You may be wondering why xenophobia has raised its head big time in Finland these past years and why candidates from parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* get elected on such a platform.

The Facebook post below that sources a false story about migrants called MV, Mitä v****a! or What the f**k!, offers an answer.

The online publication claims that only immigrants (sic!) were granted 85,000 euros in aid to get their own swimming hours, buy personal mountain bikes and free passes to the fitness gym in the eastern Finnish city of Lieksa, which has been a hotbed of racism in recent years.

In a nutshell MV is a source that incites ethnic agitation and reinforces the racist behavior of some people without abiding to any ethical or journalistic standards. 

MV has even been used by PS MP Mika Niikko to lure voters on election day. The MP  used the online publication as a source to incite voters by claiming that foreigners had gang raped again a woman. In light of the hysteria and public reaction to the Tapanila gang rape case last month, the police had to put out a statement alerting the public that the news published by MV was a hoax.

What does using a racist online publication like MV, which has over 34,000 likes, as a source by some of the Finnish public and politicians say about the state of our country?

It tells us that some of these Finns were and still are straight A students in racism, especially those that suffer from low self-esteem.

One look at the picture above will tell you that the person in it never heard of the eastern Finnish city of Lieksa.

Continue reading “Straight A students in racism and the rise of xenophobia in Finland”