Few will deny in the face of racism scandals in the summer of 2023 that the government’s anti-racism plan is a cover-up, according to the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL).
“We thank warmly all experts who have participated in the planning of this [government anti-racism Action Plan] campaign for their good work,” said JHL’s Chief Executive Officer Mari Keturi. “Unfortunately, the government’s actions blatantly conflict with the objectives of the campaign. We speak with action…”
The aim of the Action Plan for Combating Racism and Promoting Equality was not to tackle racism in Finland, but to save the government’s skin from all the racism scandals it endured in the summer of 2023.

Read the original statement here.
The Finnish Muslim Forum (Suomen Muslimifoorumi ry) released a statement on the government’s action plan and found the following shortcomings:
- “Neither the current draft nor the previous communication mentions Islamophobia as a form of racism.
- The draft mentions Muslims only once.
- Islamophobia does not consist of only racist slurs on the streets but is part of the structural discrimination in Finland, and it has become socially acceptable.
- In the proposed measures, religious discrimination and racism are reduced to antisemitism.
- The discrimination faced by Muslims in Finland can only be addressed politically if the government recognizes it in its Action Plan.
- The current draft needs to comply with EU standards.
- The Action Plan should also consider that Islam is not a religion that is only a religion of immigrants and that Islam should not be treated only in the context of immigration or as ethnic discrimination against people of “foreign background.” Islam is practiced in Finland by Finnish-born Muslims, just as other minority religions, such as Judaism, are practiced by Finnish-born individuals.
- The Action Plan should also consider the intersectionality of racism, such as the intersection of ethnicity, skin color, gender, and religion in the context of experiences of discrimination.
- The draft ” focuses on active and concrete measures to combat racism.” Unfortunately, there is not a single measure in the draft that is specifically aimed to enhance the equality of Muslims.”
The Action Plan is a dud, a smokescreen to hide the government’s stiffening migration policy. The surprise is how few politicians and the media have recognized the elephant in the room and the ineffectiveness of the (in)action plan.
In Finland, you can be a raging Islamophobe and make as many racist statements as you wish. These will help you in your political career as it has with numerous politicians of the Perussuomalaiset* and National Coalition Party.
We salute JHL for taking the bold step to denounce the racism and smokescreens of the government action plan.
