Category: Enrique Tessieri

Samalla liukkaalla tie Suomessa

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Kasvot peittävän niqabin ja burkan käyttöä ollaan rajoittamassa Vantaan peruskoulussa. Tämä näyttää selvältä voitolta maahanmuuttovastaiselle Perussuomalaiset-puolueelle sekä Kansallinen Kokoomus-puolueelle, jotka molemmat kuuluvat hallitukseen.

Islamofobiaa tutkiva tutkija Farid Hafez kirjoitti sähköpostiviestissään:
“On selvää, että kasvot peittävän hunnun kielto toimii esivaiheena laajemmalle hijab-kiellolle, koska se luo ennakkotapauksen. Kun tällainen kielto hyväksytään, hijab-kiellon laajentaminen voi edetä peruskouluista toisen asteen kouluihin, lukioihin, yliopistoihin ja julkisiin virastoihin. Tämä on ollut julkilausuttu tavoite Itävallassa.”

Olemmeko Suomessa samalla liukkaalla tiellä?

Suomen muslimiforuumi vastusti kieltoa viime vuonna antamassaan lausunnossa:
“Suomen tulee olla maa, jossa jokaisella on oikeus uskonnonvapauteen ja yhdenvertaisuuteen ja jossa vähemmistöjen symboleja ei käytetä poliittisina aseina. Tarvitsemme enemmän vuoropuhelua ja ymmärrystä – emme populistisia kieltoja, jotka vain jakavat yhteiskuntaa.”

Puolueiden kuten Perussuomalaiset ja Kansallinen Kokoomus käyttämät perustelut uskonnollisen pukeutumisen kieltämiseksi kouluissa eivät liity tyttöjen “vapauttamiseen”. Päinvastoin, ne paljastavat suvaitsemattomuuden synkemmän puolen.

Olen ottanut yhteyttä Vantaan kaupunkiin ja kysynyt, kuinka moni peruskoulun oppilas käyttää niqabia tai burkaa. Lähetin kysymyksen torstaina, mutta vastausta ei ole vieläkään tullut.

Vantaan perusopetuksen johtaja Ilkka Kalo on perustellut niqab-kieltoa turvallisuussyillä sekä opettajien käytännön tarpeilla. Kalon mukaan vain muutama oppilas on saapunut kouluun kasvot peittävissä vaatteissa.

Continue reading “Samalla liukkaalla tie Suomessa”

Finland’s Vantaa takes an Islamophobic step

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The decision to ban face coverings at Vantaa comprehensive schools appears for some as a slippery slope to more bannings. Moreover, it is like a long concerted plan by anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset to chip away at cultural diversity at the cost of white nationalism.

The decision by the City of Vantaa reminded me of one in a small town in Spain that prohibited the niqab because one, yes one, woman wore the niqab.

The Finnish Muslim Community spoke out against the ban in a statement last year: “Finland must be a country where every person has the right to freedom of religion and equality, and where the symbols of minorities are not used as political weapons. We need more dialogue and understanding, not populist bans that only divide society.”

Read the full story here.

ilkka Kalo, director of basic education in Vantaa, said the decision to ban the niqab was due to safety requirements and the practical needs of teachers.

“For safety and identification reasons we must know who is present in schools,” Kalo was quoted as saying in Helsinki TImes. “Teachers also have a duty to assess pupils, and they must be able to recognise them.”

Continue reading “Finland’s Vantaa takes an Islamophobic step”

An illegal and unconstitutional war

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For me, the attack by the US and Israel against Iran has reinforced hypocrisy, showing the subservience of the European Union and countries like Finland. The hypocrisy is obnoxious. The biased coverage of the Western mass media means there will be a reckoning in the way of a huge loss of credibility and readers.

A case in point is the killing by a US Tomahawk missile of about 175 children at the Minab school in Southern Iran. “Investigations” are still pending, claims President Donald Trump ridiculously suggesting that it could have been the Iranins who targeted the school.

Below are the pictures of the children that were killed by the missle strike.

Source: Facebook

Benjamin Netanyahu said he waited 40 years for the United States to launch this bloody and disastrous war. I believe that it will end poorly for the United States and Israel. What we saw in Gaza we are today seeing in Iran and Lebanon. Both countries have blown to smithereens post law architecture.

