It isn’t surprising why the government of Petter Orpo has paid so little attention to two reports that continue to shine a dark light on Finland: The 2022 suspected hate crime report by the Police University College of Finland, and Being Black in the EU by the Europen Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
Migrant Tales view: Like a furious one-two punch, thanks to two reports, Europe and especially Finland continue to see a rise of racism with near-silence and little outrage. Could we call it the Frontex syndrome? We are aware of the problem, but we turn a blind eye because we don’t really care or want to be bothered.
Finland’s hostile government to immigrants, comprising the National Coalition Party, Perussuomalaiset*, Swedish People’s Party and Christian Democrats, is the least apt to tackle the social ill. Matters can only get worse from here.
In the suspected hate crime report for 2022, the number of suspected hate crimes reported to the police in 2022 rose by 21.3% to 1,245 cases from 1,026 in the previous year. The lion’s share of hate crimes was due to ethnic and national background (74.7%), up by 31.7% to 930 from 706, and religion and belief (9.7%), down to 121 from 133.
Sexual orientation accounted for 8.7% of all suspected hate crimes, rising 11.1% to 140 with disability falling 11.5% to 54 cases.
The Police University College said that those with Russian citizenship experienced the highest frequency of crimes concerning national background. Even so, Somalis and Iraqis continue to rank high in suspected hate-crime statistics. Eleven percent of all offenses were directed at the Romany minority.
Concerning religion or belief, the most common victims, as in previous years, were Muslims.
Being Black in the EU
Like the 2018 report, the latest FRA report continue to offer bad news for countries like Finland, Germany, and Austria, which reported the highest prevalence of racial harassment in the past 12 months by people of African descent (PAD).
Forty-three percent of the respondents in Finland said that they had experienced racial harassment while in Germany and Austria the corresponding figures were 42% and 35%, respectively.
The lowest prevalence of racial harassment during the period under review was in Portugal (6%) and Sweden (10%).
Denmark, a country that the Finnish government is keen on copying its draconian immigration policy, reported a harassment level of 32%.
Writes FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty: “In 2018, FRA reported on the widespread racism across Europe in its report, ‘Being Black in the EU’. Five years later, it is a shameful acknowledgment to say that racism remains pervasive and relentless. Almost half of people of African descent in the EU face racism and discrimination in their daily lives, a rise since 2018.”
Source: Guardian
Some of the disturbing finds of the FRA survey were:
- Almost half of people of African descent surveyed experience racial discrimination, an increase from 39 % in 2016 to 45 % in 2022.
- A lack of national data makes it difficult for Member States to monitor progress on tackling racial discrimination.
- Discrimination remains invisible: only 9% of victims report incidents, and very few report incidents to an equality body.
- Racist harassment remains widespread. A third of people o African descent experience it. Most victims of racist violence suffer from psychological problems and worry about being attacked again.
- Over half of people of African descent feel that their most recent police stop was a result of racial profiling.
- Many people of African descent work in elementary occupations and are over-qualified for their jobs. Every third has a temporary contract and lacks job security.
- Rising inflation and cost of living have put people of African descent at higher risk of poverty than the general population. A third face difficulties in making ends meet.
- Most people of African descent perceive their health as good. But almost 1 in 10 feel racially discriminated against when using healthcare services.
