The media is part of the problem when it comes to racism in Finland because it gives such people and politicians inflated respectability and importance. A good example of the problem is a story on MTV3 where Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Tom Packalén asks Social Democrat MP Maria Guzenina if she would root in a football match for the Russian or the Finnish team.
Guzenina’s mother is Russian.
Read full story (in Finnish) here.
Packalén states that Finland should strive towards “real” integration. What the PS MP means by “real” integration is a mystery. Does Packlén mean one-way adaption or assimilation? Don’t our laws and Constitution speak of two-way adaption or integration?
The PS MP’s idea of how immigrants should adapt in Finland is no different to what Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder said in December about the Saami, Jews and Kurds. He said that even if these groups have a Swedish passport they must give up their identity in order to be considered “real” Swedes.
Making comments that put into question a person’s loyalty or demote his or her status and right to be treated equally in Finland should never be tolerated by the media. This is why MTV3 was chosen as the latest addition to Migrant Tales‘ Hall of Fame of poor journalism.
Read original posting here.
As the April parliamentary elections near, be ready to read a lot of xenophobic and racist comments by politicians like Packalén.
* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.