I’m always surprised by the aha moment of the mainstream media when it comes to the hostile and polarizing message of the Perussuomalaiset (PS).* After PS Interior Minister Mari Rantanen was caught with her hand in the cookie jar by attempting to favor Christians over Muslims in the quota-refugee scheme, Finland’s biggest daily reported that between 2015-2022 the PS led all other parties by a long shot by addressing in parliament the term Islam.
Of the 199 times Islam was addressed in a parliamentary session, the PS brought it up 66.3% of the total followed by the Christian Democrats, which mentioned it 7.5% of the total.
Another favorite terms of the PS are “Muslim,” “Africa” and “Somalia,” which were brought up by the party 58.9%, 95.3% and 61.7% of the total, respectively.
Is it surprising that the non-discrimination ombudswoman findings on discrimination of Muslims over Christians in the quota refugees slammed the PS as “openly Islamophobic?”
In the news today we hear that Trump is planning to make Greenland part of the USA “one way or another.” Greenland is part of Denmark, our Nordic ally. We in Finland recognize a special duty to protect our Nordic allies. That’s part of why we joined NATO. The problem is that the United States controls the command of NATO and Trump is the commander-in-chief of the US military. If the US invades Greenland, we will have to figure out quickly which side we are on. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen reminded everybody in a speech in London that Russia is our most dangerous threat. She was probably referring to damage to pipelines and electric cables by “the dark fleet” trading wit Russia via the Gulf of Finland. The problem is there is to date no evidence that this damage is being caused by Russia. The only pipeline damage we have any evidence on regarding sabotage is Nordstream- and all the evidence points to to blowing up the pipeline being a Ukraine-CIA joint operation. Also in the news today is that Trump and Putin are planning to fix the pipeline and sell the gas to Europeans at a huge profit. This fits in with Trump’s announced plans to normalise relations between the US and Russia. Meanwhile we keep sending weapons from Finland to fight and kill Russians in the Ukraine. We are keeping this up although Trump has cancelled all weapons shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukrainians. It is clear to any layman, but not the Finnish government that the US has changed sides. The government’s big accomplishment for our security was to sign a treaty with the USA giving them free access to 15 military bases so they can occupy Finland any time. We are holding our breaths waiting to see when the Finnish government realizes we are on the wrong side against two superpowers. Expect more news from secret Finnish intelligence reports of a “hybrid threat” at the border to keep us confused of the big picture.
*Ahti Tolavanen is a regular Migrant Tales contributor and a member of the editorial board.
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party is known for its hostility and attacks against migrants and minorities as well as anyone who dares call them what they are: a party that peddles racism. In a statement Thursday, the non-discrimination ombudsman, said that the actions of PS Minister of Interior Mari Rantanen were discriminatory when the ministry attempted to favor Christians over Muslims in the quota-refugee scheme.
Non-Discrimination Ombudswoman Kristina Stenman defended the work of her orgnization in Helsingin Sanomat for not only calling out the discriminatory actions of the interior ministry but calling the PS “openly Islamophobic.”
Defending her use of Islamophobia to describe the PS, she said that the party’s immigration policy program states that the present refugee quota system based on the work of the UNHCR “can be phased out, with persecuted Christians and other groups with [so-called] positive integration prospects being slected for the quota.”
Moreover, the party’s program also says that “many of the problems of integration in Finland are linked to the Islamic cultural influence.”
As a result of the report, the PS leadership has gone into their customery victim mode by stating that the statement by the non-discrimination ombudsman was “a shocking attack,” according to Helsingin Sanomat.
Stenman said that the ombudsman report is not an attack against the PS.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen’s and the party’s views of Muslims and other racialized migrants is well documented.
In an Interview with the tabloid Iltalehtiin 2023, PS chairperson Riikka Purra acknowledged that she aims for zero asylum seekers, like Denmark, from Muslim countries. Speaker of parliament, Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted for ethnic agitation in 2012, has repeated the same aim.
Sunday’s German election told us an important fact: It pays to attack migrants relentlessly. Even if we do not want to make direct references to the rise of the Nazis in 1933 and the devastating impact it still has on us, we are entering a new phase in Europe that has its past troubled history sprinkled all over it.
We are seeing the same fear-mongering that we saw against the Jews and other minorities in Germany, the UK, France and many other European countries before the outbreak of World War 2. Our brazen cowardice, opportunism and lust for power are drving towards such a disaster.
The great problem in Europe is not only our incapability to see the elephant in the room but to react to it. Most Western leaders will play down the fascist shift of Donald Trump’s administration, which is only a sign of weakness and moral decay.
