By Enrique Tessieri
Christian Democrat (KD) Finnish interior minister, Päivi Räsänen, didn’t see any abuses nor ethnic profiling with spot identity checks of foreigners by the police, according to YLE. The statement follows a story on Wednesday after the office of the Ombudsman for Minorities expressing concern about the large number of complaints that foreigners are being arbitrarily stopped on the basis of their ethnic background.
Räsänen said that while she hasn’t received any complaints of ethnic profiling, the present methods prove to be effective in clamping down on undocumented immigrants.
“The vast majority of foreigners look just like the natives, so it’s not even a very sensible way to supervise aliens,” she said.
JusticeDemon said in a comment on Migrant Tales: “The idea that members of visible minorities should be disproportionately stopped while going about their daily business in order to catch illegal aliens makes no sense whatsoever in terms of intelligent policing priorities.”
He states that the overwhelming majority of undocumented immigrants in Finland are visa or visa-extempt overstayers. “Their typical profile is likely to match that of a visitor, not an immigrant,” he said.
While some analysts believe that Räsänen was appointed to head the interior ministry to calm the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS) party, for some she is the last person to approach in government to tackle a problem like ethnic profiling by the police.
Räsänen uses the adjective “illegal” when speaking of undocumented workers.
“In fact, Finland acts rather efficiently in the matter of illegal immigration and there is no reason to weaken this efficiency [by not carrying out spot checks], because it is our strength and in this we can set an example for other Schengen countries.”
Hi MT/JusticeDemon.
“In fact, Finland acts rather efficiently in the matter of illegal immigration and there is no reason to weaken this efficiency [by not carrying out spot checks], because it is our strength and in this we can set an example for other Schengen countries.”
How does the Ministry defines “illegal immigration”?? Is this concept a kind of an “all-fit-one” container??
It would be interesting to know what exactly the Minister means by “rather efficiently”. To me it sounds like: we put a lot of effort in tackling illegal immigration but we hardly have any result.
But it looks like a publicitary “stunt-manouver” to me!! At least no evidence of a success-rate. BLABLABLA!!!
Then to pump up the argument. “because it’s our strength” I would like to see a thorough cost-benefit analysis on this statement. The rest of her lines becomes very “shaky” considering the lack of ANY evidence whatsoever. Not even “close” to become an example for other Schengen countries (which ones, dear Minister??)
One response to this that comes to mind immediately is to train immigrants in the fine art of harassing the Minister in person for a full and properly documented account of every single instance of this practice.
This includes follow-up complaints to various watchdog agencies both in Finland and abroad that would have the Finnish government squirming with embarrassment within a few months. I would estimate that a dozen properly pursued cases of this kind would very quickly quell this misconduct, not least because the specific details will always come back to the individual police officers concerned and there is always the risk that a mobile phone was recording or even filming the incident.
It might be very amusing to pursue the question of precisely which individual suspect the police were looking for who closely resembled the person stopped. Let’s bear in mind that the ability to recognise a person from a description is a fairly fundamental policing skill, and if you can’t tell Tiger Woods from Bill Cosby, then you are going to look pretty foolish on A-Studio. Silly enough to guarantee that you will be used as an example in police cadet training for a good few years.
–This includes follow-up complaints to various watchdog agencies both in Finland and abroad that would have the Finnish government squirming with embarrassment within a few months.
JusticeDemon this would be a great idea. I wish people would be more active. It would make a lot of difference.
“The anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS) party”
Doesn’t being an anti-immigration party mean that you want to completely ban immigration?
The True Finns doesn’t want to do that, and you know it.
Don’t expect non from Räsänen, i saw her true color in a Yle migrant debate, where a Somali guy was presenting to her some concerns about the racist incidents that’s been increasing, she purposely played him down like he wasnt that important to her, the video is on Youtube. It’s a hardtime Foreigners facing in Finland, we’ll just pray for better times while hopping matters don’t get worst than this. It’s already mentally taxing just to live in uncertainty.
