When the Finnish police service speaks to the media, white Finns usually give it the benefit of the doubt. Even if the police service tries its best to assure us that it doesn’t ethnically profile people, belief and credibility are in the eye of the beholder.
Due to ethnic profiling and the lack of ethnic diversity in the Finnish police service, some migrants and visible minorities like the Roma see the police service with apprehension.
To these people, the police is an extension of white Finnish privilege and power. The fact that some minorities and migrants don’t trust the police should concern this public service.
On Saturday Migrant Tales published a story, citing tabloid Iltalehti, about how the police service together with the Finnish Border Guard wilfully targetted foreigners for spot identity checks in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.
Six people on the wanted list were apprehended by the police in the operation.
Despite the commotion and unfair treatment of the police service in targeting “people who stand out from white Finns,” the police claims that there was no ethnic profiling.
“We also apprehended Finns,” Inspector Johanna Sinivuori was quoted as saying in Ilta-Sanomat. “Estonians for example and other nationals from neighboring countries were stopped and asked for IDs due to the immigration act. Indeed, we try to avoid annoying and inconveniencing the person. People usually understand when we tell them that the immigration act requires us to do this.”
How many visible minorities and migrants did the Ilta-Sanomat reporter approach?
None as usual.
Suldaan Said Ahmed tweeted: “From tomorrow I have to have to carry my ID papers with me, this only applies to dark(-skinned) people.”
Ethnic profiling and discrimination are serious matters, especially if you’re the victim of such abuse.
Continue reading “The Finnish police service and its issues with ethnic profiling”
