National Coaaliton Party MP and chairperson of the constitutional committee, Heikki Vestman, has made a name for himself for his xenophobic statements and for flaunting human rights and the rule of law. His parliamentary committee has given the green light to the Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law that will be introduced to parliament next week.
Vestman likes to spread macho bravado by portraying himself as a true “patriot” by throwing human rights and the rule of law under the bus, and bullying vulnerable groups like asylum seekers.
Rarely, if ever, will he and the media tell you what his behind the pushback law.
“As a Finnish Member of Parliament, I believe Finland and the Finns must be able to safeguard their security in every situation. It is a core task of the state.” said MP Vestman. What you are saying if we cut through your nationalistic bravado is: legalizing illegality.
Some ask why are the hundreds of people seeking asylum such a threat to national security if 32,360 asylum seekers came to Finland in 2015 and now tens of thousands fleeing war from Ukraine?
Could it be that the majority (over 90%) of asylum seekers at the Finnish-Russian border come from Muslim-majority countries?
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Chairperson and Finance Minister Riikka Purra, whose party has copied Denmark’s anti-Muslim policy, said that she too, like Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen, would also aim to have a policy of zero asylum seekers.
It’s clear that the real reason why the government is willing to destroy Finland’s reputation for defending human rights is also attributable to its policy of zero asylum seekers. All the parties in government, including MPs lke Vestman, are complicit.
It is unfortunate that the government’s high-and-dry stance does not permit it to see how much it is putting Finland in jeopardy. No reason to call for human rights violations against it if we were the first to cast the stone.
