Category: Enrique Tessieri

Finland’s interpretation of human rights is to turn you into an “undocumented migrant” and kick you out of the country – HELP!

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A distress call on Messenger Saturday by an Iraqi asylum seeker. The family lives in Ruovesi, which is located between Jyväskylä and Tampere. 

What do you say about a country that is willing to throw into the street and deport a three-and-a-half-month-old baby born in Finland? Let’s include another one-and-a-half-year-old child, a six-year-old girl, and a boy, who is eight. What about if we add their parents as well?

This isn’t a true story from a country like Hungary or Serbia where asylum seekers are treated like animals but is happening at this moment in Finland, which claims to stand up for human rights. One such human right is the right to seek shelter.

Who is to blame?

The culprits are MPs who appeal to voters with their exposed or disguised hatred and ignorance of asylum seekers. When you act in such a way, you are going to cause harm and damage to real people like the family of six that will be kicked out from the asylum center in Ruovesi on March 23 and deported (see eviction letter below).

The eviction notice by the Red Cross sent to the Iraqi family.

The whole issue revolves around residence permits granted on humanitarian grounds, which was done away with last year by parliament. Now, after getting three rejections, but in the case of this family after two rejections, you become undocumented and must leave the country with an offer you cannot refuse from the police: leave “voluntarily” or by force.

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Day 25 of the Helsinki demonstration by asylum seekers: We are happy that you are a thorn in the government’s and Migri’s side

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Twenty-five cold days have elapsed since a group of asylum seekers decided to exercise their democratic rights and protest deportation and the government’s strict asylum policy.  The longer these demonstrators protest the deeper the thorn will penetrate the government’s and Finnish Immigration Service’s (Migri) side. 

The government’s and Migri’s tough stance against the demonstrators is and will turn against them. Why? Because they base their hardline strategy on their own prejudices and bigotry.

The asylum seekers must know that two mainstream parties, the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), have given a near-free hand to the Islamophobic and anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party to draft laws like that tightening of family reunification. They have also turned some of you  into undocumented migrants.

When I look at the actions of the government, my memory goes back to the early 1980s when Migri was run by Eila Kännö, a woman that some compared her management style to Benito Mussolini’s. The extremely strict immigration policy of Finland at the time was so much out of touch with public opinion that the then Aliens’ Office destroyed its credibility and eventually itself.

It became clear that the Aliens’ Office could no longer be run by a self-styled autocrat.

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The creation and death of the Perussuomalaiset and its #socialmediafrankensteins in Finland

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We once wrote about #socialmediafrankensteins and how Timo Soini and the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party had created such demons to victimize, attack and label migrants and minorities in Finland. Soini, a “good-cop” PS party chairman, is in reality no different from people like Jussi Halla-aho and his band of bigoted followers. 

A #socialmediafrankenstein is anyone that social media has created. For example, Halla-aho and many others of his ilk are social media creations. They have made a political career for themselves by spreading hatred and racism against other groups.

Since Halla-aho and his gang are social media creations, they are also vulnerable. One big defeat like the demise of the the PS from major league Finnish politics would spell the end for them.

The only matter that differentiate Soini from Halla-aho is that both, opportunists to the maximum, is the image of “good” versus “bad” cops. Even so, we mustn’t forget that they are still members of a party that is hostile to migrants, minorities and cultural diversity.

A while back we published a story about the creation of Halla-ahos and James Hirvisaaris within the PS.

The story of the rise and fall of the PS is like the creation of Frankenstein in the horror movie. We have, in the first video clip below, the creation of the Frankenstein monster. That scene from the classic movie could be Soini as Dr. Frankenstein and Halla-aho as the monster.

This scene could be the historical election victory of April 2011, when the PS won 39 seats compared with 5 in the previous election.

There’s a lot of excitement and jubilation due to resurrecting a person from the dead. Just like the PS, Frankenstein reaps havoc and fear and finally destroys itself.

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Day 18 of the Helsinki demonstration by asylum seekers: What about if Finland’s asylum policy is a cover-up?

