Yahya Rouissi Photos: Enrique Tessieri In a powerful display of unity and determination, around 11,000 people gathered at Töölönlahti in Helsinki on a Sunday afternoon for the “Me emme vaikene” (We won’t keep silent) anti-racism demonstration. Organized by impassioned activists, this event sent a clear message to the Finnish government: it’s time to take concrete…
Big demonstration today against against PM Petteri Orpo’s racist and fascist government. Be there!
Visit official site and program here.
White-cleaning racism and lies may land you a ministerial seat, Mari Rantanen, but it won’t boost your crediblity
Can anyone really trust Mari Rantanen, the Interior Minister of Perussuoalaiset (PS)* of Finland? All it took to whitewash her far-right racist views was to take down such posts from her social media sites after the election and claim that she does not believe in conspiracy theories. What a coward! She spreads all these far-right…
The anti-racism statement has little to do with eradicating the social ill in Finland but all to do with saving the government’s skin
One of the facts about the government’s anti-racism statement is that it has more to do with injecting trust in a government after it was hit by a string of racism and far-right scandals in the summer. At least for the time being, the statement succeeded at keeping the government from dissolving after the Swedish…
Yahya Rouissi: Is the government serious about racism?
“The government must unequivocally distance itself from racism,” emphasizes Anna-Maja Henriksson, Swedish People’s Party chairperson and minister of education. National Coalition Party Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, declares, “As a government, we maintain a policy of zero tolerance for racism.” Upon hearing the above-mentioned statements, one should not be surprised why some are in a state…
Länsi-Savo: Racism is a serious social ill
An article in Mikkeli-based daily Länsi-Savo (10 August) interviewed three members of the Finns Party (PS) from the South Savo region who claimed that racism has no place in the party. If this is true, it is significant and welcome news. In the face of the numerous racism scandals that have overshadowed the activities of…
Finland’s and Europe’s blind spot of racism
After many years of writing about racism and discrimination in Migrant Tales, I am always disappointed by Finland’s and Europe’s blind spot of racism. A good example of the latter was a feature by Yle of far-right youths whose only contribution, in my opinion, in the story was their suspicion and loathing of migrants and…
Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* In the face of rising far-right nationalism, Yle publishes (again) a story about youths who hate foreigners
Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) published Saturday a story about two far-right youths belonging to the openly fascist and racist Blue-and-Black Movement (Sinimusta liike), and one to Suomen Sisu, which the authorities named in 2011 as “a Nazi-spirited association.” Thanks to the Yle article, the reader can read how much these so-called “radical nationalists” hate migrants….
Unequal social welfare for forigners: The wettest dream of the Perussuomalaiset and National Coalition Party
Plans to pay migrants less social welfare planned by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government are a wet dream that spans back to 2016, when then Social and Health Minister Hanna Mantylä aimed to pass legislation that would grant migrants less social welfare than native Finns. Fortunately, such a law did not see the light of day since…
Suomen hyvinvointivaltio ja demokratia ovat vaarassa
Perussuomalaiset on villi kortti, joka on valmis tuhoamaan Suomen hyvinvointivaltion ja demokratian. Hyökkäykset mediaa vastaan ovat tuttu strategia Donald Trumpin pelikirjasta. Liikenne- ja viestintäministeri Lulu Ranne (ps) sanoi Helsingin Sanomissa tänään ”jotain rajaa” uutisointiin perussuomalaisista. ”Minä olen sitä mieltä, että tämä on mennyt aivan överiksi,” hän varoitti. Kuvittele, että ministeri kertoo tiedotusvälineille, miten ne voivat tehdä työnsä. Mistä…