A lot of people were surprised Wednesday to hear that former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Maria Tolppanen, who has made some pretty racist statements in the past, has defected to the Social Democrats (SDP).
There are two matters that are extremely disappointing and shed light on Finland’s ongoing issues with racism: It’s still a discussion between white Finns who aren’t directly affected by it.
Since the racism issue in Finland is a debate between white people, it’s clear that the social ill isn’t treated seriously. There is a lot of lip service and empty claims that “we’re against racism” that don’t mean much.
In one move, the leader of the SDP, Antti Rinne, also given a serious blow to the party’s credibility on anti-racism issues.
Tolppanen’s defection is a good example as well of the former PS MP’s opportunism and her moral caliber. It also exposes, as we have seen in the polls, that the PS is a sinking ship.
Read full story here.
I wonder what SDP MP Nasima Razmyar thinks about the defection.
Will the media even care to ask her opinion about the matter?
* 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. The direct translation of “Perussuomalaiset” is “basic” or “fundamental Finn.”