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The fact that the district courts agree in vast majority with the rejections handed by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) speaks volumes of the serious problem and our responsibility as a nation to grant protection to those who need it.

Finnish politicians like Interior Minister Paula Risikko of the National Coalition Party and officials like Päivi Nerg of the interior ministry and Migri head Jaana Vuori wash their hands of the problem by passing the buck. They claim they are only following what the EU does and that the district courts totally agrees with the vast number of decisions by Migri.

The fact that the vast majority of decisions made by Migri are given the seal of approval by the district courts may reveal that there are many problems that are being brushed under the carpet. From a distance, it looks like a good brother system where everyone looks after each other.

With respect to the EU, we know that different countries have different procedures. EU member Sweden, for example, accepted  73% of asylum applications in the third quarter while in Finland the corresponding percentage was 28%, according to Eurostat.

Concerning rates of acceptance, Finland is in the same dubious league like the Czech Republic (32%), France (32%), United Kingdom (28%), Ireland (19%) and Greece (18%). The worst of the worst are Poland (16%) and Hungary (12%). Contrarily, the most generous countries – excluding Sweden – concerning granting asylum are Spain (77%), Malta (77%), Slovenia (74%), Romania, Estonia and Germany with 73% apiece.

If Finland is “following the EU crowd,” why are there more rejections in this country than in Sweden?

Considering that Migri head Vuori has admitted that it was overwhelmed by the large number of asylum seekers that came in 2015, what mistakes did it make and is ready to admit? Speaking with different human rights observers, there is concern that Migri hasn’t done a thorough enough job in processing asylum applications because of the lack and inexperience of new personnel.

Add to the latter the negative and even hostile political climate against migrants and especially asylum seekers and a worrying image emerges.

Is there enough political will in Finland to investigate such a matter?

Picture taken of the demonstration on Saturday. Still going strong after eighteen days on February 28. Photo by Enrique Tessieri.

The best evidence we have that Migri has done an inefficient job is its high “success rate” with the district courts, which may show more complacency due to the ongoing political climate which sees asylum seekers as a threat.

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The would-be mini Trumps: Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Jussi Halla-aho and other autocrats

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We have commented that President Donald Trump’s erratic and autocratic style may be a curse on the US but a blessing for Europe since his style may scare away potential voters who don’t want far-right politicians like Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Jussi Halla-aho and others.

The latest news coming out of the White House is a direct attack against the First Amendment by barring the Guardian, New York Times, Politico, CNN and others from a press briefing.

Read the full story in the Guardian here.

Ever wonder why Trump likes Vladimir Putin? See what the Russian autocrat has done and what Trump is doing to shut press freedom.

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How racism and suspicion have ruined Finland’s centenary celebrations of 2017

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If there is a party pooper in this year’s centenary celebrations it’ll be ourselves: the politicians, the urban tales, prejudices, racism and suspicion that has raised its head with ease in Finland as of late.

The names and the parties of these killjoys are well known to us: President Sauli Niinistö, the Jussi Halla-aho crowd of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, ministers like Paula Risikko, Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, white Social Democrats and socialists, Migri (Finnish Immigration Service), bigoted groups like Suomi Ensin, Suomen Sisu and a long list of others.

Like the United States under Donald Trump and post-Brexit Europe, Finland too has seen the rise of a hostile political force called populism. Like a cancer, it spreads scapegoating migrants and minorities. Populism always fails and ends in disaster because it offers simple unworkable solutions to complex problems. It’s like offering a terminally ill cancer patient aspirin to relieve the pain.

One of the official logos of Finland’s centenary celebrations.

What happens when a government and country starts to believe in its own prejudices? For one, it causes unneeded suffering on people.

Take for instance one of the government’s favorite justification for tightening immigration policy: pull factors like social welfare. But is that the real reason why asylum seekers come to Europe?

Studies have shown that it’s not the main cause. Many asylum seekers come from countries where there is no social welfare and therefore don’t have a clear idea what it is. If social welfare was the main pull factor, why do some migrants go to the United Kingdom, where there is lower social welfare than France which is more generous?

