Comment: I got acquainted with the public statement made against all forms of racism by the Persussuomalaiset (PS) through PS MP James Hirvisaari’s blog. For those who do not know who Hirvisaari is, he’s probably the most eccentric in his attacks of immigrants, especially Muslims. But after he got elected he appears to have turned into Dr. Jekyll from his pre-election Mr Hyde-mode.
Another question mark of the PS’ statement is that it was drafted by Hirvisaari’s political soul mate, Jussi Halla-aho.
Kristiina Kouros, the secretary general of the Finnish League for Human Rights, considered the PS statement awkwardly drafted and not clear because it differs from the UN and EU Declaration of Human Rights, where there is no mention of the discrimination of the majority population by the minority. “It’s very rare that a minority (group) can exclude the majority by discrimination,” said Kouros in Iltalehti. “Minorities do not have that type of power.”
Even though it is a good matter that a party like the PS is speaking out against all forms of racism and violence, how seriously do they take such a statement especially when it was drafted after PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen went on another of his outbursts against blacks this week on Jämsä Seutu?
What do you think?
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True Finns MP Teuvo Hakkarainen was chided by his Parliamentary group on Wednesday for recent racist comments. The group also made public a statement condemning all types of racism, discrimination, and violence.
If you want to read a strong critique of the PS’ statement against racism visit Ossi Mäntylahti’s blog (in Finnish). He is a member of the Kokoomus party.
It’s got to be a good thing! Hooray PS. Now let’s turn down the rhetoric – at least until the next election, eh! 🙂
Kouros obviously never heard of apartheid?
Allan, do you know what apartheid is? If you wish, we can explain it to you but it’s not what you state it is. Only a person living a deep denial would make such statements. Oh, right, you are the “Finnindian” being conquered by immigrants. Give me a break! Oy vey!
Whenever a student did something outrageous, my fourth grade teacher, Dean Arnold, would always say “oy vey!”
The statement is carefully written by Halla-aho and has to be read equally carefully.
I think we should think that this is mostly a good thing after all, they are clearly condemning racism. But they are also condemning positive discrimination which is a regular policy in certain situations in Finland.
The city of Helsinki positively discriminates job seekers with immigrant background because they want the people they employ resemble more the general population structure of the city (about 10 % immigrants). In another exemple Swedish speakers (no need for having Swedish as mother tongue, knowing it is enough) are positively discriminated in order to make sure there are enough Swedish speaking doctors and nurses. This is now something that Persut want to get rid off and I think it’s scary.
Seppo, the reason why such a PS statement must be made carefully or with a catch (positive discrimination) is because some of the MPs got elected on their hostile stand against immigrants. How would that look if suddenly after getting elected they give the thumbs down to the very tactics they used to get votes?
Enrique – you claim then white south africans were a majority excluding minority blacks by discrimination? Or which part of Kouroses stupidity exactly is true? Theres countless examples of such even if we talk about modern history post the second world war. Kouros evidently doesnt follow the news as in Bahrain there is exactly the case where a minority is weilding power.
Allan
Don’t be obtuse. Kouros said it is rare, which it is. You think by providing a couple of examples you discredit what he has to say. Crawl back into that feeble shell of a mind of yours.
And yet it is existing and real. But nobody bothers to address this side of racism, instead pretending that it does not exist.
Like discussion on bus drivers. One case where immigrant driver is attacked is raised to pedestal and given special attention, but not cases where NATIVE driver would be attecked by IMMIGRANT youths.
Nor fact that most drivers attacked are native Finns.
This is racism as much as native Finn attacking immigrant due to race. And must be equally powefully condemned.
When majority is treated unequally, it must be put to same line as minority being treated unequally. There can be no “positive” racism, which was point of Halla-Aho, and there I agree fully.
As for comment of Kouros, neither does she prove that majority as majority would take part in any racist activity. It is act of tiny minority, and thus must be treated as minority acting against minority. And because of this, acts of racism by immigrant minority must be given equal attention and efforts made to correct this racism.
