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Further momentum against racism in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Here is a story published Sunday on Savon Sanomat of Kuopio that shows members in the right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS) party giving the thumbs down to racism. Jukka Kotimäki, PS organization secretary of Siilimäki near Kuopio,  states that he does not want openly racist people to be a part of his party. 

Even though we are speaking of a small community in Eastern Finland, it shows that there is already debate in the PS on this important issue. We should applaud a member of the PS, who states that racism has nothing to do with his party.

While this is a very good sign, the PS still has a lot of work and issues to resolve concerning its stand on discrimination and racism. One of the persons we’d be happy to hear and make a break with this type of anti-social behavior is PS head Timo Soini.

Migrant Tales wrote recently about how most parties in Finland are giving the thumbs down to racism.

In my opinion, the mere idea that Finland could turn into a Denmark or that some politicians believe that they could become a Finnish Geert Wilders or even a modern Arthur Seyss-Inquart exposes not only their delusional opportunism but their ignorance on immigration.

While there is still a lot of work to do on the anti-racism front in Finland, there is hope  especially for our children and grandchildren so they may live in a country where racism and hatred of other groups are shameful and rare.

Shortly after this latest blog entry was published, @HelsinkiObs tweeted the following:Please also note that @anon_finland have taken a very strong stance. #anti-racism.

Thank you for the heads up!

Most Finnish parties are giving the thumbs down to racism

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Left Alliance presidential hopeful, Paavo Arhimäki, said Sunday that his party has taken the strongest stand against racism when compared with the candidates of the Swedish People’s Party and Greens, reports Tampere-based daily Aaamulehti. It is an encouraging sign that Finland’s political parties appear to be competing to be the most outspoken on racism.

I have my doubts, however, about Perussuomalaiset (PS) party presidential candidate Timo Soini, who still hasn’t made a clear and conclusive break from racism never mind other forms of discrimination. I still don’t know what the Christian Democrat candidate, EuroMP Sari Essayah, thinks about the issue.

I am pretty sure that veteran politicians like Sauli Niinistö of Kokoomus never mind Paavo Lipponen of the Social Democratic Party know that discrimination has to be challenged and is a sign of a society in steep decline.

Lipponen has in the past spoken strongly against the far-right menace in the PS and to Finnish democracy.

What would you say about Center Party presidential candidate Paavo Väyrynen, who served during the cold war as foreign minister? If he didn’t care a lot about human rights violations committed by Finland against Soviet asylum seekers why would he have a different opinion on immigrants?

Even so, parties like Kokoomus, Social Democrats and Center Party have pretty mixed opinions about racism and how it should be tackled.

Even if racism has lifted its head in Finland, the opposition to this social ill has been promising.

It clearly shows that Finns can, together with other minorities, can defeat this menace.

Teaching Tolerance: White Anti-Racism: Living the Legacy

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Even if racism comes in different forms in different countries and regions, it’s the same thing. People who work against this social ill face similar problems irrespective if they are in Lieksa, Finland, or in Fresno, California. 

If, for example, we want to see what kind of a threat neo-Nazi groups pose for Finland, it would be good to turn our attention to Germany to see what they have done on this front. If we want to see what anti-immigration far-right parties have in store for us, we could look at the impact of parties like the Danish People’s Party.   

There has been dear little public debate in Finland about those who work with immigrants and try to empower minorities to stand up for their rights. Sometimes “well-intentioned” groups may do just the opposite and promote apathy, however. 

The Teaching Tolerance story below asked four women some of the most common mistakes “white anti-racist” activists make when working with ethnic minorities. 

These are some of the issues they brought up: 

  • Not acknowledging that they have power and privilege by the mere fact that they are white. 
  • The most common mistakes white activists make are 1) setting an agenda with the illusion of inclusion, and 2) having to have a franchise on comfort.
  • White anti-racists make a mistake when they shut out the poor and uneducated and keep in those “in the know” to decide what’s good for people of color.
  • “Getting it” is the biggest point, I feel. Getting it means many things: the ability for white activists to understand that they have a space and place of privilege. It really is up to white people to give up their privilege and be okay with that. 
  • I believe that white allies can “get it” if we define “getting it” as becoming attuned to the subtle effects of racial bias in everyday interactions and environments. We can “get it” if we recognize the systemic presence of racism and how race-based oppression is allowed to continue.  

Do we “get it” in Finland? 

Thank you @getgln for the heads up!

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What does “white anti-racist” mean? How can guilt get in the way? And what’s all this talk about being “colorblind”? Teaching Tolerance asked community activists to share their thoughts on these questions, and others. Their answers shine light on the concepts of comfort, power, privilege and identity.

Read whole story.

HS in English: Poll: long road ahead to universal acceptance of minorities

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Two polls published on last Saturday and Thursday by Helsingin Sanomat have raised quite a stir in Finland. So much so, in fact, that President Tarja Halonen commented on the one published on Saturday, which showed that two thirds believed that there is much or a fair amount of racism in Finland. 

