 13 people, cannot be found anymore on the net.
Why do they apparently want us to forget what they endorsed seven years ago?
Six of the 13 were or are MPs. One of them, Maria Lohela, is speaker of parliament, while Jussi Halla-aho was elected chairman Saturday of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. All of the 13 persons below were or still are members of the PS. Two of them, Veli-Matti Saarakkala and Lohela are now members of Timo Soini’s new bloc, Uusi Vaihtoehto, or New Alternative.
Three, Halla-aho James Hirvisaari and Freddy Van Wonterghem, were convicted for ethnic agitation.
From left to right (standing): Freddy Van Wonterghem, James Hirvisaari, Juho Eerola, Olli Immonen, Pasi Salonen, Heikki Luoto and Maria Lohela. Sitting left to right: Veli-Matti Saarakkala, Teemu Lahtinen, Jussi Hallo-aho, Heta Lahteenaro, Johannes Nieminen and Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo.
The former chairperson of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, Timo Soini, has struck back at the newly elected head of the PS, Jussi Halla-aho, by joining 20-MPs to dith the PS and form a new parliamentary bloc called Uusi vaihtoehto, or New Alternative, according to Helsingin Sanomat. The new bloc stated that it wants to remain in government.
The news confirms that the PS are in total disarray and that its chairperson Halla-aho faces a revolt that has caused the party to implode.
If the new bloc succeeds at rejoining government it will be a big blow for migrants and minorities in Finland.
Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? If you ask Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister Petteri Orpo there is. But if you are a migrant, asylum seeker or minority in Finland, it’s doubtful that you would make such a difference.
Here’s the question: Why was Sampo Terho, who holds the same ideas about migrants like Jussi Halla-aho, is more “acceptable?” Why Soini versus Halla-aho?
We have called this phenomenon at Migrant Tales the good-cop, bad-cop syndrome.
If we are candid with ourselves, Halla-aho, Soini and Terho are bonded by the same goal: To keep Finland white and Christian. Migration and cultural diversity, especially from non-EU countries, are seen as threats.
From left to right: Jussi Halla-aho, Timo Soini and Sampo Terho. Source: YLE.
If their brand of politics is toxic especially towards migrants and cultural diversity, does it come down to how you market yourself as a populist politician and how the media interprets and wants to see you?
It’s clear that one of the biggest challenges of countries like Finland is challenging its denial of racism, bigotry and discrimination. The fine balance of being an “acceptable” anti-immigration politician in Finland is by mastering code.
It became clear in the afternoon that Halla-aho’s first day as the new chairman of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) ended with Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and National Coalition Party (NCP) chairperson Petteri Orpo showing the new chairperson the door.
Even if there was a question mark on Sunday if Prime Minister Sipilä and Orpo would continue to cooperate with the new chairperson of the PS, it became clear on Monday that such cooperation was impossible.
The trust that existed between the government and former PS chairperson Timo Soini had evaporated after Halla-aho’s election as chair of the PS.
Going to bed with Halla-aho would have been a roller-coaster ride that would have ended sooner or later.
A Somali who has lived in Finland as a child summed up what she thought about the “new” PS.
“[Timo] Soini’s departure from the PS clears up a lot of things,” said Nawal Mohamud of Helsinki. “For one, the party now shows its true colors and their attitude towards immigrants. Few Finns can say after Sunday that the PS isn’t a racist party.”
Juha Sipilä and Pettters Orpo announced in identical tweets that cooperation with the PS was over. “Talks are over. Our proposal to the parliamentary groups of the Center Party/National Coalition Party: there aren’t any conditions to continue cooperation with Halla-aho’s led PS.”
Some Finns have expressed fear that by excluding the PS from government will help prop up support for Halla-aho and his far right policies.
It’s clear that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a different party after this weekend, when Jussi Halla-aho, Laura Huhtasaari, Teuvo Hakkarainen and Juho Eerola were elected to lead the anti-immigrant and anti-EU party. Halla-aho spoke of in his policy speech of “nationalistic forces,” which is code for anti-immigration, anti-cultural diversity and anti-EU policies.
Halla-aho said that the PS should align itself with such forces in the Nordic region, which means Islamophobic parties like the Danish People’s Party, Sweden Democrats and the Progress Party of Norway.
Halla-aho will meet at 10am with Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and National Coalition Party head Petteri Orpo about whether the PS will continue to be in government.
