Apart from the minors who were the victims of Oulu, other casualties are Finland’s migrant community and especially Muslim asylum seekers and refugees.
Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland
If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed.
Paulo Freire
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED
The hysteria generated by the sexual assault cases of minors in Oulu is a reminder of Finland’s issues with racism. The clarion call to hostility by the Oulu police, politicians, the media and public is disproportionate: A whole system many times more powerful is bullying groups of people who are vulnerable and much smaller.
What we are seeing in Finland today in light of Oulu is white racist Finnish privilege at its hostile worse. That knee-jerk reaction is taking us to dangerous waters. What is the endgame of the labelling and victimization Muslims and migrants? Is it more violence and social exclusion?
Even before anyone is brought to trial, even before we have discussed thoroughly the causes and solutions of a social problem like sexual assault, state-run Yle, which represents and are our faint voice in Finland, is at it again with a new story victimizing migrants, especially Muslims.
The story’s headline is provocative: “We investigated why visits to childcare centers and schools were seen as a threat and other reasons as well.”
By the way, not one migrant or minority was cited in the story.
Read the full story (in Finnish) here.
The picture of a child on a swing in the story is in equally poor journalistic taste.
The aim of the story? To justify the ban even if the police does not see any dangers in such visits.
If I were writing the story I would ask the following questions:
- Why didn’t the City of Oulu ever release a statement on the ban?
- Did the City of Oulu ever send to Vuolle Setlementti, an association that organizes visits by asylum seekers, an order halting these types of visits to schools and daycare centers?
- Is the ban discriminatory?
- Is everything intentionally unclear because of concerns by the the city that the ban could get Oulu into legal trouble with Section 6 of the Constitution, which guarantees that we are equal before the law?
- When the City of Oulu speaks of asylum seekers, does it really mean Muslims?
- Why are we listening to far-right extremists like Junes Lokka and Tiina Wiik who have a clear Islamophobic agenda?
- Why are we only obsessed on blaming asylum seekers for the sexual assault crimes?
White Finnish privilege #60
Power and privilege are intoxicating and in the case of Oulu even blinding where you even risk turning from a Dr Jekyll to a racist Mr Hyde.
The actions and handling of the sexual assault cases of Oulu by the police, certain politicians, political parties, and the media prove their level of intoxication and opportunism.
Fortunately, there is such a thing called history that allows us to revisit the past and reflect on what we did and said.
I am certain that Oulu will stick out as one of many shameless examples of our collective racism inspired and upheld by our white Finnish privilege.
See also:
- Defining white Finnish privilege #1: I have it and you don’t
- Defining white Finnish privilege #2: Third culture children versus “pupil with immigrant background”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #3 No history, no doctrine, no heroes and no martyrs
- Defining white Finnish privilege #4 Holding the short end of the stick
- Defining white Finnish privilege #5 It’s ok to be a racist
- Defining white Finnish privilege #6 Not having a voice and the media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #7 A definitive guide
- Defining white Finnish privilege #8 Underrated and less intelligent
- Defining white Finnish privilege #9 Mohammad Ali’s insight
- Defining white Finnish privilege #10 I can victimize and make up any story I like about migrants because I’m white
- Defining white Finnish privilege #11: Case Teuvo Hakkarainen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #12: Case Tom Packalén
- Defining white Finnish privilege #13: Case Matti Putkonen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #14: Losing sight of the real issue
- Defining white Finnish privilege #15: Case Halla-ago on the PS
- Defining white Finnish privilege #16: Rosa Emilia Clay and my history versus yours
- Defining white Finnish privilege #17: The Perussuomalaiset and our civil rights
- Defining white Finnish privilege #18: Labeling others according to your prejudice
- Defining white Finnish privilege #19: My rape statistics about your group
- Defining white Finnish privilege #20: Labeling Others to strengthen “us” and “them.”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #21: Who can be a Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to a politician without memory
- Defining white Finnish privilege #23: Greater police powers to monitor migrants and minorities
- Defining white Finnish privilege #24: Becoming a heartless accomplice in wars and people’s suffering
