Thursday’s A-talk not only exposed Perussuoomalaiset (PS)* Interior Minister Mari Rantanen’s total disregard and desire to trash international refugee agreements, but her propensity to spread disinformation to her voter base.
The logic is the same that we’ve seen throughout history: I hate this group and this entitles me to spread lies about them at will.
Rantanen makes an off-the-cuff claim:
“It [present refugee system] means that if we continue on this path it means that anyone from anywhere, and it means [she shows excitement] if Vladimir Putin crosses the border and says, ‘asylum,’ he can stay indefinitely [in Finland] – it also means that,” said Rantanen.
Left Alliance Chairperson Li Andersson laughs at Rantanen’s claim and stresses that it does not mean that. Putin would be arrested and sent to the International Cour of Justice at The Hague.
Rantanen continues: “You can’t send [Putin] back to Russia because it isn’t a safe country.”
IRadical-right nterioir Minister Rantanen commonly spreads disinformation about asylum seekers and migrants. She is a hateful politician who has built her political career on xenophobia. Source: Yle
Politicians like Rantanen use an old trick to spread disinformation. It involves making an outrageous claim, like Putin cannot be returned to Russia if he applies for asylum. The news spreads like a wildfire to her voter base. Even if journalists refute her claim later, it does not matter because it is too late. The news is already out there.