Considering that Halla-aho and PS second vice president Hakkarainen have convictions for ethnic agitation, and that Huuhtasaari and Eerola have a dubious reputation because of their acceptance of fascism and hostility towards cultural diversity, it is surprising that no newspaper in Finland asked a single Somali Finn, Muslim or visible minority what they thought about the “new” PS.
Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä stated Saturday that the election of Halla-aho meant that the PS is a different party when led by former chairman Timo Soini. ”The Perussuomalaiset is a completely new party with new policies now,” Sipilä was quoted as saying Saturday in YLE News.
The new chairman of the PS refusing to resign in 2012 because the sentence handed to him by the Supreme Court on ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion was “a personal interpretation.” Source: Migrant Tales.
The most interesting issue to watch isn’t what the next move of the newly elected board of the PS will be, but what will be the reaction of the party’s coalition partners, the Center Party and National Coalition Party. Will the PS exit or remain in government?
Will they let Halla-aho and his band of Islamophobes slide and will we see something politically toxic like in Denmark emerging? The PS has always had a semi-secret love affair with the Danish People’s Party (DPP). They have now come as close as ever to being that type of party in Finland.
The DPP thrives as we can see below on Islamophobia and spreading anti-immigration rhetoric in Denmark.
While it’s no surprise that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Jussi Halla-aho was the clear winner against Sampo Terho 949 votes against 629, the big question is how the PS’ government coalition partners Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP) will digest Halla-aho’s victory.
Halla-aho will take over as chairman after Timo Soini led the party for 20 years.
A number of NCP politicians like forthcoming Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori was quoted as saying that his party cannot be in the same government where Halla-aho is PS chairman. “It’s clear for me that the National Coalition Party cannot be in the same government with Halla-aho’s PS,” Vapaavuori was quoted as saying in tabloid Iltalehti. “It’s important to defend liberal democracy. The PS have to decide for themselves.”
NCP chairman Petteri Orpo has made similar statements about Halla-aho.
While Orpo and Vapaavuori have made it clear that it would be difficult to be in the same government with Halla-aho, don’t be surprised if everything will continue as normal after the new PS chairman meets Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on Monday.
Nour Jamal is one of the thousands of Iraqi asylum seekers who came to Finland in 2015. He came to Finland with his parents and sister in the hope of finding a better life free from war and where human rights are respected.
Even if his parents were granted asylum, his sister’s and his application for asylum were rejected. They are appealing the decision by the Finnish Immigration Service.
“This art exhibition is all about struggle,” he said. “And about the uncertainty we face [as asylum seekers in Finland] because we still don’t know what is going to happen to us tomorrow.”
Jamal, who uses acrylic and ink in his paintings, said that he did these works of art “in less than a month.”
“It was really fast,” he said. “I painted in Iraq as well but I lacked the time and motivation.”
Jamal said that the painting above, “Faceless people,” is about asylum seekers crossing from Turkey to Greece. “They are faceless people because they can drown and nobody cares or wants to know who they are,” he said. On the upper left corner is Alayn Al-Kurdi, the three-year-old boy that became one of the most famous faceless people when his corpse was found washed ashore.
Check this interview dating back to 2013 in BBC’s HARDtalk when outgoing Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman plays down the party’s racism problem and defends MEP Jussi Hall-aho, who is going to purge him as foreign minister if elected as PS chairman. The PS elects over the weekend a new chairman with the two favorites being Halla-aho and Sampo Terho.
Those who remember the HARDTalk interview can recall when Stephen Sacker grills Soini on his promise to fire any party member who is convicted for ethnic agitation. Soini backtracked and defended his decision not to sack Halla-aho, who had, according to him, suffered enough for his racist writings about Muslims.
Well, now, we’ve come full circle with Halla-aho appearing to be the favorite to become the next PS chairman. If elected, it spells trouble and humiliation for Soini.
A lesson to be learned?
For one, you cannot control racism and bigotry and keep it on a short leash, even if such a rabid dog attracts attention and lures voters.
Will we miss Soini as he bows out as chairman of the PS? Not at all. If you think of it, it’s him who gave Finland’s racist and anti-immigration groups a forum to lash out at our ever-growing culturally diverse community.
His rise and fall as PS chairman resembles the plot of the 1931 classic Frankenstein movie, where a monster is brought to life that later kills his creator.
Soini is Dr. Frankenstein and Halla-aho and a long list of others, the Frankensteins.
A good example of how journalists should handle politicians who use racism and bigotry to gain political power.
* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well 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 thereafter the acronym PS.
