Migrant Tales January 20, 2013 and case Terhi Kiemunki: The PS cannot rid itself of its racists because it would commit political hara-kiri

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Migrant Tales insight: Are you still wondering why Terhi Kiemunki got off with a light slap on the hand by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party for writing on Facebook that it was unfortunate that she didn’t have any condoms to give Muslim children trick-or-treating? Even if Kiemunki is an Islamophobe that Anders Breivik emailed her before murdering 77 people on July 22, 2011, do we need any more proof why racism and bigotry have spread their poisonous roots in this country?

Imagine, you attack children of a different faith than yours on Facebook and all you get is a light slap on the hand and a lot of media attention. Even if Kiemunki was forced to resign as first vice president of the PS’ Pirkanmaa regional board, she was able to keep her job as PS MP Lea Mäkipää’s aide. On Saturday, the PS of Tampere gave her support as chairman.   

Still surprised? Don’t be. The PS cannot rid itself of its racist because that would be committing political hara-kiri. 

The party needs politicians like Kiemunki who say racist things and hate Muslims. Such despicable behavior attracts voters. 

Not only does the party need visible racists but the government needs them too. The PS’ government coalition partners, the Center Party and National Coalition Party, need the anti-immigration party too. Without PS support, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government could never push through the massive spending cuts that will impact low-income families, women, pensioners, students and other groups.

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Read full story (in Finnish) here.

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Keitä ovat kantasuomalaiset? Who are ethnic Finns?

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Tässä kysymys: Jos ihminen on virallisesti suomalainen kun hänellä on suomen kansallaisuus, miksi sitten puhutaan ulkomaalaistaustaisista ja maahanmuuttajataustaisista ihmisistä? 

Keitä ovat kantasuomalaiset ja ketkä kuuluvat siihen ryhmään? Voisiko Afrosuomalainen olla kantasuomalainen? Entä Romani?

Kuinka kauan tai montaako sukupolvea täytyy ihminen asuu Suomessa ennen kun hänet hyväksytään kantasuomalaisiksi?

Tarkoitaako kantasuomalainen valkoista Suomalaista?

Jos olet kantasuomalainen onko sinulla eriarvoinen sosioekonominen asema muihin vähemmistöihin Suomessa?

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Can Afro Finns be ethnic Finns as well? How do you define ethnic Finn? Photo: Enrique Tessieri.

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Here’s the question: If a person is officially a Finn when he is a Finnish citizen why do we still continue to label him a person with foreign background or with immigrant background?

Who are ethnic Finns and who can belong to that group? Can an Afro Finn be an ethnic Finn? What about a member of the Romany minority?

How long or how many generations must a person live in Finland to be considered an ethnic Finn?

Does ethnic Finn mean white Finn?

If you are an ethnic Finn does that mean you have certain socioeconomic privileges over other minorities in Finland?

Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn? (Part 2)

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In a recent Defining white Finnish privilege post, we asked about how the term ethnic Finn, or kantasuomalainen, is used. While there’s nothing wrong with being an ethnic or white Finn it is a problem if such a term is used to reinforce the exclusive privileges of a group.

When you label yourself ethnic Finn do you exclude migrants and minorities, or so-called people with foreign backgrounds, from being seen and treated as equal members of society?

If there is a problem with the term ethnic Finn, it is how it labels Others. Ethnic Finns can call themselves such a name but Others don’t have such privilege. Being labeled “a person with foreign background” or “immigrant,” even if you were born and raised in this country, indicates a wider more serious problem within our society.

A recent shadow report on Afrophobia by NGO European Network Against Racism (ENAR) cited, at least, four European countries that use a particular classification to label their “foreign” population. The countries mentioned in the shadow report are Finland, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.

It states how such terms are used in Holland (page 17):

The Dutch government makes an official distinction between “autochtonen”, meaning that both parents are born in the Netherlands and “allochtonen” defined as people who have at least one parent born outside of the Netherlands. Furthermore, a distinction is made between “western allochtonen” (European countries excluding Turkey, North America, Oceania, Indonesia and Japan) and “non-western allochtonen” (includes people with at least one parent born in Africa, Latin America, and Asia excluding Indonesia, Japan and Turkey).

If such labels are so important that the government makes an official distinction, why aren’t players on the Dutch national football team classified  as “autochtonen” and “allochtonen?”

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Listen whole program (in Finnish) here. The talk show gives us a good idea of how white Finnish privilege is the standard narrative when speaking of minorities.

Continue reading “Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn? (Part 2)”

Populism and nationalism in Finland have made us fear our own shadows

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The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, which bases its popularity on anti-immigration rhetoric, empty nationalism, and promises, appears eager and “overjoyed“ that parliament will “finally” take long-overdue steps to tighten immigration law and undermine the human rights of asylum seekers.

Some of the changes that the new law will make possible if passed are shortened asylum appeals and do away with immigration on humanitarian grounds. Last year, there were only 119 people who got a residence permit in Finland on humanitarian grounds. Even so, the grand xenophobic party believes this to be important to make our country unattractive to asylum seekers.

