Migrant tales - Page 298 of 535

Is Finland on the path of becoming an isolationist, nationalistic and xenophobic country?

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Finland hasn’t been itself for a number of years, especially after a populist Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, rose to the political major leagues in the 2011 elections.

Sadly Finland appears today lost politically. it is like a blind person using as its seeing-eye dog nationalism and xenophobia. It has become a country that has not only lost its self-confidence but in some cases fears its own shadow.

That shadow that it fears is in the form of the worst populism, nationalism and xenophobia. Challenging those three social ills is difficult for some Finns because what they are seeing is themselves in the mirror.

I am especially saddened by the present state of Finland. I am disappointed because I know this country has overcome great adversity and can do better. Blaming others and scapegoating is the way cowards do things.

Finland isn’t a country of the masses but of individuals who can make all the difference.

The roots of Finnish xenophobia can be found in the media. This billboard from tabloid Ilta-Sanomat states that the Somalis aren’t leaving but staying in Finland. Source: Migration Institute.

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Close your eyes and repeat (again): The PS of Finland isn’t a neo-Nazi party…

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Olli Immonen, who is chairman of the white Finnish supremacist Suomen Sisu, was joined by members of a neo-Nazi group at the grave of Eugen Schauman, who took his life on June 16, 1904 after assassinating Russian Governor General Nikolai Bobrikov, reports YLE in English.

Members of the neo-Nazi Suomen Kansallinen Vastarinta, who were present with Immonen, form part of a violent association that was involved in attacking a book presentation in Jyväskylä 2013 where one person was stabbed.

PS city councilman for Espoo, Teemu Lahtinen, who used to be a member of IKL, a fascist party founded originally in the early 1930s and was former chairman of Suomen Sisu, was present at the event as well.

YLE in English calls Kansallinen Vastarina a “national socialist” associaiton. In plain English that should mean neo-Nazi.

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Does it pay to be a racist in Finland? You bet your sweet behind it does!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Some may ask why Islamophobia and racism have raised their ugly heads in Finland. Let’s take Persussuomalaiset MP and the recently elected speaker of parliament, Maria Lohela, as an example. By writing Islamophobic and racist opinion pieces that label and victimize migrants and minorities, Lohela not only ended up getting elected twice to parliament but now as the new speaker of parliament has at her disposal a 140,000-euro Audi with driver included.

Somebody who knew Lohela told Migrant Tales that she appears to be a sensible person until you slip the term Muslim or Islam in the conversation. She then turns into a Ms Hyde.

Lohela got her anti-immigration and Islamophobic credentials through places like the Nuiva Manifesto, which relies heavily on one-way adaption, or assimilation. She was opposed to same-sex marriage as well.

Read full story here.

Just like many politicians who base their support on anti-immigration rhetoric and Islamophobia, Lohela is too much of a coward to stand by her writings. She will, however, give you wishy-washy statements why she doesn’t regret what she wrote.

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Finland’s Foreign Minister Timo Soini is against European Commission plans to spread refugees among EU states

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Migrant Tales

In a ploki, a nationalistic Finnish translation of blog, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Foreign Minister Timo Soini writes that he’s against European Commission (EC) plans to spread refugees throughout the community.

“Every country is responsible for the asylum seekers [that come to their country],” he wrote. “Such policy must be made by the host country. The Commission should have no jurisdiction over [a country’s] immigration policy.”

Soini, who normally gives the image of a “good cop” against the “bad cops” of his party, or those PS members who have been sentenced for ethnic agitation and/or make racist statements to the media, believes that accepting a few refugees from war-torn regions wouldn’t help relieve matters for such refugees.

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PS report claims that Finnish “red-green” journalists believe that the party is racist and therefore live in a bubble

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* thinktank Suomen Perusta believes that journalists in Finland live in a red-green bubble, reports Helsingin Sanomat. According to Marko Hamilo, who did the report, claims that support for the Greens and the left is “over-represented” among journalists when compared with the rest of the population.

“Studies made in other parts of the world show that journalists are more represented by the values of liberal and left-wing parties than the rest of the population on average,” he said. “Opinion polls made in Finland show the same tendency. Among journalists the Greens enjoy strong support when again the Perussuomalaiset is the least popular party among the media.”

Hamilo adds: “They [journalists] really believe that the Perussuomalaiset are racist. They really live in that kind of a bubble.”

Are the PS racist? This is an oversimplified claim by Hamilo but they are the only party in Finland that says pretty racist and bigoted things about migrants and minorities. They are near-constantly stressing “us” versus “them” and thereby polarizing society. If the PS didn’t say and act in such a racist manner there wouldn’t be any need for Migrant Tales.

Most of the over 2,000 stories we’ve published since 2007 are about racism in Finland and in the PS.

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Thank you for the Herätys Suomi! Racism is Real! video

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Migrant Tales would like to personally thank Susheela, Albulena, Henrik, Nadia, Osman, Nawal, Sadek, Dizzy, Christian, Salomon, and Edna for making this video below on racism in Finland.

The makers of the Herätys Suomi! Racism is Real! video are a shining example of how migrants and minorities should raise their voices against a social ill like racism.

I am confident that we’re in good hands with people like these that produced and acted in the video below. We’ll succeed at challenging racism effectively in this country.

