discrimination Archives - Page 10 of 15

Landmark turban case in Finland to go to court in February

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Migrant Tales

Gill Sukhdashan Singh, the Sikh bus driver that has been denied the right to wear a turban at work by his employer, told Migrant Tales that transport workers union AKT will take Veolia bus company to court concerning the matter.

Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily, has been following the story closely. Read full story here.

The decision to take Veolia to court was made after the Southern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi) stated that the ban by Veolia to wear a turban ban was discriminatory.

The bus company has not changed its position concerning the turban ban despite two recommendations by Avi.

“I’ve been in touch with a lawyer from AKT, which will take this case to court as discrimination at the workplace,” Sukhdashan Singh said. “I’ll be on holiday in January and the case will begin in February.”

The case is one of the most important this year in Finland concerning cultural diversity.

The problems that the Sikh busman faces at work is a good example of how far Finland lags behind other European countries concerning cultural diversity. Sikh bus drivers in England won such rights over forty years ago in 1969.

Migrant Tales (March 13, 2012): Stateless persons do not have the right to open a bank account in Finland

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Migrant Tales

Here is a pretty odd case that I encountered Monday (March 12) when I went to Nordea bank in Mikkeli to open an account for a stateless person. After a few questions, the bank employee said that the person needs a valid passport to open an account at that bank. But if on that passport it reads ”his/her identity cannot be confirmed,” the person can never open an account at Nordea.

I asked the Nordea employee what could be done.

“Why don’t you go to OP bank,” she said. “I’ve read in Länsi-Savo [the local paper] that such persons can open accounts at that bank.”

Surprised by what I was hearing, I asked the bank employee if she was serious.

“Why do they [OP bank] have one set of rules and you have another?” I asked. “Don’t you think it is pretty incredible that you are sending a potential client to the competition?”

When I asked JusticeDemon about what happened, he said that there is a clear administrative problem over what counts as proof of identity and over the implementation of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Accession by Finland on 10 October 1968).

One point of that Convention is Article 27 (Identity papers), which states, “The Contracting States shall issue identity papers to any stateless person in their territory who does not possess a valid travel document.”

According to the Ombudsman for Minorities, an identity card issued by the police should count as valid identification just like a passport.

Some believe that the decision by the banks to not allow a stateless person to open a bank account as arbitrary.

There is not much a person from a war-torn country can do if he or she is stateless. Who’s to blame? The refugee? The failed state? The bank(s)? Or authorities regulating the bank sector?

Whatever the case, it sure isn’t the fault of the stateless person.

Lieksa, Finland, councilperson who wanted a “Somali-free” meeting room gets sacked as the PS’ town council leader

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Migrant Tales

Esko Saastamoinen, the Perussuomalaiset (PS) councilperson from Lieksa who demanded that a ”Somali-free” meeting room for his delegation, has been sacked as the PS’ town council leader, according to Karjalainen, a Joensuu-based daily.

Saastamoinen was, however, able to retain his post as the party’s Lieksa town board first vice president.

The PS councilperson faces as well charges for ethnic agitation and discrimination.

The former PS town council leader “demanded” at a public meeting on Monday that his delegation be given a new meeting room because it was being used by a Somali working group, according to YLE in English.

The demand made by Saastamoinen for a new meeting room, which had been supported by another PS councilperson, was made in the presence of Lieksa Lehti editor Marja Mölsä, who published the news.

In an earlier story published by Iltalehti, in which the town secretary gave in to the Lieksa PS’ demands for a new meeting room, was flatly denied Wednesday by the town’s Mayor Esko Lehto.

He said that ”under no circumstances” will the PS councilpersons be given a new meeting room as the town secretary had confirmed in an earlier Iltalehti story.

The question we should ask after this latest scandal by the PS is why Saastamoinen and another PS councilperson, who supported the idea of a new meeting room, are still members of the party.

Certainly there would be outrage if a politician made a similar demand in a country like the United Kingdom or the United States.

This affair shows once again that the PS still treat nicely their racists.

It reveals as well why racism is still considered “normal” and encouraged in some parts of Finland.

Can Peru shed light on how to identify and tackle intolerance in Finland?

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Migrant Tales

In order to understand how racism works in countries like Finland, it is important to see how it occurs in multi-ethnic countries like Peru. While the documentary below clearly shows the many ugly faces of intolerance in Peru, it gives us some good answers to address the social ill in Finland.

One of the interesting questions that we should be asking as our society becomes ever-culturally diverse is if we will commit the same mistakes that other countries have and are committing today.

Do we believe in Finland that there are superior and inferior ethnic groups? Do we stereotype and generalize about these superior and inferior groups and that their characteristics (intelligence, laziness etc) are linked to ethnicity? Do we believe that these so-called cultural characteristics are passed from one generation to the next infinitely?

