Europe is in a moral quandary these days. It’s ironic that the more it attempts to instill a sense of security by building ever-higher outside boundaries and treat those who flee war, strife and poverty with disdain, the more it feeds our sense of insecurity.
Denmark’s plans to confiscate asylum seekers’ valuables and delay for three years family reunification is one shameful example of how some countries in Europe are destroying their values in return for a false sense of security. For Norway, one of the most affluent countries in the world, to return asylum seekers to Russia is another example of the moral demise we are suffering today.
In Finland too the police and the government are unable to agree if neo-Nazi street patrol gangs or clowns that mock at them a threat to our society and values.
What do Denmark, Norway and Finland have in common? They are all Nordic countries and have populist anti-immigration parties in government. In Norway, we have the Progress Party (FrP), in Finland the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, and the Danish People’s Party (DPP).
But blaming these three anti-immigration parties for the rise of xenophobia in the Nordic region would be missing the point. All three parties are in government and have got more power in their respective countries thanks to the support and near-silence of the mainstream parties.
Without the help and support of these mainstream parties the FrP, PS and DPP would never have grown to have so much power.
The Finnish police arresting clowns who mock neo-Nazi street patrols.
Do you agree? See video about the Loldears of Odin here.
One of the saddest matters that I have learned these past months and years in Finland is that our Nordic welfare state and its ideals are exclusive, not inclusive.
But instead of crying about the situation we must assess and understand that the threat and hostility we are witnessing today us is real and will get worse before it improves.
The best way of challenging this threat is politically. We have seen this many times before in history. One good example is the Civil Rights Movement of the United States (1955-68) that didn’t solve that country’s racial issues but brought us closer to some solutions.
Hoping that these anti-immigration parties will disappear, and that mainstream parties will challenge their bigotted platforms, is wishful thinking that will not only cause you harm but to your children and grandchildren who will live and grow up as second- and third-class citizens.
We cannot afford to be silent any longer.
* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.