Category: Enrique Tessieri

“The world’s happiest country” and its ever-growing moral conflict

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Gunnar Myrdal (1898-1987) published his groundbreaking study on the United States’ racism problem in 1944. While Myrdal was a controversial figure and Sweden was into measuring the skulls of the Saami due to a pseudoscience called eugenics, his study leaves us with food for thought.

One of these is denial of a serious social problem like the endemic injustice and poverty of the black man in the United States. You did not need to, however, to arrive at the same conclusions as Myrdal if you took a long good look at US society back then – and even today.

The central thesis of Myrdal’s study was that the United States, or particularly white USAmericans, was a conflict with the USAmerican creed founded on freedom, justice, and opportunity on the one hand but carried out systemic violations of the blacks through social exclusion and disenfranchisement.

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“The world’s happiest country” faces a labor and talent crunch

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How is it possible that the world’s happiest country is suffering from a severe labor crunch? Here are some facts: the number of over-65-year-olds per 100 working-age people will rise from 39.2% to 47.3% in 2030; to plug its pensions deficit, Finland needs to double the level of migrants to 20,000-30,000 annually. 

In Europe’s most homogenous country – by historical choice – other factors don’t attract skilled labor and talent to Finland.

One has only to read the country’s biggest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, and the media in general to see their value priorities.

One of these is certainly not social equality, fairness, and equity of all people living in Finland.

France 24 pinpoints it to the tee: “But anti-immigrant sentiment and a reluctance to employ outsiders are also widespread in Western Europe’s most homogenous society, and the opposition far-right Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset*) regularly draws substantial support during elections.”

To add to the latter’s problem, it appears that the Finnish state is challenging head-on labor discrimination and racism in society. Due justice takes years in racism cases to resolve, and few politicians are ready to speak out against such social ills.

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Finnish parliament improves asylum rights, but there is still a long way to go

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Parliament voted Wednesday to lift some of the restrictions it imposed in 2016 during the government of Juha Sipilä, which, among other matters, lowered the deadline for appeals and legal assistance to asylum seekers., according to the Refugee Advice Council.

Read original tweet here.

One of these includes the deadlines for appeals originally reduced to 21 days from 30 days in the second instance. The deadline for appeals is now restored to 30 days.

Moreover, asylum seekers’ cases will face greater scrutiny to avoid the return of people wrongfully. One complaint that the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) had was that it did not carefully check asylum seekers’ cases and thus put people in harm’s way.

While these matters will improve the legal situation of asylum seekers, there are several laws from 2016 that hinder family reunification and the offering of residence on humanitarian grounds.

It is an important first step but there are many more that must be taken.

Riikka Purra is a poor copy of Jussi Halla-aho

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Jussi Halla-aho’s heir-apparent appears to be the party’s first vice-president, Riikka Purra. While Halla-aho has swung the party to the far-right and encouraging xenophobia, Purra has parroted the PS leader’s racist soundbites but with questionable results.

Like Halla-aho, Purra loathes Muslims and people of color. So much so, in fact, that she warned about ethnic replacement hogwash and how Finland’s population was becoming more diverse. In her book, brown, Afro Finns and other visible minorities are a threat to white Finland.

You don’t need to have a lot of knowledge on politics to understand that most of the catchphrases used by the PS have their origin from other xenophobic groups in Europe. One of these used in the last municipal elections was “take Finland back.”

Is it a coincidence that the PS copies xenophobic catchphrases from other EU countries and parties? Source: CityA.M.

Writes the Finnish Security Police (Supo) in its last-year report: “One of the most noteworthy ideological motives of far-right terrorists is known as the Great Replacement conspiracy theory based on the idea of a fundamental threat posed by immigration and multiculturalism to the white population of Western countries. Views reflecting the idea of a Great Replacement have been highlighted in several far-right terrorist attacks.”

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Jussi Halla-aho announces he will step down as PS chair in August

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Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Chairperson Jussi Halla-aho announced Monday that he will not seek reelection as the party’s head at the annual meeting in August, according to Yle News. While some party members expressed sadness about the news, Halla-aho will not be missed by many.

No reason was given for his departure. There is, however, some speculation that Halla-aho was never enthusiastic about leading the party. Moreover, his exit may be a new step in making the Islamophobic party appear “more normal.”

Read the fulkl story here.

Even if the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) has said that it could form a government with the PS, Halla-aho remains a controversial person due to his racist views and writings.

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Forcing an elderly Russian asylum seeker in Finland to the hospital

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Some Russian asylum seekers expressed outrage of the ill-treatment of a single, 64-year-old woman from the Ukraine who was carried away by force from the Eastern Finnish Imatra asylum reception center.

“This is not the way to great a human,” said a Russian asylum seeker who got in touch with Migrant Tales. “We are not animals. We have human rights, too.”

So what justified the use of such force by the police?

Apparently, the woman, refused to go to the hospital because she fears deportation to Russia.

“There was another case [at the same asylum reception center] of a Russian woman called Ludmila who was sent to the hospital, [allegedly] drugged and then deported to Russia,” she said. “Later on she appeared in Turkey after being forced to return to Russia.”

