discrimination Archives - Migrant tales

The government does not have a credible anti-racism plan because it doesn’t want to

Posted on April 22, 2024April 23, 2024 by Migrant Tales

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 tabloid Iltalehti.

Some see Minister Meri’s, the PS’ and the government’s anti-racism plan as the three monkeys above.

Minister Meri is another PS politician that is multiculturally challenged and who believes in conspiracy theories like the great replacement. Source: Iltalehti

One of the biggest differences between the present government and the European Commission is on present ethnic agitation laws. The PS’ Criminal Policy Program 2022 is a clear example and states that the penal code concerning ethnic agitation must be changed to ensure free speech and the possibility to criticize Islam.

Tweet: “Shall we talk about immigration? Parliament is currently debating a major package that would significantly tighten immigration policy. And what’s more, this is just the beginning.

Finland is gradually moving towards a tighter policy which is the new normal.

Hopefully, it is not moving too slowly and isn’t too late.”

Reading the most recent xenophobic tweet by the head of the PS, Riikka Purra, it’s clear that the government will do everything possible to not reform the penal code and grant migrants and minorities better legal protection against racism and discrimination.

Some of these important recommendations made by the European Commission include:

Grant the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman the right to take up discriminatory cases in employment;
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman would have the right to take such cases to the courts;
Increase the capacity of the ombudsman’s staff;
Empower the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal to deal with complaints concerning discrimination in employment;
Collection of hate crime and hate speech data;
Data would include a system that would be collected on ethnic, religious, gender, and citizenship origin;
Offer more training to public staff;
Establish a body that will look at police discrimination, racism, and misconduct.

The Russian community of Finland fears for its civil rights

Posted on February 18, 2024February 18, 2024 by Migrant Tales

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 Finland who has lived in this country for fourteen years. Like some Russian speakers, she believes that some in her community saw the presidential election of Aleksander Stubb negatively.

Katja Marova, who lives in Lappeenranta, is worried about the civil rights of Russians.

Apart from Finnish and Swedish, the Russian-speaking community is the third biggest in Finland.

“The measure [to exclude Russians from getting Finnish citizenship] is clear discrimination and very concerning, coming from our president,” said Marova, a city of Lappeenranta deputy councilperson for the Left Alliance.

It is surprising that in the media there was no column or editorial written against taking away the right of dual citizenship from Russians. If Finland ever went through such a plan, it would be an eternal black spot in our history, a modern version of the Nuremberg Laws that excluded Jews from German society.

“Russians don’t only face the wrath of a despotic regime, but racism and hatred in Finland by politicians, the media, and society in general. We have a good government program,” says the government.

While parties like National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) and xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* try to score brownie points with their hateful messages, the closing of the border offers such parties an opportunity.

Liikkukaa – Sports for All blog: Racism At Finnish Swimming Halls Endangers Lives And Society

Posted on September 21, 2023September 21, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 submitted to the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) indicated that children’s insufficient swimming skills led to serious water-related incidents and accidents.

Finland has witnessed several cases related to racism and anti-immigrant sentiments in swimming pools and other public spaces. These incidents underscore the need to combat such behavior and provide better training and guidance to staff to effectively address hate speech and racism. Promoting water safety and ensuring the safety of all residents in aquatic environments is crucial, considering Finland’s strong cultural focus on lakes, seashores, and saunas.

In the summer of 2023, Liikkukaa – Sports For All Ry conducted a case study related to swimming pools. The study is part of a larger research project undertaken by the EU Erasmus+ Monitora program. The research consists of 20 interviews and 2 case studies in each partner country, coordinated and evaluated by the

Labor discrimination in Finland is real

Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 migrants: will come here in droves and work for peanuts.

And migrants do work for much less than Finns. In 2020, the average taxable income nationally was 38,111 euros for Finns and 26,646 euros for migrants, an 11,465 euro difference,, according to a report by Pasi Saukkonen. For Helsinki and Greater Helsinki, the corresponding figures are 46,701 and 28,279, respectively.

Issues facing the labor market:

Foreigners in Finland made in 2020 nationally 11,465 euros less annually than Finns.
Discrimination in the labor market has been cited by a number of studies. Having a foreign-sounding name could be an obstacle to landing a job interview.
Finnish labor markets are highly racialized and segregated.
Having a university degree is in many cases not enough to get a better-paying job.
Discrimination in the housing market is another problem facing migrants and minorities.
The situation will get worse for migrants and minorities with the new government, which has a radical-right party that is openly xenophobic agenda supported by the National Coalition Party and Christian Democrats.

Adel Abidin: “Immigration Services” – an art exhibition about Iraqis in Finland

Posted on June 4, 2023June 12, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 the original Facebook posting here.

Thank you, Outi Popp for the heads-up.

Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* A disappointing parliamentary election

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 with 48 seats.

Despite the good result of the Eurosceptic party, the Social Democratic Party, which came in third place with 43 seats, Green League, Left Alliance and Swedish People’s Party announced they would not form a new government with the PS.

The election was a disappointment to underrepresented cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Especially parties like the PS, threatened to weaken the civil rights of minorities with a heavy hand.

PS head Riikka Purra made clear her worrying immigration stance on numerous occasions:

The PS will not form part of a government that does not tighten immigration policy further.
Stop people from outside the EU from moving and working in Finland.
Islam and white Finland are incompatible.
Seeking asylum is not a human right but a privilege.
Cultural programs are a luxury.
Nearly everything that does not work in society is due to poor immigration policy.
Long-term plan to exclude foreigners from getting social welfare.
Leave the European Union in the long term.
Harden criminal sentences, especially when migrants or minorities are involved.

