An immigration policy founded on racism and suspicion is bound to fail.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government has gotten off to a disastrous start that exposes how much out of touch it is with our Nordic values. Thanks to the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS) and their ties to neo-Nazi and far-right groups, Prime Minister Orpo is desperately trying to heal the government’s wounds with denials and political fairy tales.
The government is mortally wounded. It will only be a matter of time when the government will collapse.
PS MP Jani Mäkelä (left) and my badge of honor (right). Mäkelä claims that he wants to talk about the problems that migration brings. Sources: Yle and Twitter.
When listening to the PS and the National Coalition Party, one wonders if politicians like Orpo believe that people can’t see through their lies. How can you promise to uphold human rights, press freedom, and the rule of law if your policies expose the opposite?
In Finland, you can publish racist blogs, ask MPs to be raped, shoot gays, downplayed the Holocaust and end up as speaker of parliament, like Jussi Halla-aho.
It’s amazing, if not magical, how quickly far-right politicians of the Perussumalaiset (PS)* party can whitewash and deny their far-right and neo-Nazi sympathies. I am not talking about fringe politicians, but ministers in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government.
You may ask how it’s possible to joke constantly, and for years, about the Holocaust, spread freely the great replacement theories and other ugly far-right things, and expect that everything is ok?
It may work most of the time, but it can backfire as happened with PS Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Jussila, who resigned after eleven days of being minister.
The latest scandal to hit the PS only two days after Junnila resigned, are three PS ministers, party chair Riikka Purra (Finance Minister), Mari Rantanen, (Interior Minister), and Leena Meri (Justice Minister). All three tweeted that they do not believe in the great replacement theory.
Halla-aho, who has never apologized for his racist writings, is also in hot water.
If Rantanen, Purra and Meri don’t believe in the far-right conspiracy theory that led to the death of 77 people in Norway in 2011 and the Christchurch massacre, among others, why are they now denying it?
Interior Minister Rantanen, who is a nurse and has had police training, is one of the most active Islamophobes in the government. She has relied on the great replacement theory to attract voters. Before the April election, she infamously stated on her webpage that, “We mustn’t be so naive [naive in Finnish means being blue-eyed] that soon we won’t be blue-eyed.”
The original post by Rantanen can no longer be read on her Facebook and webpage.
Why can’t we read Rantanen’s posting anymore on Facebook?
“Exactly as you said. Let me be clear: I do not believe in conspiracy theories. Nor do I believe in the great replacement of the population. I believe in numbers and statistics. And I believe in democracy, where you influence things by changing laws.“
If Rantanen didn’t say what she said, why does she so strongly deny the far-right conspiracy theory? Why does she even go as far as to point out that she believes change can only happen through democratic institutions?
If you read her tweet carefully, she does not renounce the great replacement theory but now talks about “numbers and statistics,” which back her original replacement theory.
Moreover, Rantanen does not offer us any statistical information, never mind any links, to back up her ludicrous and racist claim.
Rantanen, like Purra and Meri, crapped in her pants after what happened to Junnila. Their about-turn and new denials are a sign of cowardice.
Historian Jussi Jalonen summarizes in a tweet the three ministers’ change of heart.
Perussuomalaiset (PS)*Minister of Economic Affairs VIlhelm Junnila was in office for just 11 days, making him one of the shortest-serving ministers in Finnish history. Junnila’s downfall is attributable to himselfand his long trail of neo-Nazi sympathies and “jokes.”
The fact that the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) went to bed with a radical-right party like the PS shows poor judgment. It also reveals Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s lack of leadership and his blind spot to the far right.
Even if opposition politics and activists may contribute to the eventual downfall of Orpo’s government in the months ahead, its biggest headache is itself as Junnila demonstrated.
Before the April general election, she wrote: “We mustn’t be so naive [naive in Finnish means being ‘blue-eyed’] that soon we won’t be blue-eyed.”
A nurse with police training and very xenophobic opinions, she continued to defend her claim on how Europe is changing ethnically before our eyes. Despite her claim, Rantanen has not shown us any statistical information backing her great replacement theory in Sweden, never mind Finland.
Rantanen tweets: 1/2 Regarding today’s news: I don’t believe in conspiracy theories (sic). The statistical pressure placed on Europe’s population and the resulting demographic change is a fact. The consequences of immigration must also be discussed in this context without stigmatization.