- Defining white Finnish privilege #25: This land is my land, this isn’t your land
- Defining white Finnish privilege #26: Are you an ethnic Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #27: White versus Other media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn (Part 2)?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #29: Your family is worth less than mine
- White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news
- White Finnish privilege #31: The Soldiers of Odin and the Finnish media
- White Finnish privilege #32: The white Finnish police and “them”
- White Finnish privilege #33: Appropriating our narrative to maintain the status quo, amass more power and privilege
- White Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism
- White Finnish privilege #35: Case Sampo Terho and the ministry of (dis)culture
- White Finnish privilege #36: Hate speech and censorship
- White Finnish privilege #37: The master of near-everything
- Defining white Finnish privilege #38: Cultural appropriation and racism are quaint discussion topics between white Finns
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #39: The Hollywood ending of racism that will never happen in Finland
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #40: To whitewash or to disenfranchise
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #41: An Islamophobic politician and gender equality
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #42: Labeling and shaming
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #43: White versus dark skin
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #44: Defending Nazis’ rights to march is ok as long we agree on the common enemy
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #45: Do blondes have more fun?
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #46: Teuvo Hakkarainen = white racism and sexism
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #47: President Sauli Niinistö’s “culture inside four walls”
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #48: Allow me to smear your religion so mine can shine
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #49: When white privilege backfires
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #50: Caving in to white narratives
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #51: The police are the defenders of white power and privilege
- Exposing white Finnish privilege #52: Having no privilege is dangerous
- White Finnish privilege #53: Plan Finland’s unplanned pregnancy campaign #ProtectBlackGirlsToo #Whatofme
- White FInnish privilege #54: Disguising your racism, bigotry, and prejudices effectively
- White Finnish privilege #55: It’s that time of the year – Christmas!
- White Finnish privilege #56: How Islamophobic is Finland?
- White Finnish privilege #57: Finland’s “hostile environment” against migrants
- White Finnish privilege #58: How the police, media and politicians fuel Finland’s hostile environment against Muslims and migrants
- White Finnish privilege #59: In this country, you are guilty before proven innocent
Could you explain, what exactly is wrong with the story to you? Racist content? What!? It provides answers to questions, that have been brought up in the social media.
“The story’s headline is provocative: “We investigated why visits to childcare centers and schools were seen as a threat and other reasons as well.””
No, it’s not provocative. I would translate it:
We investigated why visits to childcare centers and schools were seen as a threat in Oulu and what were those (=the visits) all about.
picture of a child on a swing poor journalistic taste? Why? This story is about child care centers.
Here’s my answers to you questions. Based on the story.
“Why didn’t the City of Oulu ever release a statement on the ban?”
No need. It’s not actually a ban. Read the next answer.
“Did the City of Oulu ever send to Vuolle Setlementti, an association that organizes visits by asylum seekers, an order halting these types of visits to schools and daycare centers?”
This works opposite than that. They (Vuolle) receive permission to visit and this year they haven’t got it (yet).
“Is the ban discriminatory?”
As you know, because you wrote about it, non-Discrimination Ombudsman Kirsi Pimiä has said it is not. I have born here in Finland, and I don’t have a right to just go to a child care center and watch what the children are doing there. I need a reason and must ask for a permission. Children get disturbed if there are strange people coming and going. There are special days, when everyone can come: “avoimien ovien päivä”
“Is everything intentionally unclear…”
No, it is not unclear at least after the Yle’s story.
“When the City of Oulu speaks of asylum seekers, does it really mean Muslims?”
No
“Why are we listening to far-right extremists like Junes Lokka and Tiina Wiik who have a clear Islamophobic agenda?”
Who is we? There is no mention of these persons in Yle’s story? I’ve heard Junes Lokka mentioned somewhere, possibly on Rasmus discussions. Wiik is unknown to me even though we share the same first name.