On Friday night, a Pakistani was brutally attacked by a group of youths and stabbed at least twenty times and repeatedly hit with ax causing, among other injuries, a fractured skull. The police are quiet until Tuesday when it puts out a statement, which does not mention that this may be a hate crime.
If the attack is a hate crime, it is without a doubt one of the worst ever reported in Finland.
But that is not what the police thinks. Detective Chief Inspector Mikko Minkkinen is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s Helsingin Sanomat that it is not a hate crime.
One problem that some see with Minkkinen’s statement is that it is unconvincing and raises questions like if the police have the proper training to deal with hate crimes.
By ruling out that the crime against the Pakistani immigrant didn’t have “racist motives” is a shallow response and raises more concern among migrants and minorities about their safety in this country.
Read the full story here.
Miro del Gaudio, a lawyer at Lex Gaudius, said that the vital matter to establish concerning the crime is the motive.
“Establishing the motive is important,” he said.
A way of establishing motive is to look at Bias, according to a comprehensive OSCE ODIHR Hate Crime Reporting manual.
Some of these suggested bias indicators would point to an Islamophobic or anti-migrant hate crime:
- Difference of ethnicity/background between the perpetrator and victim;
- Timing
- Proximity to a mosque as well or another venue associated with Muslims/migrants;
- What does the victim’s community say?
- What does the perpetrator say why he did it?
- The vehemence of the attack – this is a very strong indicator.
Any two of the above would warrant the police investigation Bias/hate as a motive.
So far, and as far as we can gather, there are three points: (1) difference of ethnic background; (2) what does the victim’s community say; (3) and the vehemence of the attack.
Migrant Tales got in touch with Shane O’Curry, president of ENAR (European Network Against Racism) Ireland, a national network of anti-racism civil society organizations that addresses social ills like hate crime and hate speech. He said that it was a good matter that there is concern in the migrant community about what happened and that they should press the police for more answers.
“It’s an opportunity to demonstrate that the police need training in dealing with hate crime, clear protocols, and resources,” he continued. “Had these things been in place, the police would have known to look for Bias indicators and known that their presence warrants further investigation as a hate crime.”
I have also asked the police in three emails to answer what constitutes a hate crime in Finland but I did not get an adequate answer.
The police respond to the first email: “Our investigation has shown that there’s nothing to point to a hate crime. The fact that the victim is Pakistani or some other than a Finnish citizen doesn’t make this automatically a hate crime.
Migrant Tales question that the police did not respond: “Hey! I’m not suggesting that this is an automatic assumption. All I want to know is under what conditions can a person be charged with a hate crime. The link you gave me didn’t explain well what is a hate crime and how a person can be accused of such a crime.
It was not HATE crime, it was LOVE crime!
Finnish police does not beieve in HATE but in LOVE thats why they hit and beat and torture asylum seekers and refugees in camps all over Finland.
In fact finnish police does not have any idea about hate, they dont know what is hate, hate word and hate feeling does not exist in finnish culture, you go and check finnish dictionary, you cant find hate word.
Come on now, noooo hate crime, just some baby racist were playing with knife, game is about those who are not finn, like poor Pakistani man.
But Pakistani man was very lucky, because finnish yongsters dont play this game with finns, just with foreigners .
And who was and is next one?
Why racist police should answer to your e.mail? oh you ask very much, here is their country, they are law maker, they are just for supporting racism and racists , they have all rights, what we have? NOTHING!
Just ask police : please explain me what is hate crime? so i will understand that is a different matter and has nothing to do with knife and killing, terror and attacking a man in group and with knife !
So what about those youngsters family, did they sent flowers and cards to pakistani man in hospital? did they sent chocolate and a million sorry and apology ?
This is not first case, many happened before that, many refugees and asylum and immigrant never report it , because everybody knows that finnish law is a supporter for racisma nd racists!
This is Finland, no SURPRISE !
Go and ask your question of a finnish lawyer, judge, … they will not answer you too !
Chief Inspector Mikko Minkkinen
Correction
*Chief Racist Mikko Minkkinen*