The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is at a crucial juncture concerning its strange-bedfellow relationship with Counterjihadist and populist radical right members. What kind of links do some members of the PS have with far-right groups like the Finnish Defense League (FDL)?
The FDL is nothing more than a mouthpiece of the English Defense League, a violent street protest movement that opposes the spread of Islam in Europe.
What would happen if a whistle-blower in a group like the FDL revealed the strong links between the far-right group and certain prominent members of the PS?
Certainly all hell would break loose.
Politicians like PS MP Jussi Halla-aho and especially James Hirvisaari have a lot to worry about these days since they are the Counterjihadists and populist radical right members of the PS.
You get a lot of interesting mail in Mikkeli like a recent copy of the Perussuomalainen. Note the highlighed words in yellow asking “immigrants” and “everyone” to become PS candidates in the October municipal elections. The PS would be the last party I’d join for obvious reasons.
Things have changed a lot since the April 2011 elections, which gave the PS its historic victory. Since then, different ideological power struggles have become more pronounced within the party. The rude appearance of Norwegian Counterjihadist mass killer Anders Breivik in July 2011 has divided the PS ideologically.
This week we saw PS MP Juha Väätänen being ousted as chairman of the party’s Helsinki branch. This is expected to turn into a messy power battle as the municipal elections near in October.
In Mikkeli, we saw the PS implode when two of its four city councillors ditched the party to join the Christian Democrats and Center Party.
Figuring out what kinds of undercurrents are threatening the PS’ unity is not easy because the party is a tinderbox with the following warning: Do not move – highly explosive. Approach at your own risk.
In the meantime, take a seat and fasten your seat belts in a new act unfolding of the tragic-comic political play called the PS.
is FDL a violent movement?
I thought it was the left movement that is and has traditionally been violent in Finland and also currently on Europe.
Just to remark you on your fallacies. Timo Soini is accepting all religions.
virmamatt
Well, it’s hardly an either/or situation. It is unlikely that the FDL will follow in exactly the same footsteps as the EDL, as the EDL drew most of its support from the football hooligan fraternity, which always had a strong fascist identity. I don’t know of an equivalent fraternity in Finland.
The EDL has been described as an ‘army on the street’, and its typical tactic is to carry out street demonstrations in sensitive areas, often with the express desire to create confrontation. Indeed, the confrontation they meet most often, apart from the inevitable strong local opposition, is from the Unite Against Fascists group, which also attracts a fair few nutters who like nothing more than a physical confrontation.
One can expect the FDL to follow the same format of organising street demonstrations and to adopt a provocative agenda. Whether there is anthing like an anti-thesis like the UAF for this organisation in Finland remains to be seen.
I would expect the Finnish movement to be less physically confrontational, but not less objectionable in presenting an extremely polarised and polarising view of immigration. A group like the FDL is only likely to lead to increases in physical assaults against immigrants, even if not the ‘official’ policy of the group, simply because the nature of their campaigning is to raise emotions and the sense of threat from immigration to fever pitch.
Officially, so are the English Defence League, even though the number of EDL members convicted of common assault against Muslim immigrants increases weekly in the UK. The issue is that the EDL say they are opposed to extremist Muslims, but nevertheless target ordinary Muslims and peaceful Muslim disctricts in such a way that it destabalises local communities and polarises debate. That runs counter to their official claims, which is to oppose only extremism.
How do the FDL move forward on the same agenda given that there is very very little religious extremism in Finland?
the other day the demonstration of the EDL was CANCELLED due to violence from the left…
Police objected to it on the grounds of likelyhood of violent confrontation with left-wingers, though the many police reports available on EDL demonstrations show that violence is initiated somewhat equally on both sides.
Personally, I have nothing against their right to peaceful protest, in the same way I have nothing against the right to peaceful counter-protest. Violence doesn’t help, but with a background in hooliganism, it was somewhat inevitable.
What I would expect as a result of the FDL is an increase in confrontational politics and intimidation of local communities.
regarding PS I do not know what is happening in their camp.
Halla-aho, Jussi Niinistö, Hirvisaari and a few others may have a controversial background. We do not really kow what they represent, they say soma paradoxes.
Soini should be a nice guy, unless he is a cameleont himself..
a while ago a man had the intention to slaughter the EDL but was caught in a check on national road with his car filled with ammunition
virmamatt
Pretty extreme stuff.
Or
Perus Iamalainen
Tehdään Suomi Rakkaustan
Soini tarvitsee minut
Joking with dear Soini
Love u Finalnd
I am not joking
Love to the world
Soin, Do you need our VOTE? I am sure you don’t.