One of the interesting questions is what are the real casualty figures in Israel and US soldiers. Some claim that there are as many as 1,000 US service people deaths.

The reason why the US is hiding the real number of deaths is clear because of the shock it would have on public opinion.

Even if Iran is pounding Israel relentlessly, some claim that Tel Aviv looks like war-ravaged Gaza.

Standing ovation to imperialism – did Elina Valtonen and Alexander Stubb give Marco Rubio a standing ovation?

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When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave his speech at the Munich Security Conference on 14 February, if anything, Rubio’s speech resembled MAGA, white supremacist, foreign policy, where the US and Europe would look on proudly on their colonial past.

Rubio´s speech takes on an even more sinister aspect if we consider that the US planned to start a war with Israel against Iran a week and a half later, on 28 February.

In light of the latter, this part of Rubio´s speech is chilling: Rubio called for a strengthened partnership with Europe, urging leaders to reject cultural shame and take pride in their shared Western heritage.

In light of the latter, this part of Rubio´s speech is chilling: Rubio called for a strengthened partnership with Europe, urging leaders to reject cultural shame and take pride in their shared Western heritage.

The statement by Rubio explains the reasoning for attacking countries like Iran and why it’s ok to pillage other countries and exploit their resources.

Anyone who has read European colonial history knows there are many holes in Rubio’s assertion. It reveals why we can close our eyes to the genocide that is going on in Gaza and justify it with our silence.

It is incredible how the Trump administration can get away with anything with the help of semantics. It’s not called war anymore, but “a special military operation,” a drug bust, kinetic action, or regime change is called law enforcement.

All of these semantic tricks are used in the US to bypass Congress.

Our leaders in Europe are a sad joke. France’s Emanuel Macron’s approval rating is around 16%, Keir Starmer with 18%, who is below Feerich Merz of Germany’s 26%. Trump has about a 38% approval rating in the US.

As you can see, we are being led by leaders who not only lack spine but are highly unpopular.

While I do not know, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and President Alexander Stubb probably gave Rubio a standing ovation in Munich.

Shame on them, except for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who defied Trump’s and Israel’s illegal war in three words: No to war.

It’s war

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I am still recovering from the devastating news that the US and Israel had started a war against Iran. Even after four days of hostilities, we still don’t know why the US and Israel are at war against Iran. We also learned about the fake negotiations between Iran and Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff whose aim was only aimed at buying time in order to carry out their aggression.

Apart from the bomings we saw the real face of the war monster when bombs killed 175 girls at a school. The death and the monstrous consequences are overshadowed by the hypocrisy and power hungry like Reza Pahlavi, who believes that Iran will return to the murderous and repressive days of his father, the Shah, Mohammad reza Pahlavi, who was deposed in 1979 by the Iranian revolution.

The deadly attack, which has been condemned by the UN, took place at a girl’s primary school in Minab southern Iran.

His reign was karma for many for helping to overthrow in 1953 with the help of the CIA and MI6 by overthrowing the then Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.

See the documentary below If you want to see a good account on the Shah’s rise and downfall from power.

One matter that the documentary raises is if the Shah’s son will rule like his father.

To watch documentary click here.

Apart from being an illegal war, we are getting updates, which appear like warfare porn, from Trump and his henchmen like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Even if it is difficult to predict the outcome, one matter is for certain: war moves in heavy steps without any consideration for life.

Under no circumtances should the United States go to war against Iran

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The million-dollar question the media and politicians should be asking is this: why are we going to war with Iran?

I don’t need to be a clairvoyant peering into the future to see what such a war would bring. If it is instigated, it will mean devastation for Iran and serious danger for other countries in the region, including Israel itself.

Moreover, little room has been left to peace, which is seen as a obstacle.

The million-dollar question the media and politicians should be asking is this: why are we going to war with Iran?

I don’t need to be a clairvoyant peering into the future to see what such a war would bring. If it is instigated, it will mean devastation for Iran and danger for other countries in the region, including Israel itself.

The Iran crisis is Trump’s own making.

