Enrique Tessieri Archives - Page 205 of 245

Swedish People’s Party Carl Haglund: Who wants to move to Finland knowing that a price tag will be placed on your forehead?

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Imagine a country that needs skilled labor due to the rapid graying of its population and whose new government still doesn’t know whether immigration brings benefits or not? Well that country, folks, is none other than Finland. Yes, the country that saw over 1.2 million of its people emigrate between 1860 and 1999 to the world and which saw the rise of an anti-immigration party from the minor political leagues to become the second-biggest party in parliament.

The party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, bases its newly acquired power on its anti-immigration message and strengthening “us” against “them.”

It recently published a study, which got a lot of criticism due to its methodology, which concluded that immigration costs Finland 700 million euros.

It didn’t matter if the study had a lot of methodological holes because its main aim was to send a clear message to its voters: We don’t want migrants unless they’re white.

Government immigration affairs are under Justice and Employment Minister Jari Lindström, a former paper mill worker who later became a lab assistant.

Read full story in Finnish here.

Chairman of the Swedish People’s Party Carl Haglund had at the party’s annual convention harsh criticism or the new government and echoed what Migrant Tales has been saying for a long time.

Continue reading “Swedish People’s Party Carl Haglund: Who wants to move to Finland knowing that a price tag will be placed on your forehead?”

Feeding our amnesia and sidestepping the issues in the immigration and refugee debate

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Migrant Tales

You can remind me four years from today what I’ll say now: Very little will be resolved concerning the challenges facing our ever-growing culturally diverse society except for witch-hunts and underlining the poisonous message of “us” against “them.”

In the plainest English it means very little will be resolved concerning our ever-growing culturally diverse society because the power that parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* of Finland have today is based on nationalistic fear of the outside world and strengthening “us” against “them.”

What will, then, Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government accomplish during its four-year mandate except for greater social inequality that will in turn fuel greater anti-immigration sentiment?

Most likely it’s greatest “accomplishment” will be the further impoverishment of Finland, ever-growing poverty and society’s polarization.

Who will speak up for this dear little girl at sea? Our amnesia?

Former EU’s high representative for foreign and security policy and former secretary general of NATO, Javier Solana, writes in an opinion piece about our collective amnesia. He states:

Continue reading “Feeding our amnesia and sidestepping the issues in the immigration and refugee debate”

UPDATED Liikkukaa’s Christian Thibault: The Finnish Football Association should remain vigilant on racism

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Migrant Tales

FC Inter Turku player Vahid Hambon, who is a dual Finnish and Bosnian citizen, was a target of racial slurs at a recent match against FC Lahti. The incident has received national attention thanks to tabloid Iltalehti.

While racial slurs can be heard in Finland as well by fans, the important question we should ask is if bodies like the Finnish Football Association (FFA) are doing enough to address such problems, said Christian Thibault, executive director of Liikkukaa – Sports for All, an association that promotes greater inclusion of migrants and minorities in sports.

Amnesty International’s managing director for Finland, Frank Johansson, said last year that racial slurs and racism at football games were common in Finland.

“Why do experts at the [Finnish] Football Association say racist incidents should be reported to the home club but not directly to the Association?” said Thibault. “Why are they playing down the problem if it happens more often than we know?”

Read full story here.

Maurizio Pratesi, an expert on multicultural issues at the FFA, said recently that fans can help at games by reporting any racist incidents to the home team. He said that the problem isn’t as widespread in Finland as in other European country but that vigilance is still necessary.

“In Finland we don’t have that strong of a supporter culture so you can’t really talk about a widespread problem,” said Pratesi. “On the other hand this happens too often in the stands taking into account how few people attend games in Finland.”

The most recent case involving Hambo of FC Inter Turku is another sad example of racism at football matches in Finland.

“What is Football Associaiton doing to address these types of incidents,” asked Thibault. “It’s very rare in Finland that a player like Hambon takes up such an issue in the media. This is a good opportunity for them to address the issue.”

The Liikkukaa executive director added that since talented players like Hambon are the future of Finnish football they should do their best to defend and support them against racial slurs at games. Continue reading “UPDATED Liikkukaa’s Christian Thibault: The Finnish Football Association should remain vigilant on racism”

Perussuomalaiset Maria Lohela: Inte min talman, or not my speaker of parliament

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Maria Lohela got elected Friday as speaker of parliament. Lohela is no ordinary MP but one who doesn’t believe in religious freedom, migrant and homosexual rights. As a politician she is the antithesis of Nordic values unless you believe that those values are supposed to advance bigotry and racism.

The picture below was found on the internet and means in English: Not my speaker of parliament.

The famous saying, Inte min talman, or you’re not my speaker of parliament, comes from Swedish MP Rossana Dinamarca of the Left Party. In the video below, Dinamarca goes to the podium and addresses the Swedish Riksdag (parliament). When Sweden Democrat deputy speaker of parliament Björn Söder tells her to address him as “honorable speaker” she refuses and states, Inte min talman.

Source: Internet

Continue reading “Perussuomalaiset Maria Lohela: Inte min talman, or not my speaker of parliament”

Emanuela Daniel tells about the historic protest they organized in front of parliament against the new speaker of parliament

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Emanuela Daniel is an exemplary woman for organizing Friday a historic protest outside of parliament against Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Maria Lohela, who was elected as the new speaker of parliament. Daniel told Migrant Tales about that day and when she spoke to PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, who has also made many racist and Islmophobic statements against Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse community.