If you have any information about what happened or about the elderly woman in the pictures, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

Shame on Fortress Europe – 44,746 deaths

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The 44,746 deaths of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean and deaths due to Fortress Europe policies are another black spot on Europe. The deaths span from 1993 to June 1. Our indifference and apathy to this humanitarian crisis make the Mediterranean and Europe grow into a grave with unknown and forgotten people.

Indifference is one issue about our shameful behavior. But, others, like some of our politicians who would not care an iota if people who flee wars, hunger, and poverty die.

In Finland we exposed them thanks to an election compass in 2019.

Migrant Tales wrote back then: A total of 234 Euro election candidates answered Alma Media’s election compass, a total of 85 (36.3%) stated that they either “strongly disagree,” “disagree,” or are “neutral” (have no opinion) about the following claim: “Is it the obligation of the EU to save all those migrants who attempt to come to Europe and are at risk of drowning in the Mediterranean?”

The answers above were by Finnish MEP candidates who should know better.

Read the full statement here.

Europe’s immigration and refugee policy needs a long-overdue overhaul.

Europe’s history and hatred of its former colonial subjects allow it to remain indifferent.

KOTOUTUMINEN #15: Finland only promotes gender equality

Posted on by Migrant Tales

An interesting video posted by a CaroxElMundo, who tells us in Spanish about her experiences about Finland, makes a very good observation: Finland promotes gender equality, but all other types of equality take a back seat.

She makes a valid point.

Finland has made a lot of progress in gender rights. There are still many things that have to be set right: women make on average 20% less than men at work, Finland is one of the most violent countries in the EU for women to live in. It was only 37 years ago when women won the right to pass on Finnish nationality to their children, even if they won the right to vote in 1906.

An ad from the 1960s that states that it is a “white man’s” cigarette. I guess this means that the cigarette brand was not meant for Roma and other visible minorities. The ad was made when women could give birth to children but not pass on nationality to them.

There are a lot of myths surrounding social equality in Finland.

The myths that are perpetuated permit institutional racism and discrimination to stay intact.

The myth reaches its most vulgar proportions at many “integration” courses for newcomers are, in reality, courses where you are fed Finnish exceptionalism. You are taught a lot about using public services but rarely talked about fighting for your rights and being treated equally before the law.

For this reason, the process of learning about your place in Finland can come as a rude surprise for some. It may also come as a lesser surprise if you learn this harsh reality in drips and drabs.

See also:

*Kotoutiminen is the Finnish term for integration. It came about in the late-1990s because there was no such term in the Finnish language.

Roma activist and Young European of the Year Leif Hagert: Now is the time to challenge discrimination

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Finland’s Romany population got a rude reminder of the racism and ethnic profiling women from that group have to endure daily. You’d think that a country like Finland, which claims to uphold Nordic values, knows that ethnic profiling is not only illegal and insulting to the individual and group.

Migrant Tales has maintained for a long time that if the media were serious about the racist treatment that some people endure in this country, they have abundant evidence from the country’s 10,000-strong Romany minority.

While there is abundant evidence about racism against the Roma, the interesting question is why has it continued for so long, and why has the response of the authorities and politicians been so lukewarm?

Leif Hagert was named the Young European of the Year in May. Hagert, who has been outspoken on Roma rights in Finland, states that the Roma made history on Saturday when they demonstrated against ethnic profiling by security guards at markets. The name of the demonstration was “The Right to Breathe.” The Roma started to speak out against discrimination in the 1970s.

Hagert told Migrant Tales by phone that the time to react to discrimination in Finland is now.

“Discrimination against the Roma must be addressed by others apart from the Roma. Together, we must break the current culture of allowing [people and authorities] to treat the Roma as they please,” said Hagert. “Structural racism requires the intervention of decision-makers. Words alone are not enough. Action is needed.”

True, Hagert. Our first and foremost response to discrimination and racism is a reaction.

USAmerica’s colonial legacy in Latin America is like Africa for Europe

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I was shocked but not surprised when US Vice President Kamala Harris warned would-be Guatemalans fleeing corruption, violence, and poverty. What Harris said in Guatemala was shameful and dishonest.

“I want to be clear to folks in the region who make that dangerous trek to the Unites States-Mexican border – do not come, do not come,” she was quoted as saying in The Guardian. “The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border. There are legal methods by which migration should and can occur. But one of our priorities is to discourage illegal migration, and I believe if you to our border, you will be turned back.”

Harris’ warning was shrouded by US hegemony in the region with a lack of historical context.

There is a reason why Central American countries like Guatemala are known as banana republics.

A video clip showing what happened to former Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz for challenging the United Fruit Company of Boston.

Even if Vice President Harris suffers from a bout of historic amnesia, the US under Ronald Reagan was responsible for giving the green light to former General Efraín Ríos Montt, who was tried and convicted of genocide and war crimes that left an estimated 200,000 dead.

According to The Center for Justice & Accountability, “General Efraín Ríos Montt came to power in Guatemala through a coup in March 1982. A month later, he launched a “scorched earth” operation against the country’s Ixil Maya population. Under Ríos Montt’s dictatorship, the army and its paramilitary units systematically annihilated over 600 villages.”

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