But most of Europe has a solution to all of its woes: Blame it on the migrants, especially racialized migrants.
What will governments do after sucking up and forming alliances with the far right when they discover that scapegoating migrants offers no solutions but will only contribute to chronic labor shortages?
Will the next step be war to cover their denial and ignorance?
When EU Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty Henna Virkunen (National Coalition Party) and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Perussuomalaiset, PS*)meet to boost confidence in Nato’s ability to protect its subsea cables, but the total opposite. Their political record and their extremist stance on asylum seekers reveals why Europe is toothless and lost in the face of US President Donald Trump.
In the 2024 election compass, Virkkunen still showed little regard for people crossing into the EU. Question 11 of Yle’s election compass asked a yes or no answer: “A person trying to reach Europe can be turned back at the border, even if it would put their life in danger.”
Virkkunen responded in the affirmative, yes, it was ok to push back the person even if his or her life were in danger.
EU CommissionerCommission for Technological Sovereignty Henna Virkunen (National Coalition Party) and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Perussuomalaiset) speaking to reporters over a new disruption of the cable C Lion 1 in Swedish waters. Both Virkkunen and Rantanen have little to no respect for refugees crossing the Mediterraneanbut are more concerned about underwater cables.
Rantanen is another case in her own league.
Some may ask how politicians like Virkkunen and Rantanen show how toothless and lost is Europe.
Their stances on human rights and difference show a cancer that is affecting Enruope: Blame it all on the migrants.
If we continue down this path, Europe is doomed to fail and its cherished values won’t mean a thing.
The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* are a deadly chameleon. It can look “normal” until it lashes out like a venomous snake.
The PS’ neo-conservative cloak is only a deception appealing to right-wingers who justify the paradigm shifts and inhumane cuts in public spending. Finance Minister Riikka Purra is a two-headed monster: with one head she looks sort of mainstream while with the other she lashes out, overtaken by her far-right ideology.
In Finland, the PS is the most Trump- and Maga-friendly party.
We got another glimpse of Purra’s two headed monster with the tweet below thanking US Vice President JD Vance for his words, which shocked the audience at the Munich Security Conference with his brutal ideological attack on Europe. He accused Europe of suppressing free speech, fearing voters and failing to stop “illegal” migration.”
All these topics were irresistable awakening the monster in Purra.
Purra tweets: “What a great speech from JD Vance. Freedom, freedom of speech, democracy; threats from within, inability to fight illegal immigration.
✨Excellent values are words that are easily repeated in Europe, but all too often far too difficult to implement.”
Authoritarian regimes make fatal mistakes that have been proven time and again. One of these is when they believe in their invencibility. When this happens, it is a clear path to their demise.
Finance Minister Riikka Purra is good at looking “mainstream” but only until President Trump or his vice president JD Vance plays the PS’s favorite far-right or Maga tune. Cartoon: Ted Bauer.
I wrote a while back how sparks that created social movements changed history. Such events are unpredictable and can happen at any time.
Below is one example of many that helped ignite the civil rights movement.
As Malcolm X once said: “There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”
European leaders appear shocked about US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine. He did so in a call with Vladimir Putin and by echoing Russia’s priorities: no Nato membership, and Ukraine will lose control of the eastern part of the country and Crimea, and reducing its presence in Europe.
Trump, who admires dictators like Putin, made these conditions without notifying the EU never mind Ukraine.
As Europe awakens from its initial shock, Europe has only itself to blame for not shielding itself against the Trump menace spreading globally in the form of turning Canada into the 51st state, taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal, and its infamous Gaza plan to ethnically cleanse million and turn it into a “Riviera.”
While all of these measures are a sign of nationalist exceptionalism, in truth they are a sign of weakness. Trump will end up destroying the US in the same way as he bankrupted almost all of his companies.
His re-election is a sign of the deep-seated corruption in the US and how it has gotten the upper hand through the likes of billionares like Elon Musk. Anti-trust regulators are toothless and it shows!
Dispair is not the way to beat this cancer.
We must fight on and use any means available to stop the destruction of our democracy and way of life.
Prime Minister Petter Orpo’s and Alexander Stubb’s response to what is happening globally ensures that the Trump administration stands a good chance of succeeding.
How does Finland look after all of its tough talk against Russia?
It looks vulnerable. Trump does not care he wants to be on top with everyone looking like a horse’s ass.