It is also disturbing to see how the EU follows the US and Israel blindly. No objection, just standing ovations like we saw in Munich durng Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech.

The hubris of Trump and Israel is so immense at this moment that it risks exploding in their own faces.

Sorry, Trump—Iran is not Venezuela. And sorry, Netanyahu—your vision of a “Greater Israel” stretching all the way to the Nile is a costly pipe dream that can push the world into a nuclear Armageddon.

The hubris of Trump and Israel is so immense that it risks exploding in their own faces.

Sorry, Trump—Iran is not Venezuela. And sorry, Netanyahu—your vision of a “Greater Israel” stretching all the way to the Nile is a costly pipe dream.

Gunboad policy will not work because sooner or later it will backfire.

We’ve seen how a 1953 coup toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh, backed by foreign oil interests and Western governments. His move to nationalize Iran’s oil industry proved unacceptable, and the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was consolidated in power until he was overthrown in 1979 by the Iranian Revolution.

Seemingly ignoring this history, the United States is now seen by critics as provocative toward reinstating the Shah’s eldest son, Reza Pahlavi—a figure with limited domestic support but one who would likely receive backing from the US and Israel.

Missä piilottelette, kansanedustaja Sara Seppänen?

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Otsikoi Yle: “Kadonnut lapsi joutui rasistisen somevyöryn kohteeksi Rovaniemellä – asiaan puuttuivat poliisi ja kirkkoherra.”

Yle jatkaa: “Katoamisilmoituksen ja sen saaman ikävän huomion jälkeen Lapin poliisilaitos päätti julkaista vielä toisen päivityksen, jossa selitettiin, minkä takia keskustelu suljettiin.

Aiemman julkaisumme kommenttikentässä esiintyi rasistista ja syvää kielenkäyttöä, mikä on tuomittavaa kaikissa tilanteissa, mutta etenkin silloin, kun se kohdistuu alaikäiseen lapseen, poliisi toteaa Facebook-päivityksessä.”

Rovaniemellä on kolme kansanedustajaa: kokoomuspuolueen Heikki Autto, sosiaalidemokraattisen puolueen Johanna Ojala-Niemelä ja perussuomalaisen Sara Seppänen.

Saamelaisten pukujen kulttuurisen omaksumisen lisäksi Seppänen on alla olevan kuvan kaltaisen maahanmuuttovastaisen retoriikan innokkaan äänekkäin levittäjä.

Sen pitäisi kuulua: Rodullistetut vähemmistöt ovat oikeutettuja olemaan joutumatta rasististen poliitikkojen kohteeksi. Lähde: Facebook

Älä odota Seppäsen sanovan sanaakaan kotikaupunkinsa lapsia kohtaan suunnatusta vihapuheesta. Hänen mielestään on ilmeisesti hyväksyttävää levittää rasismia lapsia kohtaan.

Marco Rubio is no friend of Europe. He is a MAGA enabler

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is an opportunist sycophant without principles. Despite Rubio’s complicity in doing away with USAID and cuin the death of 14 million people, vacillating Finland Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen only had praise for Rubio’s speech at Munich Security Conference, which Valtonen saw as a reaffirmation of the US’ commitment to Nato’s article 5 and spreading “freedom (sic!).”

Hypocrisy is one of Rubio’s and the Trump administration’s qualities.

In an interview below, the reporter asks why Rubio’s grandfather was not deported after he received a negative decision to stay in the country.


“Your grandfather Victor García received in 1962 a deportation order and was illegally in the US until 1967,” the reporter said. “Why did your grandfather get the support of the authorities and the generosity of the country, and why don’t you do the same [in the face of ICE raids]? It’s hypocrisy.”

Rubio deflects the statement of the reporter by saying what happeed to his grandfather was different than today.

Is it?

If there is one factor that is shameful, Rubio’s speech laid out in the open at the Munich Security Conference was his call to defend white, western, Christian civilisation against contaminating racialised migrants and the standing ovation he received from European elites.

I’m certain that Valtonen was one person that gave Rubio his standing ovation.

Moreover, not a word about the illegal kidnapåing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and claiming that he now ruled the South American country.