Good evening Enrique,justicedemon and all
I have no trust to this government, not at all
Once i went to parliament and did try to complaint about racist and what happened to me, there is a place in Parliament and when u go there a lawyer comes and talks to u about ur case, but for nothing.They did play game with me, first they said me okay go and bring
for us ur all witnesses i mean all papers that show what happened to me, and then when i gave them all copy and wrote down my complaints, they sent me back my all papers very fast .
Ha ha ha, so am asking what benefit idoes coming from this big building in Helsinki that they call it parliament if it is against humanity?????
That was easy for them to send me negative answer but hard to understand what humanity about.
Racist i know u very well, game is enough
Thanks MT
Human right
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlM_3gTSjyo
Thank you I am for posting this. It’s very gruesome.
Rodullinen profilointi ei tuota muuta, kuin epäluottamusta tai vihaa poliisia kohtaan värillisten puolelta. Olemme me nähneet miten hyvin rodullinen profilointi ja muullainen tehovalvonta on aiheuttanut Euroopan ghettojen raivon kasvamisen kiehumis pisteeseen. En tietenkään kannata mellakoita, mutta on meidän muitettava, että mellakat ovat aina merkkejä pahasta epäluottamussesta virkavaltaa kohtaan ja vahvasta näköalattomuudesta.
Näköalattomuus on minun miellestä paljon pahempi ongelma, kuin joku äärirasisti. Malcolm X sanoi että mustien kuuluisi alkaa uskoa omiin kykyihin ja alkaa pitää huolta omista yhteisöistä. Jos Malcolm olisi Euroopan ghettoissa, hän patistais ghetton lapset kouluihin ja isät ja äidit joko töihin tai perustamaan työpaikkoja omille. Hän vaatisi mustia olemaan ylpeitä omasta rodusta ja alkamaan taas uskomaan tulevaisuuteen.
“Olemme me nähneet miten hyvin rodullinen profilointi ja muullainen tehovalvonta on aiheuttanut Euroopan ghettojen raivon kasvamisen kiehumis pisteeseen.”
Entäpä toisin päin käännettynä? Voisiko “Euroopan ghettojen raivon kasvaminen” johtaa tehovalvontaan?
Sasus: Rodullinen profilointi ei tuota muuta, kuin epäluottamusta tai vihaa poliisia kohtaan värillisten puolelta. Olemme me nähneet miten hyvin rodullinen profilointi ja muullainen tehovalvonta on aiheuttanut Euroopan ghettojen raivon kasvamisen kiehumis pisteeseen. En tietenkään kannata mellakoita, mutta on meidän muitettava, että mellakat ovat aina merkkejä pahasta epäluottamussesta virkavaltaa kohtaan ja vahvasta näköalattomuudesta.
Näköalattomuus on minun miellestä paljon pahempi ongelma, kuin joku äärirasisti. Malcolm X sanoi että mustien kuuluisi alkaa uskoa omiin kykyihin ja alkaa pitää huolta omista yhteisöistä. Jos Malcolm olisi Euroopan ghettoissa, hän patistais ghetton lapset kouluihin ja isät ja äidit joko töihin tai perustamaan työpaikkoja omille. Hän vaatisi mustia olemaan ylpeitä omasta rodusta ja alkamaan taas uskomaan tulevaisuuteen.
Hyvin sanottu. Kakki lähtee epäoikeudenmukaisuudesta, se ei johda muuhun kuin kaaokseen. Jotta järjestys ja oikeudenmukaisuus yllää pidettäisiin on oltava kaikilla rodusta riipumatta oltava samat oikeudet. Jos epää joltain porukalta oikeudet niin ei se tuota tasapainoa, Historia kertoo meille mitä tapahtuu kun luonto sotkeudutaan, tapahtuu epätasapaino ja se voilevitä laajemmalla, myös se tule varmuudella vaikuttamaan jokaisen Suomalaisen mukavan olon elämän.