With the Örbero mass shooting, the worst in Sweden overtaken now by time and denial, a question remains: Who speaks up for migrants or New Swedes? The sad truth is few if any. What is even sader the silence has grown and is defeaning.
In a brilliant column, Mehdi Hasan writes about how DEI, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, and how the concept has been used to replace the n-word. “Today, more than four decades later, DEI has become the new n-word; the new rightwing abstraction deployed by Republicans to conceal their anti-black racism.”
In Finland too, DEI has been used by the likes of the xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to mean anti-immigration and anti-migrant.
Silence is another racial slur that means approval of the existing order and institutions that oppress non-white people.
When a white person kills he is usually seen as a lone wolf. Behold if the killer is a Muslim or a racialized minority.
Apart from labelling racialized people and migrants, we are faced with the same issue: Let’s say as little as possible good things about migrants and minorities. Let’s speak in code and call them “asylum seekers.” You don’t even have to use the n-word anymore since everybody understands what your malicious labelling means.
Even if the media claims that the 35-year-old gunman Rickhard Andersson was a lone wolf with no ideological ties to the killing of 11 people, the Swedish Police confirmed that they are not ruling out the possibility of a racist motivation behind the killings.
As investigations progress on Sweden’s worst mass shooting, the police have been slow to make any sttements on the killer’s motives.
“Yet, even as we mourn, we must confront an undeniable reality: Sweden has a problem with white supremacist violence,& the state refuses to acknowledge it.
The police were quick to claim that the perpetrator had no ideological motive—yet, in the same breath, they stated that he left no digital trail. How can both of these claims be true? If there are no digital traces, no manifesto, no online discussions to analyze, then on what basis did they so swiftly rule out ideology as a factor?”
The fact that the killings is taking such a long time to investigate y the police raises some questions.
A good question is why the public’s fascination with far-right populism has caught on. US President Donald Trump is one sour example but so is the changing political landscape of Europe. In Finland, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s National Coalition Party (NCP) believes it can continue to do business with the anti-immigration Finns Party (PS) and form the next government with them and the Center Party.
A simple answer to the above question is that populist far-right parties like the PS and their NCP enablers have sold simple solutions to complex problems. Some of their favorite scapegoats are migrants and minorities. Tougher laws and fueling mistrust will make us a stronger nation.A good question is why the public’s fascination with far-right populism has caught on.
A simple answer to the above question is that populist far-right parties like the PS and their NCP enablers have sold simple solutions to complex problems. Some of their favorite scapegoats are migrants and minorities. Tougher laws and fueling mistrust will make us a stronger nation.
Behind such 1+1=2 answers by politicians lies the deepest fears of parties like the NCP and PS.That fear is that white Finns, the kantasuomalaiset, or ethnic Finns, will lose power in the face of plummeting birthrates and rising immigrants.
Trump’s racist rants in the US, the FPÖ in Austria, AfD in Germany and other far-right forces are a direct response to the fear that their white majority will become a minority. It explains why the US Supreme Court overturned abortion rights and why some politicians are so paranoid about immigration, especially undocumented immigration.
If there is one indication that will fuel xenophobia in Finland it is also the country’s birth rate. In 2024, the birth rate plummeted for the third consecutive year reaching the lowest level in the country’s recorded history, according to Statistics Finland, forcing the fertility rate to retreat to 1.25 from 1.26 children per woman.
Lower birthrates paint a somber demographic future for Finland and a bleak social one as well. As the PS and NCP have shamelessly shown, spreading hateful rhetoric and strengthening institutional racism has short-term political benefits but long-term wrecks.
Labeling a minority as a threat has been used by different groups over the ages to justify genocide. Such a crime hasn’t lost its shine. Take a look at the Native populations of the Americas, the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the Muslim Rohingya by the military of Myanmar, Rwanda, Israeli war against Palestinians in Gaza, and the Holocaust just to name a few.
When given enough unchecked space, hatred takes on a life of its own and is difficult to put back into the bottle.
Governments are playing with fire when they play down racism and continue to subvert migrant and minority rights. It is the best way to lead us towards the peak of the pyramid of hate.
In Finland, the paradigm shifts in migration, social and labor laws will impact dearly migrants and minorities. According to European Islamophobia Report w023. “Although the government program speaks of a ‘strong and committed Finland’ that respects ‘human rights and other international conventions, obligations under EU law and the rule of law,’ some say the statement is misleading because of the 180-degree turn in immigration policy. The government’s policies and assurances have failed to reduce the climate of hostility towards migrants and minorities, which is likely to continue to grow.
Even so, we have the power to halt this perilous development.