Don’t forget that racism is based on lies and everyone knows that lies don’t have legs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=8HbH_3nUrC8

Facebook: PS MP Huuhtasaari wants less immigrants to come to Finland

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Migrant Tales

We’ve all read about Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Laura Huhtasaari, the conservative anti-immigration politician who believes that Muslims are a security risk for Finland. In a Facebook post below she’s at it again but this time she labels and attacks all migrants.

But before we get to the story, I want to confess that when I write these types of stories, and there have been many of them, I sometimes feel like one of the space travelers in the Alien movie below, who is eating with his buddies and then a baby monster bursts rudely from his chest. The monster that I carry is similar and comes in the form of a racist insult or xenophobic comment by a politician. Like the baby Alien, the statement enters my mind as I write and then bursts out when I click the publish button.

I feel as well that these stories play an important role since they are published in English, which means that lots of people in Europe, like politicians, policy-makers and journalists, can read about the sad things going on in Finland today.

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UPDATE (June 10): Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism will be updated separately. To see other examples of opinionated journalism in Finland about cultural diversity, please go to this link.

June 10

Suurlähetystö joutuu selittelemään Timo Soinia: “Ymmärretään usein väärin täällä Saksassa (Ilta-Sanomat)

What’s wrong with this story? The headline offers us an answer to the latter question why their new boss, Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Foreign Minister Timo Soini, is commonly misunderstood by the German media. What has the German media “misunderstood” about Soini? The Finnish embassy spokeswoman stated that the PS is commonly seen in a negative light by the German media and labelled as a far right party. In all of the seven German dalies quoted in the Ilta-Sanomat story, none of them claim that Soini’s party is “far right” but “right-wing populist” and “EU-skeptic.” If Ilta-Sanomat were interested in quality journalism it would ask why there is such a perception of the PS in the German media in the first place and are they wrong in claiming that it is a right-wing populist, anti-immigration and anti-EU party? A lot of stories and names could serve as sources to reinforce the latter: Jussi Halla-aho, Olli Immonen, Juho Eerola, Teuvo Hakkarainen, Olli Sademies, Teemu Lahtinen, Jussi Niinistö, Harri Tauriainen, Tommi Rautio, Tony Halme, Hanna Mäntylä, James Hirvisaari, who was sacked from the party, and many, many others.

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Kristiina Toivikko: Moni maahanmuuttaja on syrjäytetty, ei syrjäytynyt

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Maahanmuuttajanuoret ovat olleet viime kuukausina useasti otsikoissa eivätkä aina myönteisessä valossa. On puhuttu syrjäytymisestä, rikoksista ja työttömyydestä. Asiaan on havahduttu uutta hallitusta myöten. Alkavalla hallituskaudella “maahanmuuttajanuorten erityinen syrjäytymisriski tunnistetaan.”

Ratkaisut tilanteen korjaamiseksi jäivät kirjaamatta, mikä ei ole ihme. Niitä on hankala löytää, mikäli ongelman perimmäistä syytä ei tunnisteta: maahanmuuttajanuoret eivät syrjäydy yhteiskunnasta, vaan heidät syrjäytetään. Jos yhteiskuntaan ei ole koskaan päässyt sisälle, ei siitä voi syrjäytyä.

Monet rakenteelliset ja byrokraattiset esteet vaikeuttavat kotoutumista. Millaisia muutoksia suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa pitäisi tehdä, jotta kaikki pääsisivät siihen sisälle?

Ensin on huolehdittava siitä, että kaikilla on tasavertaiset mahdollisuudet elämän perusedellytyksiin: asumiseen ja kielitaidon kartuttamiseen. Asunnottomuus on todellinen ongelma varsinkin pääkaupunkiseudulla, missä suurin osa maahanmuuttajista asuu. Vaikka nuori ei asuisikaan kadulla vaan ystävien nurkissa, epävarmuus omasta tulevaisuudesta aiheuttaa vaikeuksia myös opiskeluun ja työntekoon.

Kielitaito on perusedellytys työpaikan löytämiselle. Kielikoulutuksen saatavuutta on parannettava, ja on panostettava yksilölliset erot huomioivaan opetukseen.

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Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen: Tahra Suomen maabrändiin

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Ana María Gutiérrez Sorainen*

Nykyinen valtiovarainministeri Alexander Stubb asetti vuonna 2008 korkean tason valtuuskunnalle Suomen maabrändin kehittämiselle.Valtuuskunan johdossa oli tunnettu yritysjohtaja Jorma Ollila.

Ulkoasiainministeriön sivulla sanotaan, että “Valtuuskunnan tehtävänä on laatia perusta Suomen maabrändin eli vahvan maakuvan luomiselle Suomen kansainvälisen kilpailukyvyn parantamiseksi…Maabrändillä vahvistetaan suomalaisten yritysten toimintaedellytyksiä, saadaan lisää ulkopoliittista vaikuttavuutta, kehitetään Suomen kiinnostavuutta investointikohteena ja lisätään Suomeen suuntautuvaa matkailua. Maabrändi on taustatekijä menestykselle ja hyvinvoinnille. Huono kuva tarkoittaa pahimmillaan riskiä taloudellisesta ja poliittisesta taantumasta.”

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