Some right-wing populist Perussuomalaiset (PS) party were outraged by Halonen’s statement in light of the poll:  Said President Halonen: “People who recognise racism in themselves have ended up voting for the True Finns. The True Finns have been seen as their way of reacting to some problems which they consider to be truly serious. I have said that the questions and problems can be the right ones to some degree, but the answers are wrong.”

A new poll on Thursday gave more fuel to Saturday’s poll, when it showed that over half interviewed said they would take a negative view of the idea of marrying a member of the Romany minority; 32% said they would not like the idea of marrying an African. Over a third responded that they would not want a Somalian family to be their neighbor. 

Despite the result, the vast majority of those polled said they had no problems marrying a white USAmerican. 

Do you agree as the headline by Helsingin Sanomat that the road to acceptance of minorities in Finland will be a long one?

In my opinion, the length of that road depends on us. If immigrants and Finns with multicultural backgrounds, together with other members of our society, take leadership on this front the journey will be shorter. 

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Modu Sidibeh, a 46-year-old Gambian-born youth worker who works in Kauniainen, is shocked, but not really surprised, to read the results of a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat.

Read whole story.

 

When racism attacks its eager keeper in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

Racism is a serious social ill that festers in all societies. Some parties, like the Persussuomalaiset (PS), appear to be dazzled by the political opportunities it offers in the way of votes, public attention and fueling their nihilism. What they forget, however, is that racism has no master and can bite back at its eager keepers. 

Anders Breivik, who went on a mass-killing rampage in Norway on July 22, is a recent example of how racism and xenophobia can turn against those that let it out of the cage.

After racism bit back at one of its keepers in Norway, we have seen anti-immigration parties in Norway, Denmark and Sweden lose ground.

The PS as well appears rightfully concerned about the negative impact of the racism and bigotry that some of their party members have spread wholesale with gusto.

This explains why PS MP James Hirvisaari, one of the most far-right anti-immigration extremists in Timo Soini’s party, is appealing the government to stop the deportation of a Vietnamese family, according to Uusi Suomi.

Migrant Tales, which has followed the PS like white on rice, knows perfectly well that Hirvisaari’s appeal is only crocodile tears. It is a cheap political stunt by him to shake off some well-earned and self-inflicted labels of his party like racism, bigotry, homophobia, male chauvinism and neo-Nazism.

Hirvisaari’s opportunistic ploy is a positive sign, however. It shows that the PS is clearly concerned about the damage that its anti-immigration stand can and has inflicted on the party.

The ugly face of racism in Finland is alive and kicking on Facebook (Lieksa)

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

If you want to see the face of racism in the raw in Finland, visit the following Facebook website called “Mamu keskustelu ilman sensuuria (lieksa),” or “Immigrant debate without censorship (Lieksa).” After reading a few threads you will see the face of racism in Finland stare back at you fully exposed and unrestrained.

It is welcome news that the police took action Friday against some of the people on the Facebook site for inciting racial hatred and, worse, encouraging violence against the roughly 200 immigrants that live in the small city of 12,800 inhabitants.

Lieksa is a small city in the eastern Finnish region of Pohjois-Karjala, a region well known in Finland for its issues with racism. Even so, a lot of people as well as organizations like JoMoni in Joensuu are doing a lot of work to challenge the ever-growing face of racism in this part of Finland.

Pohjois-Karjala launched in the 1970s a successful health campaign to lower cholesterol levels and save lives. The region should  launch a very strong campaign against racism to save this part of Finland from social and economic impoverishment due to the hostile attitudes of some of their inhabitants.

Who wants to move or live in a region that has a racist label hanging over its head? How many companies would relocate there? How many students from outside the region want to study in a city that has such a dubious reputation?

One matter is clear when reading some of the comments on “Immigrant debate without censorship (Lieksa)” from the festering wound of racism in that city: Shameless ignorance. Some of those that post on the Facebook site don’t even understand that they have serious issues with their racist attitudes.

Sad, but true.

Spiegel Online International: Neo-Nazi Killings Expose Broad German Xenophobia

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: If you want to learn about how to treat neo-Nazi and far right parties, Germany would be the place to begin your search. Due to the horrific things that happened in Germany under the Nazi regime, the Germans if anyone know how self-destructive racism and xenophobia can be. 

Taking into account the rise of a populist party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) that is anti-EU, anti-immigration and above all anti-Muslim, will we see in Finland more far-right parties gaining strength? If this happens, we have nobody else to blame than ourselves.  

We should not lay a red carpet for far-right parties. We lay a red carpet and bow to them whenever we are silent and don’t ask serious questions like journalist Lisa Bjurwald does in her latest book, “Euroopan häpeä – Rasistien voittokulku.”

