If there is a reminder on how bad Finland’s racism problem has got, take a look at the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party since the 2011 parliamentary election and specifically its main motor, Jussi Halla-aho. Having him treated as “a normal” politician by the media and other politicians makes him look like a wretched…
Tag: denial
Finnish election 2023: Kokoomus wins with the far right only a short distance behind
One headline on Yle caught my eye: Finns voted to oust Sanna Marin’s government. Or was it something like this that the New York Times headlined: “Finland’s prime minister toppled in tight election.“ Headlines Madrid’s El País: “The conservatives win the election in Finland, a short distance from the far right [PS].” Here’s my headline suggestion: “Finland continues to deny and…
Exposing white Finnish privilege #73: Stoking and exploiting white suspicion
Few of us will forget the 2011 parliamentary election when an Islamophobic and no-holes-barred racist party saw the number of MPs rise to 39 from 5 in 2007. Even if the result was a wake-up call for Finland, the reaction to the rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) as a major political force. Some shrugged off…
What Yle leaves out when it tells us why labor discrimination exists in Finland
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED If there is one matter that shines brightly from the editorial standards of Yle, it is its whiteness and how little regard they have for our people to voice the concerns of our ever-growing culturally diverse community. OK, true, there was a lot written this week about job discrimination and how…
Silence is a statement, acceptance of racism in Finland
Silence is the first thing after hate that is dangerous…silence is not the answer, hate is not the answer. Holocaust survivor There is one form of racism that stands out a lot in Finland and elsewhere: silence. Silence, if anything, is a political statement. Those who answer with silence are not only ordinary citizens but…
We have only to blame ourselves for the rise of vigilante gangs, racism and fascism in Finland
Shortly, we’ll look at this period as the…
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Racism is everywhere. Our denial allows us to pin it on one group
“When people speak of racism in Finland they refer to the Perussuomalaiset* and Blue Reform. They do so to wash their hands of the social ill by claiming that it is a minority fringe group that is the country’s racism problem. Racism is everywhere in Finland and so well-entrenched that it forms part of our…
Migrants suffer from the Ulysses syndrome, societies from the Cyclopse syndrome
I wrote a story in Migrant Tales nine years ago about the Ulysses syndrome, an illness that affects migrants, which speaks volumes about the lives of asylum seekers in Finland and how officials and the government contribute to their misery. If the Ulysses syndrome explains the suffering of migrants what would we call a society that is indifferent to their suffering?
The two extremes claim by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and the government is nothing more than an Okie from Muskogee
Ever since Finnish President Sauli Niinistö characterized the ongoing debate on migrants, migration, asylum seekers and minorities as a debate between two extremes, the big question is who is the other extreme?
Finland’s about-turn in immigration and asylum policy reveal populism and suspicion
There is an interesting article in newsmagazine Suomen Kuvalehti that claims that before Finland gave 85% of asylum seekers a positive decision today it’s almost the opposite.