Migrant Tales does not usually publish candidates, but we do make exceptions. MEP candidate Paco Diop of the Left Alliance is that exception.
Diop, who hails from Turku and is a preschool teacher, states on YLE’s election compass three core values as an MEP candidate: “Human rights, respect for nature, and animal rights.” The rise of the far right in the upcoming European Election is his greatest source of concern, which threatens social cohesion, diversity, and inclusion, according to him.
Diop’s political awakening happened after the tragic death of his daughter. “I joined the Left Alliance in 2019 and it turned out to be the perfect home for me.”
Diop, who admires social fighters like Malcolm X, said that his aim as a politician is to be a voice for the voiceless and oppressed. “This is my lifetime goal,” he added.
Left Alliance MEP candidate Pacp Diop.
Diop, who has lived in Finland for 18 years, considers his second homeland a country full of contradictions.
“On the one hand we are supposed to be the happiest country in the world and then there are studies that show us to be the most racist country in Europe,” he said. “We have to ask for whom Finland is the happiest country.”
According to him, one of the biggest challenges of Finland’s growing culturally and ethnically diverse communities is for us to be aware of the toxicity of white supremacy and how it turns people of color, black people, and minorities like the Roma into victims. He said that society must take steps to challenge and address Finland’s racism problem.
As a preschool teacher, Diop is aware of how white supremacy even works at a preschool with children.
“At a very early age, children know what power and hierarchy are,” he continued. “The main culprit of Finland’s rowing racism has grown thanks to the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party and the government.
Diop is highly critical of the so-called Rwanda model, which is pushed by parties like the PS. “How can you send people who suffered wars and other trauma to a country like Rwanda?” he asked.
The MEP candidate also expressed his unequivocal support for the Palestinian cause and hopes that a cease-fire and peace-building would take place in Gaza, “but not dictated by the oppressors.”
Even if the future today looks dark politically, Diop believes that matters will change for the better. According to him, what goes up must come down.
“The far right is making inroads in different countries of Europe,” he concluded. “I am confident, however, that people will rise in countries like France and Germany against the far right.”
Finding a black peerson in the European Parliament is like finding a needle in a haystack. Diop hopes to change the situation so that people like him will have better representation and voice in Europe.