Social Democrat MP Timo Harakka tweeted below that the protest was “a modest” show of force but “historic” nevertheless.

Daniel said that she had to organize the protest against Lohela because it was important.

Continue reading “Emanuela Daniel tells about the historic protest they organized in front of parliament against the new speaker of parliament”

Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to politician without memory

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

We saw a lot of white Finnish privilege during the April parliamentary elections and government talks, which include the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. If lowly things like turncoat politics and chicanery, racism and white Finnish privilege would have a smell, that stench would knock you off your feet right now.

The new speaker of parliament, Maria Lohela, is a good example of the racist-fascist who became the politician without memory. Lohela has made Islamophobic and xenophobic statements in the past to attract voter attention and get elected. Lohela said, however, right after she was elected Friday as speaker of parliament that everything she said in the past is the past and now a new chapter begins.

Lohela can say such absurd things because she has white Finnish privilege. You can be a racist, even a fascist, and paint yourself as a politician with amnesia by simply erasing everything you said in the past that may undermine the power you enjoy today. You can do so without even apologizing to all those people you insulted with your racist statements.

Another PS MP that has a murky past in fascism is the new defense minister, Jussi Niinstö.

Continue reading “Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to politician without memory”

Facebook: Thumbs down to Maria Lohela and hurray for our side!

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

When big mainstream parties play along with populist and anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, which base their campaign on one part hot air and two parts xenophobia and nationalism, you get the government we have today and a speaker of parliament called Maria Lohela.

Christian Thibault has been a tireless activist for migrant and human rights in Finland. Here he is below with a group of activists holding up signs to MPs going to vote for the new speaker of parliament.

Good for you! I take my hat off for you Christian and those other brave activists that were with you holding signs that read: Don’t vote for Lohela and Stand up against racism.

In one picture below there is Green Party MP Jani Toivola standing together with the activists.

And that is what Lohela’s questionable track record is: She has said some pretty racist and horrible things about migrants and Muslims. Her whole political message is based on xenophobia.

Those terrible things she has said are the skeletons in her closet that will creep behind her for the rest of her political career, which I and many hope will be short.

* The Finnish name of the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.

New speaker of parliament Maria Lohela: Islamophobic skeletons in the closet

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

One of the surprise appointments that popped up was Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Maria Lohela, who was nominated Friday as the new speaker of parliament. Lohela is no common MP since she has taken a very strong stand against immigration in general and Muslims in particular.

Somebody who knew Lohela told Migrant Tales that she appears to be a sensible person until you slip the term Muslim in the conversation. She then turns into a Ms Hyde.

Lohela has got her anti-immigration and Islamophobic credentials through the Nuiva Manifesto, which relies heavily on one-way adaption, or assimilation. She was opposed to same-sex marriage as well.

He xenophobic writings about Muslims are like skeletons that follow her like murky shadows.

Some of the most outrageous aims of the Nuiva Manifesto include:

The state should not finance immigrant groups’ culture, language, identity and religion;
They believe that neighborhoods are turning into ghettos;
Deport convicted migrants from Finland;
Conditional citizenship for ten years;
Finland should stop so-called humanitarian immigration and accept as few refugees as possible.

Just like Lohela’s opinions, the Nuiva Manifesto’s aim is to disempower migrants and minorities in Finland. Even if Finland officially supports integration, or two-way adaption, the Nuiva Manifesto favors one-way adaption, or assimilation.

Continue reading “New speaker of parliament Maria Lohela: Islamophobic skeletons in the closet”

Two important questions I’d ask incoming PS minister of justice and employment

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Migrant Tales

It should be clear by know through countless examples that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* intentionally make outrageous statements in order to get media attention for the party and themselves. The new PS justice and employment minister, Jari Lindström, stated a while back that he’d be in favor of reinstating the death penalty in “some circumstances,” according to YLE in English. On Tuesday we learned about PS subsitute councilman Olli Sademies’ opinions about forced sterilization of African refugees.

Put on your seat belts folks and enjoy the tragic-comic political play that will be led by the PS during the next four years.

Instead of commenting on what politicians like Lindström said, and which are important to know, we must also hold them accountable for their promises.

Lindström is a former paper mill worker who later became a lab assistant.

We all know that one PS strategy is to victimize and scapegoat migrants and minorities because it brings them votes. When they take your attention from the real problem, which is how they’re going to lower unemployment and create jobs, they place the blame on migrants and minorities, which are responsible for the country’s problems.

The first question I’d ask Lindström is the following:

As the incoming justice and employment minister, how do you plan to lower unemployment in general and migrant unemployment in particular? In the latter group, the jobless rate is officially two- to three-times higher than the national average, which was 10.3% in April, according to Statistics Finland. How would you promote employment of migrants in Finland and what is your stance on tougher anti-discrimination laws?

Continue reading “Two important questions I’d ask incoming PS minister of justice and employment”

Facebook: Hello new government, goodbye to the Finland we knew

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Migrant Tales

So here are the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* ministers: Timo Soini (foreign minister), Jussi Niinistö (defense minister), Jari Lindström (labor and justice minister), and Hanna Mäntylä (social affairs and health minister).

Two words can describe all four of them: anti-immigration and nationalistic. When you combine these two matters you get scapegoating, suspicion, “us” versus “them” to name a few.

Parties like the PS that base their policies by attacking certain immigrant groups that live in this country as residents are washing their hands, and showing their failures in addressing rising poverty and social inequality. They do so by opportunistically blaming migrants for the country’s problems.