Migrant tales - Page 64 of 536

Two stories that reveal a lot about racism in Finland

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Two stories that expose injustice and denial in Finland became public this week: First, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland ruled Thursday that the police ethnically profiled singer Musta Barbari’s mother and sister in July 2016. The other news is about an Iraqi youth who white Finns violently attacked in July 2020.

Both cases are not only concerning but revealing. Ethnic profiling and suspected hate crime cases drag their feet in Finland’s legal system. Musta Barbari’s mother and sister finally saw justice after six years, while Fares Al-Obaidi’s case was decided by a court two years and two months later.

The legal path of Musta Barbari’s mother and sister to the Supreme Administrative Court was long and winding:

PS MP Juha Mäenpää warned that asylum seekers could spark a civil war in Finland

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Migrant Tales

US President Joe Biden warned in a recent speech that his country’s democracy is in peril. He pointed the finger at former President Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again or Make Attorneys Get Attorneys) followers.

We asked in a recent posting if Biden labeled MAGA Republicans “semi-fascists,” why couldn’t we call the far-right Perussuonalaiset (PS)* the same?

Even if the PS’ and other radical-right followers have not yet stormed Parliament like on January 6 at the Capitol, the party’s far-right brand of rhetoric has caused a lot of harm to our democratic institutions. The hate speech they spread against migrants and minorities is one of many examples.

True, the PS wants to sanitize its hateful rhetoric because they want to form part of a next government after the April parliamentary election.

Who is Mäenpää? He’s the PS MP who called asylum seekers “invasive species” and did not face an ethnic agitation charges since his parliamentary immunity was not lifted.

Should we be surprised that the Finnish police forced Muslim women to remove their hijabs? Not.

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Migrant Tales

The incident of Finnish police brutality, where they physically forced Muslim asylum seekers to remove their hijabs, is not surprising in the least, taking into account the year (2017) and the Häme region of Finland.

Seven months after the incident with the Muslim women, Migrant Tales published a story about how the police gave tacit approval to the questionable role of far-right vigilante groups like the Soldiers of Odin.

At that time, Detective chief inspector of southern Finland, Markku Tuominen, surprised many people In January 2016 when he was quoted as saying that Finns should avoid contact with foreigners. In December, we even read that the police service of Häme welcomed street patrols in the town of Asikkala, according to Hämeen Kaiku.

Asiakkala is located between Hämeenlinna and Lahti.

Apart from supporting far-right vigilante gangs, several asylum reception centers attacked many arson (terrorist?) attacks in 2015. One of these was razed to the ground in Kankaanpää, where five white Finnish suspects were held last year for suspected far-right terrorist charges.

Adding another element to the country’s hostile environment towards asylum seekers and migrants, the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* were in government. Their presence spearheaded numerous laws that tightened Finland’s already restrictive immigration law.

Entrevista con Migrantes News: La xenofobia y el racismo en Europa

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Tuve el placer de ser entrvistado por José León Toro Mejías, editor de Migrantes News. El está en la Argentina y yo en Finlandia. Aunque la distancia entre nuestros países es enorme, los temas de migración son bastantes parecidas. La xenofobia y el rasismo no reconoce distancias.

Muchas gracias León por la entrevista.

Primera part

Enrique; ¿entre la migración, xenofobia y racismo, ¿dónde está el problema?

Segunda parte

Su trabajo de periodista le permitió recorrer varios países, mientras sus profesiones le han hecho mirar las fibras en los valores sociales de los lugares que ha visitado.

Finnish police physically forced Muslim asylum seekers to take off their hijabs

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Migrant Tales

A group of Muslim asylum seekers in May 2017 charged seven police and security guards with assault and misconduct in the line of duty when they forced the women to take off their hijabs, according to Yle.

Apart from the questionable action of the police, it is interesting to note that the court case is happening today, or over five years ago when the incident took place. Moreover, the incident occurred shortly after over 30,000 asylum seekers came to Finland in 2015.

Migrant Tales has documented numerous cases of the poor treatment of asylum seekers by the police and staffers at asylum reception centers.