Like the Spiegel Online International story below, which shows how neo-Nazi groups have been killing immigrants in Germany, an eerie question stares back at us: When will it happen here, especially after the horrific events that took place in Norway on July 22? 

During these very difficult times when racism and xenophobia are raising their heads in Finland, it is important that we look at countries where these types of social ills have been a problem before. Germany is one of these countries. 

Writes Spiegel Online International: “When racism raises its ugly specter in Germany, the response has always been the same: block it out, look the other way, change the subject. No one says anything when a woman in a supermarket in Greifswald is spit on because she looks Asian.” 

Just like neo-Nazi killings expose broad German xenophobia and racism, we should be just as concerned about the rise of these social ills in Finland. 

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A Commentary by Stefan Kuzmany

The discovery of a neo-Nazi terror cell in Germany has many concerned about the country’s reputation. With good reason. Racism and xenophobia have deep roots in German society — and the vocabulary used to describe the right-wing extremist crime spree is telling.

Read whole story.

HS in English: Prospect of dancing gays keeps MP away from Independence Day reception

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Homophobic comments by Perussuomalaiset (PS) party MP Pentti Oinonen raise an interesting question about Finland’s third-largest party: How many or its MPs AREN’T xenophobic, racist, far right or homophobic? 

Oinonen explained his decision to not attend the president’s annual December 6 independence day reception by quoting a recently-deceased war veteran: “He said that he would not have fought on behalf of Finnish independence if he would have known that homosexuals would be dancing at the Independence Day celebration. That is a shocking experience for a veteran.”

The PS MP’s comment raised a furry on different social media websites. 

One of Finland’s best known gay figures, Touko “Tom of Finland” Laaksonen, was a decorated war veteran. 

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True Finns MP Pentti Oinonen has announced that he will not attend the President’s annual Independence Day reception on December 6th this year. Oinonen said that he would not be comfortable at a party attended only by people who are well off.

Read whole story.

Exemplary Finns and exemplary immigrants

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Enrique Tessieri

You don’t need the acceptance of over 5 million people to feel welcome in Finland. Only a few exemplary people will do, even one or two persons. Even though I am a Finn with a multicultural background, these exemplary people have given me strength and belief in this society.

A situation or a person can change your life for good, even a simple sentence uttered.

I hope that immigrants and minorities who live in Finland meet and find more of those exemplary Finns. There are more of them than people think especially during these politically turbulent times fueled by intolerance, racism and hatred.

Those that encourage social inequality of immigrants and minorities are the total opposite of those exemplary Finns. They are the shameful Finns who can still learn to become exemplary.

The first exemplary Finns I met were my grandparents, mother and later on writers like Eeva Kilpi as well as many others.

I met Kilpi in 1967 by chance when I landed in front of her summer house in the middle of an open field that was hugged by a tranquil sunny afternoon forest.  We still see each other and remember how we met on that special day forty-five years ago.

She wrote about our meeting in the woods of Savo in a book called Häätanhu and encouraged me to never to return to Finland as a foreigner.

I believe that our instant bond of friendship had to do a lot with displacement. She was a refugee from Karelia and I was the son of immigrant parents living in Los Angeles, California. Our common love was a home called Finland and its sublime woods.

There are many other exemplary Finns that I have met in this country and abroad as well. One matter that unites all of them is that they not only accepted who I was but encouraged me to be that person.

Just as there are exemplary Finns there are as well exemplary immigrants.

KU Verkkolehti: Rasistinen äärioikeisto hivuttautuu valtavirtaan

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Comment: Lisa Bjurwald’s book, Euroopan häpeä – Rasistien voittokulku (Art House), is not only encouraging but a constant reminder of the threat that far-right and right-wing populist anti-immigration parties pose on Europe and countries like Finland. 

You can read as well about Bjurwald and the launching of her book Wednesday on Uusi Suomi and Demari. One of the many interesting points she points out is that no far-right party in Europe considers itself politically in the extreme right never mind spreading racist ideology.

There is, however, according to Bjurwald enough evidence to show that the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is no different from other populist ones like the Sweden Democrats.  The Guardian headlined an interview with PS head Timo Soini as a “far-right Finnish politician.” 

Said Bjurwald on Uusi Suomi: “Timo Toini operates as a typical (like other populist parties in Europe) stating that the Perussuomalaiset (party) does not approve racism. But they do accept it, if not these representatives would have gotten kicked out of the party.”

She adds: “Not even our racists (in Sweden) are this stupid (as the PS).”

The job of condemning the PS’ racism and hostility towards minorities like homosexuals shows that still some of the Finnish media, political parties and the general public don’t take seriously the message of intolerance and hatred coming out of the PS.

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Arto Huovinen

Euroopassa on pitkään suhtauduttu aivan liian huolettomasti äärioikeistosta tulevaan uhkaan, sanoo aiheesta kirjan kirjoittanut ruotsalainen toimittaja Lisa Bjurwald.

Read whole story.