2/2 Many would like to see a strong acceleration of [migrants to the country]. In the run-up to the [April] election, there were serious proposals to admit 1.4 million immigrants to Finland. The PS took a firm line and received a strong mandate from the Finns. In politics, it must be possible to raise objections for or against.
What a show we saw in parliament Wednesday when radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila survived a no-confidence vote! The first visible cracks in National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government became evident.
One of the questions that some may be asking is why does Kokoomus want to do business with a party that it turned down in 2017. The PS had imploded into two factions after the party elected Jussi Halla-aho as its new leader.
“Halla-aho’s Perussuomalaiset… their base values are so drastically different from ours,” he said. “They go against our most sacred values, human dignity, human rights, the concept of humanity, openness, and internationalism.”
Helsingin Sanomat asked Orpo five years after why the party had now qualms about sharing power in government with the PS. “The current Perussuomalaiset party, as it has evolved under Halla-aho and [Riikka] Purra, is such that I see no reason why we cannot negotiate a government program [with them],” he was quoted as saying.
Orpo’s assurances do nothing more than fuel mistrust because they are based on lies like what he said about Junnila. “Of course we do not accept any type of extremism, Nazism, Stalinism, or other ideologies that are dangerous to society or people,” he said in Helsingin Sanomat. “This is quite obvious. Everyone in Finland must be able to live a good life in safety.”
I wonder what minorities, migrants and asylum seekers think about Orpo’s statement.
We have read about the numerous anti-Semitic, racist, neo-Nazi, and far-right comments that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila has made throughout the years. He now regrets these hateful comments and claims that they were all done humorously.
UPDATE: Finland’s parliament gave a 95-86 vote of confidence to the government program and Minister Junnila.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government wants to reassure us that there is no room for extremism in his coalition.
Do you believe him? Not.
Below is a good six-point guide on how to insult victims of the Holocaust, support neo-Nazis, the far-right, and racists, and end up as a minister.
Six-point guide on how to become a minister despite your controversial views: 1. Double-talk. 2. Deny everything. 2. Tell your enemies that you like humor or are a bad comedian. 3. Lie and act spineless (your fat monthly check will help you forget) 4. Tell your followers that you are serious. 5. Apologize with your fingers crossed. 6. Work with parties who think like you but are still in the closet about their extremist views.
Finland’s most right-wing government since the 1930s was hit by controversy on its first day Tuesday due to its links with neo-Nazis, the far-right, and unapologetic racist blog posts.
One of the epicenters of the scandal is Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila, whose neo-Nazi and white supremacist sympathies are readily seen through a trail of evidence.
Apart from taking part in a rally organized by far-right groups, Junnila congratulated in 2019 a Peerussuomalaiset (PS)* candidate for receiving the 88 election number. “First of all, congratulations on an excellent election number,” he was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel. “I know it’s a winning card.”
As everyone knows, 88 is code used by neo-Nazis to mean “Heil Hitler,” or “HH.”
It is odd why Junnila now apologizes for such inappropriate behavior by stating on Twitter that “I condemn holocaust, antisemitism and all anti-Semitic acts completely.”
Sorry, but Junnila’s about-face apology is BS served on a platter.
(From top left to right) Junnila visiting the United States and posing with Confederate General Robert E. Lee suggesting white supremacist sympathies. Wearing a Donald Trump MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap with former PS MP Veikko Vallin. Junnila giving a speech at a far-right rally in Turku in 2019.
The government fuels two matters: loss of credibility and polarization of society.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government, considered the most right wing since the 1930s, faced a storm of controversy on its first day not because of its austerity program, which will hit the most vulnerable sectors of society, but because of its embarrassing links to neo-Nazis and racism.
Headlined Euronews: “Racism and rape fantasies: The PR headache facing Finland’s new right-wing government.” Madrid-based El País writes: “The far-right will control seven key ministries in the Finnish government.”
The Times of Israel doesn’t beat round the bush either: “[Minister of Economic Affairs] Vilhelm Junnila says previous [neo-Nazi] behavior was ‘foolish and immature’; another key figure in new government, House Speaker Jussi Halla-aho, also has history of racist remarks.”
Apart from taking part in a rally organized by far-right groups, Junnila congratulated in 2019 a PS candidate for receiving the 88 election number. “First of all, congratulations on an excellent election number,” he was quoted as saying in The Times of Israel. “I know it’s a winning card.”
As everyone knows, 88 is code used by neo-Nazis to mean “Heil Hitler,” or “HH.”
It is odd why Junnila now apologizes for such inappropriate behavior.
