A local pizzeria’s delivery car was vandalized a week ago in a small town in Eastern Finland located near Kuopio. Is it a coincidence that the owner of the pizzeria isn’t a white Finn.
Just like Donald Trump’s racism has consequences for innocent victims in the most recent white supremacist attack in El Paso over the weekend, parties like the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are polarizing our society and emboldening racists.
The vandalized car. Source: Facebook.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Racism is a rabid dog that racists walk using a short leash to get attention and votes. The dog, which knows no master except for hatred, can bite its master hard.
The tragic terrorist attack in a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas, by a white supremacist terrorist, tells us loudly why the lethal brew of racism and ultranationalism can rip society in two. What happened on Saturday in El Paso will, unfortunately, happen again.
The terrorist, Patrick Crusius, 21, published a manifesto expressing anxiety about his future in the face of the Hispanic invasion of Texas.
Just like far-right parties in Europe talk about how white Christian Europe is being taken over by Muslims, Crusius expressed in his manifesto how Hispanics will take control of the local and state government and pass laws to suit their needs.
Far-right parties like the National Rally of France, Germany’s AfD, FPÖ of Austria, Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and others express the same concern as the El Paso killer: Being taken over and becoming a minority in their country.
PS politicians like Jussi Halla-aho, Riikka Purra, Laura Huhtasaari, and a long list of others like Olli Immonen of Suomen Sisu, PS Youth are spreading the same fear among Finns about being taken over by Muslims and people of color.
Spreading such lies in one of Europe’s whitest countries is not only irresponsible but reckless. It offers ammo to future terrorists.
The recent killings in El Paso and future ones tell us of the vital importance of building an inclusive society that is serious about tackling social ills like racism. Building a country based on social justice and respect for diversity is our best insurance for peace.
We can build such a society if we pull together.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
When US President Donald Trump viciously attacked “The Squad” (Congresspersons Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar), when he told them to leave the country (see tweet below), there was dismay and outrage from politicians and other sectors of society.
In Finland, a politician like Maiju Tapiolinna can tell a Helsinki city Councilperson, Abdirahim Husu Hussein, who is a Finnish citizen, to go back to Somalia. Telling a person of color to leave the country is the most normal thing from a white Perussuomalaiset* politician.
In such a white society like Finland, the bar for what is racist and inappropriate is a way too low. White privilege and power keep it from rising as well as Malcolm X’s famous quote: “Racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.”
Maiju Tapiolinna’s Facebook post is a good example of the hostility that white Finnish fragility brings out in some people. She states: “Somalis should leave the country if they don’t integrate.” The Nurmijärvi PS politician has asked to police to investigate Hussein’s tweet so that that the police file charges against him. For what? The PS is not an ethnic group. Source Facebook and Sakari Timonen’s blog.
White Finnish privilege #53
One of the consequences of living in an overwhelmingly white society is that racism isn’t taken seriously as Hussein’s case proves even if you are a politician and black. It isn’t taken seriously because it isn’t in white people’s interest. Who cares what it’s like to be a person of color in Finland, right?
The predicament is similar to asking a man if he thinks there is sexism in Finland and how to eradicate it.
Why is it so difficult for the media and politicians in Finland to grasp that racism is a serious offense against our values and especially against the person at the receiving end? We proudly claim that we have one of the best education systems in the world, but still the second-biggest party in parliament is far-right and Islamophobic.
Migrant Tales recently asked the following question in an op-ed piece: “[w]hy aren’t the leaders of other parties saying anything substantial to defend and support Hussein who had the guts to speak out? Where is Prime Minister Antti Rinne, who is a member of the same party [Social Democratic Party] as Hussein? Where is Pekka Haavisto of the Greens, Left Alliance, Swedish People’s Party, and Center Party leaders? What about the National Coalition Party?
If some in the United States like Trump say and do racist things and claim they aren’t racist, in Finland, you usually hear silence from people who are indifferent to racism.
Doesn’t the Constitution guarantee that we are all equal before the law and that no person can be discriminated due to his or her background?
If you hear silence as an answer to that affirmation, you should start to worry.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
It’s been a tough bubble-bursting July and August for Finland’s second-biggest party in parliament, the Perussuomalaiset (PS).* Helsinki city Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein tweeted that the party and supporters were racists, while history researcher Oula Silvenoinen reminded and called the PS a far-right party on television.
Let’s not forget as well the PS’ membership in pro-Putin and far-right Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament led by pundits like Matteo Salvini of the Lega Nord party.
After the PS’ historic election victory in 2011, Migrant Tales has warned about the party’s far-right and xenophobic roots. “Far-right populism is an illness inflicting Europe at present and it now has a beachhead in Finland,” I wrote in April 2011.
