The recommendations made by the EU Commission in 2019 to the Finnish government to tackle hate crime and racism are facing an uphill battle. Justice Minister Leena Meri of the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* disbanded a ministerial committee in February based on 20 European Commission recommendations given to Finland to tackle racism and intolerance, according to…
Tag: discrimination
The Russian community of Finland fears for its civil rights
Very rarely does the Finnish media approach a member of the Russian community to ask their views about news that impacts them. A good example is during the presidential debates when asked if the candidates would be ready to take away Finnish citizenship from Russians retroactively. Katja Marova is a dual citizen of Russia and…
Liikkukaa – Sports for All blog: Racism At Finnish Swimming Halls Endangers Lives And Society
The Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation (SUH), in collaboration with a representative from the University of Jyväskylä and the Finnish National Agency for Education, conducted a nationwide swimming proficiency study in 2022 (SUH, 2023). The study revealed that a staggering 45% of sixth-graders either lacked sufficient swimming skills or couldn’t swim at all. Reports…
Labor discrimination in Finland is real
In 2020, foreigners made nationally 11,465 euros less annually than Finns. While negotiations in process on forming a new government in Finland, it’s clear from the talks led by National Coalition Party (NCP) Prime Minister-designate Petteri Orpo that labor discrimination ranks low on their list of priorities. The negotiators have the misguided expectation that non-EU…
Adel Abidin: “Immigration Services” – an art exhibition about Iraqis in Finland
Migrant Tales insight: “Immigration Services” is an art exhibition that will debut in Reykjavík, Iceland, and aims to bring to light the suffering and challenges of Iraqi asylum seekers who came to Finland in 2015. It is encouraging that artists like Adel Abidin continue to show the injustices faced by Iraqi asylum seekers. Go to…
Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* A disappointing parliamentary election
STATEMENT Just like in the last four parliamentary elections, narratives such as migrant crime spread by the far-right anti-immigration Finns Party (PS) paid off handsomely. It is not, however, the only reason why the PS was able to win a record 46 seats but was helped by the National Coalition Party, which won the election…
Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* The PS wants foreigners to pay taxes and get nothing in return
STATEMENT The chairperson of the Finns Party, Riikka Purra, has said on several occasions that her party’s long-term goal is that only Finnish citizens have the right to social welfare. While such a plan is highly discriminatory, even racist, it is unfortunate that journalists don’t ask Purra what she means and what challenges would arise…
Katja Marova: Living next door to Russia
As war rages on in Ukraine and we near the first anniversary of that tragic conflict on February 24, one question we should ask is how Finland’s Russian-speaking community is faring. Katja Marova, who lives in the border city of Lappeenranta, says that matters have not changed much in her home city, even if war rages…
The Avarn Security guards scandal is a monster created by our institutions
The surprising matter about the Avarn Security scandal, when (in)security guards used excessive force and humiliated their victims, was that it wasn’t a surprise. Poor selection criteria, lack of proper psychological training, little to no internal and external regulation, and near-blind trust would eventually lead us to the present scandal. The positive side of the…
Déjà-vu Finland: Same problems persist at reception centers as in 2015
Remember when 32,476 asylum seekers came to Finland in 2015? Remember how Finland patted itself on the back by stating it did a great job housing many people, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan? There are mixed results about Finland’s “great job” in housing so many asylum seekers in such a short time. Some reception centers did…