Minister Junnila, who claims to not house any extremist views, now apologizes for his “88” comment: “Those who know me, know that I am a moderate. I do not belong to any nationalist organisations [sic], nor do I plan joining any.”Source: Twitter
Junnila and former MP Veikko Vallin, givng the thumbs up with their MAGA caps. Source: Facebook
Finland’s new interior minister, Mari Rantanen of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, wrote on her webpage before the April general election: “We mustn’t be so naive [naive in Finnish means being ‘blue-eyed’] that soon we won’t be blue-eyed.”
The posting can no longer be found on her webpage.
In a recent interview with Iltalehti, Rantanen, who is a nurse with police basic training, elaborated on her “blue-eye” comment.
Iltalehti: “What did you mean that soon we won’t have any blue-eyed people [in Finland]?
Rantanen:“I meant exactly what it says.”
Iltalehti:“In your opinion, are blue-eyed people better than others?”
Rantanen:“Just like I said, it states what I meant. The focus is not on racial policies, that is not the issue at hand.
At the heart of National Socialist racial doctrine is the maintenance of the traits of the ‘Aryan race’, such as superiority and maintenance of blond hair and blue eyes. Ethnic cleansing has been practiced in various parts of the world in the name of such a doctrine.
Among the most famous people responsible for committing genocide is Adolf Hitler’s who used it against Jews, the mentally handicapped, homosexuals, Slavs, and Roma.
Finland’s new Interior Minister Mari Rantanen’s sympathies for racism and fascism are evident in this cartoon published before the municipal election, where she throws in the trash can parties like the Social Democrats, Center Party, Left Alliance and in the recycling bin concepts like BLM, globalism, Antifa, feminism and communism.
An immigration policy founded on racism and suspicion is bound to fail.
The tightening of the new government’s immigration policy, which has instilled fear among non-EU migrants, asylum seekers, and disappointment from the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) for hindering to facilitation foreign labor from outside the EU, is risky for a number of reasons.
If one reads the new government’s immigration policy, it’s clear that it was drafted by politicians who see migration from outside the EU as a threat. For non-EU migrants the message is clear: leave, we don’t want you here.
Just like former Prime Minister Juho Sipilä’s government (2015-2019), the new government plans to treat Finns and foreigners unequally concerning social welfare.
Section 6 of the constitution is crystal clear: “Everyone is equal before the law.”
Thus, if you want to lower social welfare benefits to non-FInns, you just lower them for Finns as well if you want it to be in line with the constitution.
Many of the proposals by the new government are in conflict with our constitution and international law, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
The new measures are intended primarily for those who voted for the radical right Perussuoalaiset (PS)* party and the National Coalition Party.
It is ironic that the government’s new immigration policy is published during one of the worst shipwreck disasters in the Mediterranean, where hundreds of people are believed to have drowned off the coast of Greece.
If you look at other countries like Canada, the US, Argentina and others that have a long history with migrants, they are not perfect and problematic, but there is one matter that unites them: pathways to inclusion, an opportunity to become a part of society, real or imagined. In Finland, there are still no such paths.
Denmark is a good example of how radical-right parties like the Danish People’s Party (DPP) grow and eventually die off. In the 2022 election, the DPP saw its support plummet to an all-time low of 2.63%, losing 11 MPs to end up with a total of 5 MPs. In the 2015 election, the DPP had their best election result ever, winning 37 seats.
It should not come as any surprise that the radical right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are close ideological allies of the DPP. It should not also come as a surprise that the catastrophic election result of the DPP last year sent shivers up the PS’ spine.
From left to right, three Nordic Region parties have captured the racist imagination of their voters: The Danish People’s Party, Sweden Democrats, and Perussuomalaiset.
The spectacular fall from the political grace of the DPP to the rapid rise of the Sweden Democrats and PS in the last decade rings a similar bell: rapid growth with the help of a hostile anti-immigration campaign message is easy but does not mean that voters will continue to support such parties forever.
Support for the Danish People’s Party plunged by 87.4% from 2015 to the 2022 general election. Source: Statistics Denmark
Even if anti-immigration parties may grow rapidly, Denmark proved that the most effective way of destroying them is by adopting the same radical policies as these parties. The key is to become more radical because voters will not vote for “light” xenophobic versions of a radical right party.
It’s clear that the Moderate Party in Sweden and the National Coalition Party of Finland are taking a big risk in cooperating with the Sweden Democrats and PS. For one, such support could enable their radical-right partners to eat them up unless they react.