Ties with neo-Nazi groups like the outlawed PVL and Soldiers of Odin are too many to be coincidences no matter what Slunga-Poutsalo says.
Two hairstyles of Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo. On the left when she was PS party secretary and on the right as an MP on A-studio. Even so, she’s the same person who called asylum seekers “welfare shoppers” and who signed in 2010 the anti-immigration Nuiva manifesto. Before the manifesto could be accessed on www.nuiva.fi but it no longer exists. No matter how you cut it, she is an Islamophobe trying to appear like a normal politician. Source: Lehtikuva and Yle.
So why doesn’t the Finnish media call the PS a far-right party?
Calling it a far-right and xenophobic party would be admitting that maybe we aren’t that exceptional as we thought. Considering that over a half a million Finns vote for the PS, newspapers like Helsingin Sanomat are dependent on subscribers and ads.
Without even trying to prove that the PS and its supporters have severe issues with racism, the party has given Hussein the smoking gun.
PS Nurmijärvi Councilperson Maiju Tapiolinna showed us that Finland also suffers from white fragility In a Facebook post she stated: “Somalis should leave the country if they don’t integrate.”
The PS politician made the same comment on a Ylen aamu-tv program.
It’s great that Finland has people like Hussein and Silvenoinen who fearlessly express their views about difficult topics that we should be paying much closer attention like racism and far-right populism.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED
Setting aside the racist attacks and harassment that Social Democratic (SDP) Helsinki city Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein received due to a tweet, why are members of his party and other politicians near-silent offering token support if any to defend a politician of color?
We could ask what is worse, the racist attacks Hussein has endured or the indifference of Finland’s political class?
Hussein tweeted last month that all members of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, their voters and supporters are racist. The tweet raised a storm during Finland’s vacation month of July.
On July 19, Hussein tweets from India: “Was yesterday’s tweet update too much for you.Let me be more concrete. All of the Perussuomalaiset and their voters/supporters are racists. Yes i said it. Do you need proof? Look at your history and how you were elected as Finland’s second-biggest party [in parliament].”
While Hussein denies that his tweet aimed at provoking the PS and its followers, it’s clear that Finland does need a long-overdue debate about its racism issues and why politicians and political parties have failed at containing and challenging the rise far-right populism.
How low has Finland stooped? Why is the country’s political class near-silent in the face of a black city councilperson who is being attacked in a racist and hostile manner? In my opinion, it reveals a scared and racist nation unwilling to take leadership and do what is right.
Hussein published on Facebook Thursday an especially vicious attack against him from a person who claims to be a PS supporter:
Racist: “Hi n-word. You will soon be HISTORY N-WORD!!! If I am a racist then you are an n-word: Do you understand???? N-word. N-word.If I support the persut (Peususualaiset party) then you are an n-word. Go back to where you came from.”
So why aren’t the leaders of other parties saying anything substantial to defend and support Hussein who had the guts to speak out? Where is Prime Minister Antti Rinne, who is a member of the same party as Hussein? Where is Pekka Haavisto of the Greens, Left Alliance, Swedish People’s Party, and Center Party leaders? What about the National Coalition Party?
The indifference and near-silence of these parties and their leaders is deafening and reveals why populism has entered Finnish politics big time during this decade. It also shows us that our mainstream parties and society as a whole are at a loss in dealing with such a threat.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into
two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue
Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off
the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament
plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in
English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official
translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or
True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We,
therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish
name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Former Blue Reform MP and Perussuomalaiset* social and health minister, Hanna Mäntylä, was fired in June as special advisor to the European Council on challenging youth radicalization and marginalization, according to Demokraatti which cites HBL.
We mentioned back in 2017 when Mäntylä was named as a special advisor that she was unqualified to do the job. How can spreading anti-immigration rhetoric and polarizing Finnish society make you an expert on how to stop youth radicalization?
Two Hanna Mäntylä’s: black and blonde. Source: Yle and Seiska.
Migrant Taleswrote: “If we look at Mäntylä’s past record as minister (2015-2016) and her former statements on cultural diversity, it’s clear that they fuel inequality and radicalization and don’t lessen them.”
Mäntylä as social and health minister attempted to spearhead laws where migrants would get less social welfare than Finns. Such laws did not – fortunately – see the light of day since they were unconstitutional. Plans to give less social welfare was part of former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s 80-point government pogram to tighten immigration laws.
According to HBL, many wondered about Mäntylä’s appointment since she was unqualified. “It has been unclear to all those who worked with her what her [work] experience was,” HBL said, citing diplomatic sources.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017,
into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform.