It is important to note that many of these radical proposals breach human rights and Finnish law and can lead to further discrimination and inequality against minorities. Defending diversity and social equality in society are important to every member of society and political parties should work to uphold such rights.

In the face of these radical proposals by the Finns Party, it should not come to a surprise that some newspapers abroad like The Guardian, Le Monde, El País and other call, among other names, the PS a far-right party.

We believe in the media’s watchdog role to protect the rights of all people in Finland irrespective of their background. Unfortunately, watching the news and what is discussed on it after the election, reveals that civil and human rights are not high up on the priority list.

For further information contact:

Enrique Tessieri Yahya Rouissi

Media Monitoring Group of Finland

+358 40 8400773

[email protected]

www.reilumedia.fi

*Media Monitoring Group of Finland aims to promote fair and accurate reporting by the Finnish media of underrepresented cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious groups. As Finland’s cultural diversity continues to grow, the role of the media in forming public opinion and attitudes about minorities becomes even more relevant.

Read our first report published on 17 March here.

Media Monitoring Group of Finland:* The PS wants foreigners to pay taxes and get nothing in return

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 if they ban social welfare for foreigners. Apart from requiring a change in the constitution, which would have to get a two-thirds majority, is such a plan only a campaign stand and a pipe dream?

Apart from breaching EU law and human rights and being discriminatory, should foreigners in Finland pay less taxes since they will not be eligible for social welfare? Are there other hidden charges like tuition for children attending comprehensive school and health care?

According to some estimates, Finland needs about 40,000 labor migrants a year to plug its chronic labor shortage.

Such measures by the PS will certainly make Finland unattractive to labor migrants.

Why would you want to move to a country that treats you like a second-class member of society?

There is no sense in it.

For further information contact:

Enrique Tessieri

Media Monitoring Group Finland

+358 40 8400773

[email protected]

*Media Monitoring Group of Finland aims to promote fair and accurate reporting by the Finnish media of underrepresented cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious groups. As Finland’s cultural diversity continues to grow, the role of the media in forming public opinion and attitudes about minorities becomes even more relevant.

Read our first report published on 17 March here.

Katja Marova: Living next door to Russia

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Migrant Tales

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 in Ukraine.

“It seems that as there are now sanctions against Russia,” she continued, “it’s ok to discriminate freely as well [against Russians].”

**Katja Marova lives in the border city of Lappeenranta.**

Apart from discrimination, some Russians complain about racist harassment in public.

Marova, a Left Alliance candidate for parliament in Lappeenranta, wrote on Facebook about an incident at a bar when she spoke to a Russian friend.

“On Friday, we were at a bar in our city [Lappeenranta] when a man walked by us and purposely bumped into my friend,” she said. “The man apologized, and my friend said it was ok. But then he started to say Slava Ukraini (Respect Ukraine).”

Marova said that her friend was shocked by the man’s reaction.

The Avarn Security guards scandal is a monster created by our institutions

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Migrant Tales

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 scandal is that the police service and media can make a difference by bringing to light such abuses.

Migrant Tales has written several cases involving the questionable professional treatment of security guards. Remember in June 2020, when two security guards aggressively escorted a black East African nursing student out of a train? One of them held her arm, and the other had her in a chokehold.

What about Moustafa Tito Sliem, who alleges that he was assaulted by five security guards in Helsinki’s Itäkeskus? Another case reported by the Helsinki Times of a black father and his son being treated dehumanizing after returning from a basketball game in Tampere.

Another case in 2020 that received a lot of coverage by the media. Two friends, one black and white youth passed the security guards at the Helsinki Railway metro station who were checking tickets. The security guard didn’t stop the white youth, but the black one was.

Writes Dr. Faith Mkwesha, the mother of the black youth, posted on Facebook:

I asked Dr. Mkwesha what thoughts she had when she heard about the Avarn Security scandal. The same company had detained her child.

“When I saw this thing in the newspapers About Avarn Security, it triggered my trauma due to what happened to my son in Helsinki,” she said. “For me, the pain [of that incident] came back.”

Dr. Mkwesha said that if the conversation she had with Avarn Security had helped the company mitigate the use of excessive force, the current scandal would not have happened. Moreover, my son would have never suffered what he did at the Helsinki metro Railway Station.

Instead of improving their ways, all efforts were made to cover up what happened, according to her.

“The police investigation ended quickly in a hush-hush style by stating that there was no [racism and ethnic profiling] case,” she continued. “And then it was my son’s fault, a seventeen-year-old boy still suffering from traumas due to what happened.”

Déjà-vu Finland: Same problems persist at reception centers as in 2015

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Migrant Tales

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 a good job, others were vandalized, while others did a terrible job.

From January to November 31, 2022, 45,267 Ukrainians arrived in Finland, according to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Their numbers are expected to rise in 2023 as the war continues and intensifies in that country.

Not only did asylum seekers face unprofessional treatment at reception centers, but many were targets of arson attacks. Source: *Migrant Tales*

Some of the biggest problems that emerged when Migrant Tales covered asylum reception centers throughout 2016 were the following: lack of qualified staff; management did little to resolve the problems of reception center residents; very few courses on life in Finland; bad food; too long lines to see the nurse, among others.

Déjà-vu: Some Ukrainians at the privately-owned company Luona’s Nihtisilta asylum reception center of Espoo are airing the same complaints. The very complaints are similar to what the company faced in 2016.