Want to know what real factors bring a fraction, yes a fraction, of asylum seekers to Europe. Check this video out by Migration Matters.

One of the most ignorant and populist claims parroted by some politicians is that asylum seekers should be taken care of in camps near their home countries. Interior Minister Risikko, who should know better, reinforced this misconception when she visited a Suomi Ensi gathering last week.

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Day 12 of the Helsinki demonstration by asylum seekers: Hussain Kazemian wishes you well!

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Hussain Kazemian is from Afghanistan and visited the Iraqi asylum seekers at the Helsinki Railway Square on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. He is from Keuruu. Kazemian shares with the readers of Migrant Tales what he saw at the demonstration, which celebrates today its 12th day. 

My observations of the demo on February 22:

Asylum seekers have a tent close to the rail station. Some Finnish people come and bring some food, cloth and other things that refugees need.

They have the possibility to cook and make tea there.

If you go inside of the tent, you will find candles around the main space of the demonstration. There might be an asylum seeker making some demands as well. And those Finns that visit them, most of them women, go there because they have sympathy for them. They ask questions wanting to know why they are there and what is their situation.
But if you look at things from outside the tent ( as I mentioned people drinking tea, cooking and having a snack ), the demo looks like some Midsummer festival or any other festival that may take place in Finland. Most of the refugees talk but do not flirt with the ladies but show respect. The communication is good with some demands made to Migri. The atmosphere is that of refugees laughing, talking casually with the ladies, eating and drinking something…the first impression one might get is that these people don’t have any problems because they look and sound so happy.

My suggestion to them is not to cry and complain too much about their situation. But since Finns are a logical people, they should find the right balance of maybe not being too happy and not too sad. Otherwise it may give the wrong impression to Finns.

During the 11 days when the demonstration began, there have been some articles written in Finland about the demo but how much does the demo affect the media in Finland? Are the organizers of the demo able to persuade the international media to write about them or broadcast their voices?

A saying states that if you cannot shock or wake up politicians from their nap in 11 days, you maybe wasting your time.

I believe these asylum seekers are not wasting their time with this demonstration. Some claim it’s soft protesting and demonstration! Wrong. I would do whatever I could if I were a refugee.

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Day 10 of the Helsinki demonstration by Iraqi asylum seekers: “We will demonstrate for as long as necessary”

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Here’s a show of respect and admiration for the Iraqi asylum seekers protesting in cold February in Helsinki against the harsh asylum policies of the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), which is an extension of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government.

Nour M Jamal is one of the many Iraqis that have taken part in the demonstrations demanding a change in asylum policy and deportations by the police service.

“We feel disappointed with the authorities even if [Interior Minister Paula] Risikko and the head of Migri [Jaana Vuorio] visited us,” he said. “Both of them didn’t say anything new.”

Jamal said that one of the nice things about the demonstration is the support they have received from the Finns.

“People that pass by have shown their support to us giving us money, clothes and even demonstrating with us,” he said. “We are grateful to them and appreciate their support.”

The picture above shows a large number of demonstrators including children and women.

“To those that claim wrongly that we left our women and children behind,” continued Jamal, “we tell them that they can speak to the women who are with us in the tent.”

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Migrants are “scum” and should be erased from the map say Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen and other far-right politicians

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Some are asking with manifest unease if this will be the year of the far-right populists like Dutch Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen of France and Frauke Petry of the German  Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The first test will  be in Holland on March 15 followed by another nail-biter in France on April 23 and May 7.

Wilders doesn’t hide his hatred for Moroccans by calling them in the video below “scum.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3AkiWhvCYs

Emboldened by US President Donald Trump, the far-right in Europe believes that it’s now or never as far as elections are concerned.

But there is a problem: What about if Trump’s chaotic and volatile style of leadership scares voters away in Europe from voting for people like Wilders, Le Pen never mind AfD and possibly in 2018 for Italy’s Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement?

One may rightly ask how is it possible that an Islamophobic politician like Wilders is the favorite to win in March after being sentenced in December for hate speech? How can he be accused of calling Moroccan migrants “scum” and still be popular with the voters?

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