While politicians of the Finns Party (PS) and National Coalition Party beat their chests every time Finland tightens its migration policy, the two minor government parties, the Swedish People’s Party and Christian Democrats, look the other way with shameful silence. The government, especially the PS, claims that its anti-immigration policies will make us stronger as…
Tag: Finland
Suspected hate crimes soar to a record level in Finland in 2023
THE STORY WAS UPDATED A record number of suspected hate crimes* were reported in 2023, rising by 28.99% to 1,606 cases compared with 1,245 cases the previous year, according to the Police University College. The author of the report, Jenita Ranta, blamed “societal factors” like the Russian aggression in Ukraine, and the poor economic situation…
The rise of the far right exposes our failure and our propensity to racism
The rise of the far-right and their simplistic scapegoating of migrants and minorities reveals a sad reality hitting Europe. The rise of the far-right does not expose the obvious but the fact that we have failed to educate generations after the horrors of World War 2. If there is one matter that characterizes an autocratic…
Despite assuranced to the contrary, the Finnish government is a far-right homophobic, Islamophobic bad joke
THE STORY WAS UPDATED You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The saying sits well with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government. Can you teach a party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* to be civil and ditch their racism? For the PS to turn in a new political leaf and abandon their nationalist rants and xenophobia…
Yahya Rouissi: When only BURANA* helps to understand the political headache
In my opinion In Finland, the far-right can be understood as an underlying connection of ideological alignment shared between political parties, political groups within parties, individuals. Ideological outlooks that are characterized by extreme nationalist, anti-immigrant, and too often racist views. These groups typically promote the preservation of a perceived “pure” or “authentic” white Finnish identity,…
Using sociological intervention in an orienteering course for immigrants and Finns at Otava Folk High School
The paper, written by Enrique Tessieri in 2009 for the Social Science Department of Turku University, explains how sociological intervention helped promote and strengthen cultural sensitivity at a folk high school 14 kilometers from the Eastern Finnish city of Mikkeli. From 2010-2011, Otava Folk High School became the first school in Eastern Finland – if…
Ahti Tolvanen*: Finland’s pushback law undermines the rule of law
The problem with this law is that it calls into question the whole idea of the rule of law. It allows the Finnish government to declare that there is a threat at the border of a “hybrid invasion”.This declaration can be made based on secret security information the government may claim to have and no…
A vital crossroad for Finland
In light of the rise of the far right and the anti-migration megaphone getting louder in Finland and Europe, are we at a crossroads? Does it boil down to two factors: inclusion or exclusion? One of the matters missing today in our ever-growing culturally diverse society is credible pathways to inclusion and citizenship. This may…
The threat against Finland’s democracy
Far-right populism is an illness inflicting Europe at present and it now has a beachhead in Finland. Migrant Tales (18.4.2011) About 20% – if not more – of Finnish voters are racist di**heads. Few, if any, were alarmed by the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* victory in the 2011 election, which raised the number of MPs to 39…
Sentencing for aggravated defamation of a respected scholar on racism raises a lot of questions
The sentencing of a respected scholar on racism of aggravated defamation by a Turku Court is more of a warning to others who may protest against ethnic profiling by security guards and the police. The verdict raises a lot of answered questions. One of these is why was the seventeen-year-old put in handcuffs for not…