If you answered yes to all the three questions, it may be that intolerance is a serious issue in this country. It grows and gathers strength because it is denied and because too many of us don’t show leadership and prefer to remain quiet in the face of this social ill.

Walter Twanama, a social analyst, says in the documentary that factors like ethnic appearance, socioeconomic and educational level as well as origin play a key role in whether you belong or not to the underprivileged classes. Language is another factor that classifies you.

Since ethnic group is associated with power, it’s clear that people want to be part of the group that controls power and wealth. In Peru they have a verb for this, which is blanquear, or to become white.

The system works in a pretty straightforward fashion: the whiter you are, the higher the socioeconomic level. Those with the least amount of power are Peru’s indigenous groups, which are the most excluded and poorest.

Rolando Arellano, a market researcher, said that even if discrimination occurs in Peru, it is a question of time when those that are today socially excluded will be one day accepted. “It’s not [the] more numerous [this socially excluded group become as it become more accepted], but [becomes] stronger,” he said.

Martín Tanaca, a political scientist, said that laws that severely punish discrimination are crucial. He said that tolls must be given to people to defend themselves from racism and discrimination.

Finally the documentary raises a very important point after it uncovered that racism and discrimination exist in Peru. It poses two important questions:

Do you want to live in a country with so much inequality and discrimination or not?
Are we going to do something or not to change the situation?

The final two questions are not only key to Peru but vital in any society that wants to tackle a social ill like intolerance.

Thank you William Rivera for the heads-up.

Migrants’ life in Finland: Some endure intolerance better than others – some hit back, others don’t

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Migrant Tales

The ocean is a desert, with it’s life underground
And a perfect disguise above.
Under the cities lies, a heart made of ground,
But the human will give no love.

A Horse with No name, America

Intolerance, bigotry, racism, prejudice and a list of other social ills strike their victims in different ways. Some of us can endure such hostility better than others, even when it lashes out at you at the right moment when you make the wrong move.

You can get in trouble with the order of things when you question your hapless predicament. If you choose the normal route, or not to rock the boat, some recommend that you grin and bear the situation and remember that you are the one being watched, not the thing that is watching you and giving you the short end of society’s stick.

It’s like being on a horse with no name in the desert with not even a shred of evidence to make a case in your defense. Under the perfect disguise of the desert above, lies concealed the source of the loathing and prejudices, deep underground.

Listen to full song with lyrics here.

Dana is one of Migrant Tales’ frequent visitors. She has contributed beautiful poetry and shared her grief, when her mother and father died in May and July, respectively.

She blames the system for “killing her parents.” The system, which makes family reunification in this country like winning the lottery, didn’t even grant her the opportunity to see and feel the warm embrace and love of her parents before they died.

Those who have been victims of racism and discrimination, understand what is meant by sensing hostility. It’s like bad karma, telepathic messages from Pandemonium, a defense mechanism that warn you that you are now under attack.

No, you don’t understand what I mean. You cannot feel Dana’s pain or that of others like her because too many of us are too white to grasp that kind of pain.

Some of us deny its existence if we can’t feel other people’s suffering. Denying racism is the new racism.

Writes Dana: “If your mind is dirty, how can u make peace with anyone? If ur mind is dirty, how can you make peace??? If I think my color, my race, my blue eyes are better than your black and darker ones, then I’m a very sick person. That sickness will poison your blood and make you cranky, sick and put you at war – that’s the problem. Why can’t you see that a black person is also a human. What’s wrong with a black person???”

Dana told me that for the last six years she has been fighting back. Whenever she feels that people attack her with their hostile looks or comments, she doesn’t run away in silence but turns to her attackers and calls them, “racist.”

The reaction she gets is mixed and people either ignore her, threaten (and sometimes do) call the police and security guards, or call her a “terrorist” who should be kicked out of the premises and Finland.

“I’ve learned a lot from the time that the police arrested me at the social-welfare office,” she says. “I make an escape before anyone can detain me. I won’t take this kind of hostility any longer. I always fight back in public.”

Zuzeeko’s blog: Skin color matters in Finland, Yle hidden camera shows

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Migrant Tales

Dark-skinned people in Finland struggle with discrimination on a daily basis. On week days many struggle in vain to find work related to their studies — or even unpaid internships. Some of those who have given up seeking skilled jobs are sometimes mistreated, disrespected and exploited in odd jobs for which they are overqualified. On weekends many who go out to nightclubs and bars suffer indignities and rejection in the hands of doormen and security guards.