If Trump gets impeached after the midterms, it’s clear that Rubio will end up in the trashcan of history.

Short leash

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Plans to administer a written test as part of the citizenship test is the latest example of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. It should be clear to everyone that the aim of the test is not to help naturalized citizens to be a part of society but to monitor them and keep them on a short leash.

Senior advisor Suvi Pulkkinen of the Chamber of Commerce stated outright in Iltalehti that a citizenship test would not be necessary since the rules for obtaining citizenship are sufficiently strict.

“In that case, it should also be organized differently,” she said. “There is a huge risk that it will become a new bottleneck for obtaining citizenship and, as a result, for attracting the skilled workers that companies need to Finland.”

Simo Grönroos, the third vice president of the PS, lashed out: “The chamber of commerce replacement theorists are worried about the citizenship test. In their opinion, the border should be open and citizenship given to everyone freely.”

Read the full story here.

The government’s (PS’) citizenship law and test are a farce and a slap in the face to migrants and minorities. Their main message is suspicion. We should do everything possible to push back on these racist laws and government. Their aim is not to empower but to keep the migrant community on short leashes.

Länsi-Savo: Väestö vanhenee

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Itlan tuore ennuste varoittaa jälleen, että Suomen lapsiväestö vähenee viidenneksellä vuoteen 2035 mennessä. Etelä-Savo kuuluu niihin alueisiin, jotka kärsivät kehityksestä kaikkein eniten: lasten määrä vähenee peräti 24,2 prosenttia – 18 252 lapsesta 13 833 lapseen. Kyse ei ole marginaalisesta muutoksesta, vaan perustavanlaatuisesta väestörakenteen murroksesta.

Lue alkuperänen juttu tässä.

Helsingin Sanomien tuore pääkirjoitus toteaa osuvasti, ettei Suomi ole tunnustanut, kuinka suuri haaste tämä on eikä sitä, mitä se käytännössä merkitsee yhteiskunnalle. ”Meidän pitäisi puhua siitä nyt”, pääkirjoitus päättää.

Yksi selvä merkki siitä, kuinka kaukana olemme yhä siitä keskustelusta, on jatkuva maahanmuuttovastaisuus ja että muut kuin niin sanotut kantasuomalaiset ovat harvoin mukana keskustelussa. Tilannetta pahentaa se, että eräs hallituspuolue edistää avoimen muukalaisvihamielisiä näkemyksiä ja maahanmuuttolainsäädännön kiristämistä pääministeri Petteri Orpon siunauksella. Tämä ei ole vastuullista politiikkaa tilanteessa, jossa työikäinen väestö ja lapsimäärä vähenevät nopeasti.

Uskon, että Mikkelin kaupunki tunnustaa tarvitsevansa uusia asukkaita turvatakseen tulevaisuutensa. Tästä huolimatta osa kaupunginvaltuutetuista julkaisee toistuvasti maahanmuuttoa vastustavia päivityksiä sosiaalisessa mediassa. Lisäksi ne, jotka tietävät paremmin, pysyvät liian usein hiljaa.

Totuus on, että ilman maahanmuuttoa Eurooppaa ja Suomea ei muutaman sukupolven kuluttua enää tunnistaisi. Tuleville sukupolville nykypäivän rasistiset pakkomielteet ja narratiivit näyttäytyvät käsittämättöminä, erityisesti silloin, kun juuri nämä nuoret pitävät yhteiskuntaamme toiminnassa ja huolehtivat ikääntyvästä väestöstä.

Populistisen maahanmuuttovastaisuuden levittäminen ei ole isänmaallisuutta. Päinvastoin: se on syvästi arvojemme vastaista ja kiihdyttää väestön hupenemista entisestään. Keskustelun, jota meidän pitäisi käydä jo tänään, on ylitettävä rajat ja perustuttava osallisuuteen, kuulumiseen ja yhteiseen tulevaisuuteen. Kaikilla ihmisillä, taustasta riippumatta, on tasavertaiset oikeudet ja historia, joka ansaitsee kunnioituksen ja tunnustuksen.

Enrique Tessieri

Kirjoittaja on mikkeliläinen SDP:n kaupunginvaltuutettu.