Even if the women objected, citing their religion, the police forced them to take their hijabs off.

“According to the prosecutor, the women were shouting and screaming, and the accused, among other things, pushed them chest first against the wall,” writes Yle. “Finally, the defendants took off the women’s scarves and took the pictures without them.”

The actions of the police caused injuries to the women. These included headaches, scarring, and redness all over their bodies.

The defendants claim they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

If Biden calls MAGA Republicans semi-fascists, why can’t we call the Perussuomalaiset the same?

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Like many analysts, US President Joe Biden’s “semi-fascism” remark did not go far enough. He should have just dropped the word semi and called them fascists. Taking into account how much the US democracy is in peril, shouldn’t it be time to call out the enemies by their real names?

The MAGA Republicans, who have Perussuomalaiset (PS)* followers like MPs Jussi Halla-aho, Veikko Vallin, Vilhelm Junnilla, and many others in Finland, are made from the same toxic brew.

There is nothing semi about MAGA Republican fascism. It’s the real thing, fair and square.

“MAGA Republicans want to take America backwards, backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love,” President Biden said.

In the same light, the PS is threatening and marginalizing minorities and migrants who should have limited civil rights. It’s clear that after the party passes now-unconstitutional laws to ensure that minorities and migrants are second-class members of society, they will go after other minorities like the Roma, Saami, gays, and others.

Racism makes my blood boil – why doesn’t yours?

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Migrant Tales

I have often wondered why racism some people in Finland are not moved by racism. Racism is a traumatic experience that remains inside of you. Some don’t react or care because they have never been a victim of such a social ill.

When racism jabs or throws a violent punch and your colleague or friend doesn’t react, it is the worst insult. Even worse is if the person denies completely racism or claims that you are overreacting.

Racism is such a profitable disorder that politicians use it to gain power and attention. Even so, the worst racists are the ones who do nothing, remain silent, and keep the structures of institutional racism intact.

Racism is a monster that you learn to live with but constantly plan on slaying it.

European Network Against Racism: Denmark is the “happiest” country in the world

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Migrant Tales

The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is Europe’s biggest anti-racism NGO.

It writes:

“Denmark is said to be the ‘happiest’ country in the world.

It depends on who you ask. With the elections approaching, religious freedom for minorities seems once again to be at the heart of political debates as Denmark considers whether to ban headscarves in schools.

As a reminder of the long history of discriminatory laws against Muslim women in Europe, here is a chronological summary of all the laws banning headscarves in schools in Europe since 2004, when France got the ball rolling.”

Discrimination in the labor market is a real problem that Finland still doesn’t want to face

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Institutional racism is a social ill that Finland has done too little to challenge. One of the areas where it happens mainly uncontested is in the labor market. IYou face many challenges ahead if you are lucky enough to get a job interview with your so-called foreign-sounding name.

Once you get through the door, the question is if you will be treated equally like the white Finnish employees.

Hamiid Hussein is a Finnish citizen who has lived in the country for a long time. He approached Migrant Tales as well as other representatives of the media about a far-right Perussuomalaiset* candidate running for office in the municipal elections who wanted a picture of his family.

You can read about the case here.

Hussein’s most recent complaint is about one of Finland’s biggest driving schools where he is taking a course to become an instructor.

**There is a lot of discrimination in Finland’s labor markets, even at driving schools.**

Denmark takes another shot of steroids for its xenophobia

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Migrant Tales

Denmark, the Nordic region’s most Islamophobic country, plans to tighten (again) its immigration laws by deporting all foreigners who are handed prison sentences, according to DR of Denmark.

DR writes that the government wants to introduce changes in the law so that any foreigner slapped with an unconditional prison sentence will be deported. “Today, a foreigner can avoid deportation despite being handed a prison sentence,” said Denmark’s Social Democratic minister for immigration and integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek.

**Read the full story (in Danish) here.**

While some idealize the Nordic welfare system because it is supposed to promote social equality, nothing could be further from the truth than Denmark, which some have correctly called a xenophobic country on steroids.