In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off
the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament
plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset
in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official
translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True
Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We,
therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish
name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
After near-constant hostile labeling of Muslims, Somalis and other people of color in Finland by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, it is a positive sign that people are speaking out.
One of these persons who has been in the news is Helsinki city councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein. Watching him deflect the usual rhetoric from people, who like servile migrants but who are up in arms if they speak their minds, was empowering to say the least. Hussein did not budge but kept true to his stand about the PS being a racist party.
The media is one crucial factor that has helped Hussein get national attention after he tweeted that the PS, its voters, and supporters are racist.
“The aim [of my tweet] was not to provoke on purpose,” he was quoted as saying on Ylen aamu-tv, “but to bring this debate that we need to happen. In my opinion, we hide from such a debate, and we don’t debate it except for one party and one group that [aims to] normalize the amount of hate speech and racism [in society].”
PS Nurmijärvi councilperson Maiju Tapiolinna offered in today’s TV interview as in her past tweets why racism is an issue in her party.
I have learned from years of experience as an anti-racism activist that the best people to point out their racism is usually themselves.
As in her tweet, Tapiolinna tells Hussein that he should leave the country if he thinks that Finland is such a racist country. In a previous tweet, she gave an ultimatum to Hussein: “Somalis should leave the country if they don’t integrate.”
Taipiolinna asked Hussein how can someone be racist if that person doesn’t know what the word means.
“I want to encourage migrants [and minorities] to speak out if they have gone through what I have [as a person of color],” he told Migrant Tales by phone, adding that Finland needs a long-overdue debate about the role of racism in this society.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017,
into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform.
In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off
the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament
plummet from 18 MPs to none. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset
in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official
translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True
Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We,
therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish
name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
Author, teacher, editor, and human rights activist Enrique Tessieri
Here is the Finnish version of Indian novelist, human rights and environmental activist Arundhati Roy’s quote*:
“Instead of writing editorials about the threat of populism in Finland, the media prefers to spend a lot of time publishing polls that show the rise of populism or waiting for Halla-aho to be the country’s next prime minister. And the danger with that kind of obsession with a single party and a single person is that you don’t see the society that produced them.”
*People spend so much time mocking Trump of waiting for him to be impeached. And the danger with that kind of obsession with a single person is that you don’t see the system that produced him.
The far-right anti-immigration populist party, the Perussuomalaiset, is leading the polls. What does the success of an Islamophobic party reveal about Finnish society and how can we contain it?
From left to right: Rodolfo Walsh, Harriet Tubman, James Baldwin, and Mercedes Sosa.
One matter that surprises me about labor discrimination is how some employers believe it is ok to exclude people because of ethnic background. The most recent case involves the Nokkakiven amusement park near Jyväskylä that stated on its job openings page that “if your appearance is clearly from another culture, people who look clearly foreign” might have problems getting hired.
Apart from the employer claiming that gender equality (tasa-arvo) is important in Finland, but it is ok for the company to discriminate based on ethnic background, it is amazing that these types of stories continue to pop up.
One of the most incredible stories that Migrant Talespublished was in 2011, when an entrepreneur from Joensuu published on the Te-services employment page that people “with the wrong skin color” need not apply.
The entrepreneur was slapped with a 645-euro fine for publishing such a racist ad.
Another case happened in 2018, when a woman of color was told that she not of the right ethnicity for the job. The women from Rwanda said she was about the get hired until the employer found out that she was black.
In 2014 we reported that a Muslim woman who wore a headscarf to work on her first day was fired. The managers of the Guess clothing store deny that the woman was fired because she is a Muslim but were fined by a Helsinki District Court. The ruling was the first-ever based on religious attire.
In Scotland, Sweden, Minnesota and in other parts Muslim women are allowed to wear hijabs. In Finland, a Muslim woman in 2014 was not admitted to the police training school because she would not take off her headscarf during working hours. The woman was so disappointed with the rejection that she even contemplated leaving Finland.
Sikh bus driver Gill Sukhdarshan Singh’s long fight to wear a turban at work ended in a victory for him in 2014. Singh said that he went to work on that historic Friday (February 21) at 10am. Even so, he had been struggling with his employer for about a year to have the right to wear a turban at work.
Labor discrimination is not the only form of hostility that migrants and minorities face daily in Finland. Even Finnish fitness centers advertised in 2015 that migrants needn’t apply as members.
The list of discrimination cases in this story is only a microscopic tip of the iceberg. The question we should ask, if we are serious about challenging discrimination in Finland is if the authorities are doing enough.
Do they have sufficient resources to tackle such problems? Are they serious about challenging racism and discrimination?