It doesn’t take much gray matter to understand that the PS is lashing out against asylum seekers and migrants in an attempt to fix its atrocious poll standings, which plummeted in the fall.

Continue reading “Populism and nationalism in Finland have made us fear our own shadows”

The story of the migrant with the fake Rolex who charges real prices for finding an apartment

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Moustafa M.

An immigrant is wearing shiny shoes, a golden chain and a fake Rolex watch carrying a keychain and a wallet in one hand and a pack of cigarettes and mobile phone in the other. He’s one of the many migrants who’ve become middlemen in the real estate business.

There’s nothing wrong with this on the surface, and everything appears legal except that some are taking advantage of desperate migrants who don’t still read Finnish never mind Helsingin Sanomat, where they can search for the same apartments for the price of a newspaper.

The desperation that some migrants suffer is entirely understandable. Lots of them who got their residence permits want to build a home after their long journey through Europe to Finland and after living for months at reception centers where they’ve suffered humiliating treatment in the worst of cases.

No matter who you are or where you are from, the standard going price to find an apartment is 500 euros up front. The middleman will then offer you three apartments, and you’d better have a good reason for not accepting to live in the flat.

Here’s an example of how the scam works: The migrant who paid 500 euros in advance pays another 500 euros onfind the apartment. Add to that a two-month deposit of say 2,000 euros plus 1,000 euros for the first month of rent and the total cost adds up to 4,000 euros!

Any problem? None at all because the municipality foots the bill!

Thanks to greedy landlords as well, these middlemen will spice the deal by asking them to raise the rent by 20%.

Case Downtown Helsinki: How the police ethnically profile people

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During the weekend, the police service together with the Finnish Border Guard wilfully targetted foreigners for spot identity checks in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. Migrant Tales heard of a case in Kamppi where four young men were walking. The police allegedly stopped two young Finns, one who was black- and brown-skinned. 

The police did not stop their two friends, who were white Finns.

Both the black and brown-skinned young men showed their passports and told the police they are Finns. One at the officers turned his attention to the brown-skinned man and suggested that the passport didn’t make him a Finn.

 

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Read full story here.

“What’s your mother tongue?” the police asked.

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Naapuriäidit: I am a refugee, but I also have another story

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Michelle Kaila

 

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Friba Majeed

Friba Majeed was born in Balkh, Afghanistan. She came to Finland in 2014 as a refugee. She is presently doing a work practice at Nicehearts in Vantaa, mainly to practice her Finnish language skills.

These are the kinds of details we, as migrants, might often exchange with others upon meeting.

However, as it is with each of us, there is more to her story.

In Afghanistan, Friba graduated from University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature. She worked as a highschool teacher, and then as Director in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs for 9 years.

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Seminar in South Korea, 2008.

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More alleged abuses of asylum seekers by Barona security guards

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Migrant Tales continues hearing disturbing news about the poor treatment by Barona security guards and the Finnish police of asylum seekers. 

Barona is a private employment agency that owns Luona, a subsidiary that manages eight asylum reception centers in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Hyvinkää.

Any problem with an asylum seeker at a Luona reception center and the police is called. They are usually taken to a police station where they are locked up is some cases for up to 15 hours.

One asylum seeker who took a picture of himself by a Barona security guard’s car got questioned and got sent to the police station for 1-2 hours. One wonders what “crime” he committed.

Would a white Finn be sent to the police station if he did the same thing? I doubt it. 

Migrant Tales heard that Barona security guards had locked out as well some asylum seekers from their rooms for three days for cooking food inside their room.

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The Finnish police service and its issues with ethnic profiling

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When the Finnish police service speaks to the media, white Finns usually give it the benefit of the doubt. Even if the police service tries its best to assure us that it doesn’t ethnically profile people, belief and credibility are in the eye of the beholder. 

Due to ethnic profiling and the lack of ethnic diversity in the Finnish police service, some migrants and visible minorities like the Roma see the police service with apprehension.

To these people, the police is an extension of white Finnish privilege and power. The fact that some minorities and migrants don’t trust the police should concern this public service.

On Saturday Migrant Tales published a story, citing tabloid Iltalehti, about how the police service together with the Finnish Border Guard wilfully targetted foreigners for spot identity checks in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.

Six people on the wanted list were apprehended by the police in the operation.

Despite the commotion and unfair treatment of the police service in targeting “people who stand out from white Finns,” the police claims that there was no ethnic profiling.

“We also apprehended Finns,” Inspector Johanna Sinivuori was quoted as saying in Ilta-Sanomat.  “Estonians for example and other nationals from neighboring countries were stopped and asked for IDs due to the immigration act. Indeed, we try to avoid annoying and inconveniencing the person. People usually understand when we tell them that the immigration act requires us to do this.”

How many visible minorities and migrants did the Ilta-Sanomat reporter approach?

None as usual.

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Suldaan Said Ahmed tweeted: “From tomorrow I have to have to carry my ID papers with me, this only applies to dark(-skinned) people.”

Ethnic profiling and discrimination are serious matters, especially if you’re the victim of such abuse.

Continue reading “The Finnish police service and its issues with ethnic profiling”