But I would not expect such sensible position to gain much attention in this blog, haven of anti-Finnish racism.
Mark, its more common than racism in Finland
Tiwaz, you old Nazi!
We haven’t seen much of you here lately.
Still worried about jackbooted flag waving Africans sending the Finns to extermination camps?
Is this the same PS that refused to issue such a declaration before the European elections on the grounds that this was an attempt to disbar some of their candidates?
The declaration that PS found so offensive back in April 2009 was this:
So what has now changed?
I think Finns have so low self-esteem! Poor of them!
How do we “immigrants” will control the political, corporate, academic, etc power in this country?
when we are not even entitle to vote in elections??? or climb to managerial positions?? or get tenure track positions at the Universities?
First time in this site and I have to say you have made rather interesting blog. This is mainly because I´m so totally against everything you guys agree in here, however when we become so “100%” sure about ourselves, that is the moment we should turn back and once again rethink our opinions. Usually people tend to group up in like minded sites and the mindset of the other side doesnt get hardly any voice. Reading in depth opinions from the other side should be something we all should do, rather than labelling then as racism or “mokutus” with glance.
Now about the topic. I think PS have are in right track with their statement. It is not as much of work of minority as it is the work of those supporting minorities, that use these methods of “positive discriminatin”. So while the minorty is small, there still can be power to enforce the discrimination.
In my opinion, in the world we would like to live, there shouldnt be “positive disciriminatin” (nor should there be discrimination of any kind..). Being immigrant or having a dark skin isnt that kind of attribute that should you get ahead of the rest. Arent we all suppose to be same kind of people and ethnity plays no role for anything? Quota’s for swedish speaking doctors I can understand since we need to offer those services for swedish speakers. With those we should not have a need for everyone to study swedish actually but that is not what we are talking about in here.
Further more I think the positive discrimination hurts the immigrants more than it helps. It increases racism. Just think of yourself as a person who was best qualified for the job but lost it to someone else only because “he is black and we dont have enough blacks”. How do you think he will be thinking?
Another thing is that is underminds the status of those blacks/immigrants that have gotten their job by their merit only. They might be seen as getting a job only because they are black/immigrant. If there was strong resistance for “positive discimination”, there would be no doubt about the skills of the immigrant workers when they a job.
Hi Yossie and welcome to our blog, Migrant Tales. I think some will disagree with what you say, especially Edna.
That was not so far in history when it was so. These days its multinational companies that close the factories, its not Finns making the big decisions.
I write this comment while in Johannesburg and I will give you each half a point here. Allan is strictly speaking correct about minorities discriminating against the majority, but the same time the situation is quite different to Finland. Whites arrived in South Africa some 300 years before start of Apartheid so they pretty much controlled the economy even before legislating discriminatory laws.
Anyway, what I actually wanted to write about is the point that minorities do not need preferential treatment to survive. It is the law of nature that if the minority grouop has something to offer to the minority they will survive or thrive. Here in South Africa there are numerous laws that discriminate against the minorities (e.g. white owned business have to give 25% to black shareholders once they have revenued in excess of 500k euros, all jobs need to be given to black applicants where possible and only when suitable candidate is found can a white be employed, universities require roughly 20% higher average marks from white students than form black students), yet Johannesburg continues to be boom town with many of the Europeans here becoming wealthier and wealthier.
Simply put, I have never seen harder working and more enterprising people than the European people that are making a go at life in Africa. Hard work and street smarts will bypass most forms of repression and will earn its rightful rewards. Even though in politics the majority party ANC continues to demonise the “white settlers”, every African I speak to on the street says that Europeans need to stay in SA to continue to build the country. You would think that white South Africans would be hated by the masses? But no, they have something to offer this country and as such they are accepted by the populace as a welcome minority. If the minorities have visible benefits to the finns, they will be very welcome in Finland.
PS – 2 degrees tonight here in Africa…luckily back in Finland for the summer weather by Sunday.
“Allan is strictly speaking correct about minorities discriminating against the majority, but the same time the situation is quite different to Finland. “
Swedish-Finns untill the trun of the last century perhaps?