A Yle TV programme scheduled to air on 17 October 2013 at 8 PM (GMT+2) on Yle TV2 uncovers discrimination in everyday life in Finland. According to the programme, skin color makes a difference in Finland when looking for accommodation, in the job market and in nightclub queues.

Read full blog entry here.

Yle sent out three men – a native-born Finn, an immigrant from Russia and one Somali – to find out how discrimination targets immigrants in everyday life in Finland. According to Yle, all three young men have lived in the country for a long time and speak the local language well, all three had the same cover story related to work experience, income and education. All three applied for a job, applied for accommodation and tried to get into a nightclub under the same conditions.

The programme reveals that at a nightclub, the Somali was denied access by the doorman, while one of the white test team members was let in. At another nightclub the Somali and the Russian immigrant were denied access on grounds that their Finnish driving licences presented as identification were insufficient. The Finnish team member was let in with only a driving licence. The three young men sought the same ten jobs. The native-born Finn was invited to two interviews, the Russian was invited to two and the Somalian was invited to none. A search for rental accommodation also left the Somalian discriminated.

According to the journalist behind the programme, the experiment recorded “clear evidence of discrimination”. The journalist – described by Yle as a “white-skinned Englishman” – was shocked by the results of the experiment.

Personally, I am not shocked by the findings. As a person of African descent who has lived in Finland for over four years, I have faced my share of discrimination. For instance, a couple of years ago, a group of friends and I were denied entry into a nightclub in Helsinki. Of course we thought it was discriminatory and refused to leave the queue. The doorman said he would call the police if don’t leave. Believing that the police won’t allow discrimination, we implored the doorman to call. The police came and told us – to our surprise and disappointment – that doormen have the right to deny us entry. They suggested that we should find another club. I’ve also been denied access to a nightclub on grounds that I didn’t have a [winter] jacket.

In another shocking incident which I experienced first-hand, a young man of Somali origin came out of a nightclub for a smoke. The doormen denied him access when he tried to return. When he insisted they restrained him on the ground and called the police. One of the guards had a knee on the Somali’s head against concrete. When the police came, the Somali was handcuffed and taken into the police van.

In my view, the TV programme by Yle uncovers the plight of the average dark-skinned person in Finland. While it may shock some viewers, I am convinced that dark-skinned people who have lived in the country long enough will relate to the experience of the Somali in the programme and will not be surprised by the abysmal discrimination.

Read original blog entry here.

*Zuzeeko Tegha Abeng is an associate editor of Migrant Tales.

Finnish Immigration Service terrorizes immigrants (Part II)

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Migrant Tales

By Dana

Why are we all so passive if we’re oppressed? What do you fear? What will you fear losing? Money? Benefits? What, then?

Where’s your humanity? Who makes up your mind for you? Who controls your thoughts? How do you build and make your morals and values stronger each day?

What is your religion? If you have few morals, then you and your religion don’t count much. Don’t fool yourself in the name of religion, and in the name of the law.

Do you hate me? Do you care about me? Yes, it’s easy not to care about me because it was three years that I spent on trying to bring my parents to Finland. I spent a lot of money. It cost me as well my time, my trust, my family, my dearest parents, my blood, my wish, my happiness and my hope.

When you lose a five-cent coin, u will probably search for it for at least 20 minutes. I spent three years searching!

I invite you to judge me and my case. Go ahead and show me ur hate over and over again…it’s easy for you because Finnish law works in your favor, not in mine.

Could you tell me why Finnish law works for you but not for me? What’s the difference between you and me, as a foreigner and foreigner, or as a foreigner and Finn?

Does it have something to do about human worth?

What does human worth mean to u? Can it be measured with money?

Why should I care for you if you have all you need?

What makes you feel happy about my situation? When i lost my parents you felt so happy – why? U think death only affects my parents and me?

Death will catch you sooner than you think and you can’t take your money with you, nothing, except yourself and your indifference and crimes.

FIS* laughs in our faces

FIS has a good time with our money and time

FIS instills tragedy that can destroy your life in the name of the law.

How would you stand up to FIS?

Would you struggle with FIS or become its jester?

How?

Show me how?

You could at least spare some of your pain on this blog.

*Finnish Immigration Service

Direct initiative to demote Swedish language at schools stands slim chance of approval

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Migrant Tales

What are we to think about a direct initiative that got over 50,000 signatures today to demote Finland’s second official language to elective status at schools? While this initiative stands a slim chance of passing in parliament, it shows how intolerance has raised its head in Finland recently.

Even if those that are lobbying against Finland’s 290,977-strong Swedish-language minority claim that by eliminating mandatory Swedish will help people learn more “useful” languages like Russian, the whole campaign is nothing more than a red herring.

Finland has lots of polyglots despite the fact that Swedish is mandatory at schools.