Now it’s fair to say that Finland is Nazi country, and i don’t want non of you teling me different or trying to explain what’s going on in Finland, Mrs Eronen will continue her job despite of what she done, Ulla Pyysalo, you’ll know the controversy behind her recent racist statement of the Black green member Jani Toivola, she still continues to work even though they P.S members told to the press that she will be fired but didn’t, James Hirvosaari a member of Nazi Suomen Sisus freely does his racist incitement without other P.S members condemning him, what does that tell you about the situation in this country, what does it tell you that, a racist hardcore nazis are sitting in parliament throne
I understand some of you will attack me and tell me to not generlize and im not doing so, but think about it, these racist can’t be fired, so they must be i strong psition, and they’re influencing from the parliament, Native Finns voted these nazis in to the parliament so it must tell alot about the many Finns, i guess it’s fair to say they have been brought up in anazi ideology invioroment. Finland is a nazi country, no if and but, yes it’s, now people have to ask theirself, what fro now, are we going to witness what happened in the past, will this time ever be recorded, or are we going to commit silent mass genocides without the world knowing?
Very appalling to say the very least !!!
At first could not believe what I was seeing in the video. Never knew Finnish cops could be so brutal and barbaric.This video has certainly changed my perception of them, as I had always seen them in a very positive light before. This is the sort of behaviour one would associate with some badly trained Third World cops (no offence meant here), not with Finnish police, who are often touted as being among the best trained in the world.
In my stay here in Finland, I have encountered racism in various forms, but have never been targeted by the police in any way. Seeing this video, I can’t help but see a different side to the Finnish police! Such unnecessary aggression and use of force; the guy offered little physical resistance, yet he was treated that way. Would not want to see how a foreigner who resists arrest will be treated! SHAMEFUL!!!
D4R Ei Suomi ole natsi valtio vaan rasistinen valtio. Natsi valtio tarkoittaisi että suomi olisi poliisi valtio kaikkia kohtaa. Rasistinen valtio olettaa, että suomen systeemit tukevat valkoista rasistista maailman katsomussa, jossa meile värillisille on varattu paikka eksotiikka tai friikki pöydässä. Mitä muuta monikulttuurisuus juhlat ovat kuin eksotiikka juhlia. Kulttuuri sirkus.
Sasu: D4R Ei Suomi ole natsi valtio vaan rasistinen valtio. Natsi valtio tarkoittaisi että suomi olisi poliisi valtio kaikkia kohtaa. Rasistinen valtio olettaa, että suomen systeemit tukevat valkoista rasistista maailman katsomussa, jossa meile värillisille on varattu paikka eksotiikka tai friikki pöydässä. Mitä muuta monikulttuurisuus juhlat ovat kuin eksotiikka juhlia. Kulttuuri sirkus.
Sasu, olet oikeassa, siinä tein virhe, korjaan Nazin ———>rasistinen valtioon.
U r always welcome MT
There r always camera in prison here in Finland, also in social office services,…but they are free to do what they like, because law in Finland is their supporter.
Modern police
Modern law
Modern slavery system
Modern court
Modern racist
And modern human rights
“Ei Suomi ole natsi valtio vaan rasistinen valtio.”
Kieltämättä jatkuvasti tulee kuraa niskaan pelkästään olemalla valkoinen hetero mies.
“Rasistinen valtio olettaa, että suomen systeemit tukevat valkoista rasistista maailman katsomussa, jossa meile värillisille on varattu paikka eksotiikka tai friikki pöydässä.”
Onko sinulla paljonkin suomalaisia ystäviä? Missä piireissä sinä pyörit, kun tuntemuksesi ovat tuollaisia? Tapaatko sinä ylipäätään suomalaisia ihmisiä? Kuinka tämä rasistinen systeemi, josta puhut niin kärkkäästi, käytännössä näkyy? Kyllä se vähän muutakin vaatisi kuin sitä, että poliisi etsiessään laittomasti maassa olevia ulkomaalaisia keskittyy ulkomaalaisiin. On hyvin kiistanalaista edes pitää sitä rasismina, koska ei siinä Suomen tapauksessa ole mitään rodullista motiivia tai käytäntöä.