Swedish as a mother tongue is spoken by 5.36% of the population, according to the Population Register Center.

Vapaa kielivalinta, which has spearheaded the initiative together with Suomalaisuuden liitto, the youth associations of the Perussuomalaiset and National Coalition Party, claims the goal of the anti-Swedish-langauge initiative is:

freedom of choice of languages in schools
reduction of unnecessary language demands in public service
national action for these issues.

Even if those that are endorsing this effort claim with a poker face that it will further tolerance, it will actually do the opposite. At least three of the associations promoting the initiative have very strong anti-cultural diversity stands.

Suomalsiuuden liitto, for example, has played a key role in undermining cultural diversity in Finland from the onset of independence. The chairman of Vapaa kielivalinta, Ilmari Rostila, is a Tampere city councilman for the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset party.

If the initiative passed in parliament, we may well ask what is the next matter that we’ll try to dismantle of our cultural diversity, which has been on the defensive for quite some time.

If Swedish is the second official language of this country, why is it being treated with such contempt?

Because there are groups that are bent on destroying as much of our cultural diversity as a nation as possible.

ENAR press statement: Anti-Roma statements in France: a race to be the most outrageous?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Migrant Tales

MT comment: Taking into account the xenophobia gripping Europe these days and how far right, populist and even mainstream parties are vying for the anti-immigration vote, the same is going on in Finland. The victims are the most vulnerable groups like Romany beggars. A story on YLE in English reports that the National Coalition Party is planning – once again – to prohibit begging. The anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS) are strongly in favor as are the Christian Democrats.

What a shameful stance by these parties. Nothing will be resolved not matter how many anti-begging laws you pass except for exacerbating the problem.

___________

Brussels, 10 July 2013 – On 7 July, Christian Estrosi, French Member of Parliament and Mayor of the city of Nice, made public racist statements targeting the Roma and Traveller population and threatened, among others, to install surveillance cameras in Roma and Traveller camps. A few days before, Jean-Marie Le Pen had made similar anti-Roma statements. The European Network Against
Racism (ENAR) strongly condemns this stigmatising competition using hate speech to gain electoral support and calls on politicians in France and across Europe to instead start proposing constructive solutions to ensure Roma inclusion – for the benefit of all.

Read original statement here.

ENAR Chair Sarah Isal said: “These anti-Roma statements are disgraceful, all the more so coming from Christian Estrosi, an elected representative of the mainstream UMP political party. Comments fuelling hatred and stigmatisation against any group on the basis of their ethnic or national origin have a particularly damaging impact when they come from public figures and politicians.”

Instead of proposing populist and ineffective repressive measures, French local politicians such as Estrosi should start by implementing the law requiring that towns with populations exceeding 5,000 provide suitable camping grounds for Traveller communities. This law has so far not been respected in Nice.

“Politicians should live up to their responsibilities as elected representatives to provide for all their citizens on an equal basis and not indulge in such dangerous and divisive statements. Together in Europe, we can achieve great things. Let’s just do it”, said Isal.

Read ENAR statement here.

OECD study states that immigration boosted Finnish economy

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Migrant Tales

An OECD study claims that immigration boosted the Finnish economy by 0.16% in 2011 including pensions. This revelation is a blow to anti-immigration pundits, who commonly claim that immigration drains social welfare resources and offers no economic benefits.

As Migrant Tales has shown over and over again the red herrings, urban tales and outright racism of anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) of Finland, it’s nothing more than a storm in a tea-cup and a way to feed their opportunistic political careers by attracting voters with the help of fear.

The study showed that the economies of countries like Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy benefited the most from immigration while Germany, France and Poland showed the contrary.

Due to the deep global recession after 2008, migration into OECD countries rose by 2% to almost 4 million more n 2011 versus the previous year. Migration to the EU rose by 15% after declining by almost 40% during 2009-11.

While matters may appear to have improved, the job market has worsened sharply for immigrants rising by 5 percentage points to over 4 million unemployed in 2008-12 compared with a 3 point jump for natives. One out of two immigrants have been out of work for over 12 months.

Immigrant youth and low-skilled migrants from Latin America and North Africa have been the hardest hit.

“More jobs for immigrants would create big economic benefits for them and their host countries,” the OECD states. “Raising the employment level of high educated and immigrant women to the level of natives would create major fiscal gains for countries such as France, Belgium and Sweden with large long-standing immigrant populations. ”

The OCED says fighting discrimination is vital: “The report assesses the level of discrimination across countries and finds its extent much higher than previously thought. Generally, a person with an immigrant-sounding name, for example, has to send at least twice as many applications to get a job interview than one with a non-immigrant name.”

Sounds familiar, no?

Tag: discrimination