Minä en nimittäin tunne yhtään ihmistä, joka pitäisi värillisiä jotenkin friikkeinä. Ja kysy vaikka Markilta, miten kamalassa seurassa minä varmastikin pyörin, kun itse olen tällainen kiihkoileva kammotus.
“Now it’s fair to say that Finland is Nazi country”
D4R, These kind of statements – in my view -kill the debate and moreover are very offensive to those who have suffered the tribulations of WWII, more in particular the Jewish and Rom population of that time. Because, mind you, whatever you may feel or think, Finland is not a nazi country. Ok? So stop it, you are raving ad are talking utter b.s.
Hi Risto.
As much as you are right, you must also take in consideration of the humiliations, demafations, threats foreigener have to indure in Finland where ever you are. Sometimes -I don’t deny it happens to myself as well- my friends and contributors pass a border. We as contributors must be well aware of not falling in the same trap as other contributors in this blog and in several threads set.
Becoming carried away is such a trap.
I excuse for D4R. I know for sure he doesn’t mean that. Do you accept??
Finland certainly is not a Nazi country.
80% of the Finnish voters have rejected far-right policy and its band-wagons. The point is how to strengthen the 80% to make life of all people better in every sense.
I realize that politics is a “dirty world” where principles are trotten because of the “comfort of power”. History has shown many times that such a perspective is dangerous for a partywhen the party seeks survival. The decline of PS is a signal and in my opinion will go on the more PS minimizes the influence and impact of far-right wing members of Parliament on their image.
Or?? Do I have to start believing that PS is really “nazistic”?? Soini’s body-guards during the Presidency elections looked like “Schutz-Staffel”. Seen this before??
KD have not done themselves a favor by appointing the current Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Lutheran Church (members will dis-engage) and the KD will suffer. Prediction for next election!!
Not that difficult.
Actually very simple!!
I do accept, of course. Everybody can get carried away sometimes. Actually not easy when you see the b.s. some people are writing here.
In more general terms I think it is dangerous to “devalue” the meaning of words like fascism, nazism, racism…
Without doubt there is (institutional) racism in Finland, but from there starting to claim Finland is a nazi country, that is taking it too far and an insult to all Finns who carry their heart on the right place (left, last time I checked 🙂 ).
It is just not part of a sensible strategy. If we want to win over as many hearts as possible in the struggle again stracism and yes also fascism, then please let us not use those words too light hertaed.
Keep up the good work.
–Without doubt there is (institutional) racism in Finland, but from there starting to claim Finland is a nazi country, that is taking it too far and an insult to all Finns who carry their heart on the right place (left, last time I checked ).
Risto, few if any claim here on Migrant Tales that Finland is a Nazi country. Sometimes some, very few, may get hot under the collar and let out such a knee-jerk response. However, if you compare those who claim that certain immigrant groups are potential rapists, criminals and social-welfare loafers you’ll find a much bigger group.
Did I miss something? Who is this prisoner, and what has he done to 1. be a foreigner in a Finnish jail and 2. to deserve a punishment within the prison. If it’s posted to Youtube, around the world, then some explanation is worth writing here. Perhaps he’d attacked a guard? That’s usually what really brings punishment in most prisons around the world, and most probably in the land of this man’s birth, he would be dead from starvation rather than a beating. Don’t worry, Finnish medical care is some of the best in the world, except in cases where smoking, heavy drinking and general mayhem cannot be cured as habits of a man.
In any case, we know that he’s a legal immigrant, or he’d be deported and spared the beating by a Finnish guard. Then, back home he’d be beaten up in a nonracist way by his own people. How’s that for a consolation?
Now he can claim not only damages but tag on “hate crime” since he’s darker than them.
But meanwhile, why is he in a Finnish prison in the first place, can someone explain this?
In the US, with him looking like a Middle Easterner, the other prisoners would finish him off faster. Sad but true, he’d be connected with the 9/11 disaster, quite unfairly. Even if all he did was rape a woman or boy!