Tag: Finland

Left Alliance MEP candidate Paco Diop strives to be a voice for the voiceless and oppressed

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Migrant Tales does not usually publish candidates, but we do make exceptions. MEP candidate Paco Diop of the Left Alliance is that exception.

Diop, who hails from Turku and is a preschool teacher, states on YLE’s election compass three core values as an MEP candidate: “Human rights, respect for nature, and animal rights.” The rise of the far right in the upcoming European Election is his greatest source of concern, which threatens social cohesion, diversity, and inclusion, according to him.

Diop’s political awakening happened after the tragic death of his daughter. “I joined the Left Alliance in 2019 and it turned out to be the perfect home for me.”

Diop, who admires social fighters like Malcolm X, said that his aim as a politician is to be a voice for the voiceless and oppressed. “This is my lifetime goal,” he added.

Left Alliance MEP candidate Pacp Diop.

Diop, who has lived in Finland for 18 years, considers his second homeland a country full of contradictions.

“On the one hand we are supposed to be the happiest country in the world and then there are studies that show us to be the most racist country in Europe,” he said. “We have to ask for whom Finland is the happiest country.”

According to him, one of the biggest challenges of Finland’s growing culturally and ethnically diverse communities is for us to be aware of the toxicity of white supremacy and how it turns people of color, black people, and minorities like the Roma into victims. He said that society must take steps to challenge and address Finland’s racism problem.

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Will refugees at the Finnish-Russian border suffer the same fate as those on Greece’s Evros River and other EU borders?

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“…the job of the politician is to guarantee the safety of its own citizens and to guard its borders, and that’s what Finns expect.”

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Laura Huhtasaari, A-studio (3.6.2024)

The answer given by PS MP Huhtasaari to justify pushbacks and deaths is a raw example of the inhumanity used during Nazi Germany to justify the wholesale slaughter of Jews, minorities and other enemies of the régime.

The question answered by Huhtasaari is on the Yle election compass and a poll, which asks: “A person trying to reach Europe can be turned back at the external border, even if it would put their lives in danger.”

What else can we expect from politicians who justify the deaths of people after pushbacks? What kind of treacherous slippery slope are we on in Finland?

The above MEP candidates in the 2019 MEP election didn’t mind if people drowned in the Mediterranean. All of them, except Eija-Riitta Korhola, have moderated their radical stances. Henna Virkkunen, Sebastian Tykkynen, Mauri Peltokangas, and Pirkko Ruoho-Lerner would care less for a person’s safety and life if he or she were a victim of pushbacks at the border. Source: Yle   

If we want and to shed light on what may happen at the Finnis-Russian border, we can look at the inhumane treatment suffered by asylum seekers in other EU borders.

Of these, there is the Greek-Turkish Evros River border, where pushbacks and human rights violations are the order of the day. Migrant Tales was a small part of this important documentary.

Pushback Law

The Finnish government introduced last month a new Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law Researcher Milka Sormunen called it in her essay “legalizing illegality.”

One of the questions not addressed by the media, never mind politicians, is what will spare the Finnish-Russian border from becoming another shameful EU example of violent pushbacks and Human Rights violations?

Continue reading “Will refugees at the Finnish-Russian border suffer the same fate as those on Greece’s Evros River and other EU borders?”

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the facilitator of Finland’s hard right who concocts political mirages and lies

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One of the matters that has amazed me about National Coalition Party Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is his alternative truth about non-existent the threat of the hard right in Finland. Despite the racism and far right scandals that have eaten away at his government’s credibility, Orpo actually believes that parties will change if you go to bed with them.

“In my opinion, [the Perussuomalaiset PS*] are not a far-right party anymore,” Orpo was quoted as saying in March in Politico.

That statement was made after he repeatedly said that there are no far-right parties in government.

Prime Minister Petter Orpo revealing his true colors. Source: Facebook

Source: Politico

When the issue of far-right parties in government was brought up at a session of parliament by Green MP Maria Ohisalo, Orpo was evidently irritated by the question.

“There is no hard right or extreme right in Finland,” he snapped. “Those are pretty strong accusations If you give the impression that some people are Putinists or pro-Russian, or that some party in Finland is destroying the rule of law! I hope this is not about campaigning in the European elections.”

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Finland’s Islamophobic network

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In writing the Finland chapter for the European Islamophobia Report 2023, I sometimes give a partial preview of the “Central Figures in the Islamophobic Network.” Last year’s pick could well be the same candidates for 2024.

An imam I spoke to a few years ago described well the difference of the racism of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and the National Coalition Party (NCP). “The Perussuomalaiset don’t hide their racism but the NCP does,” he said.

With the entry of the PS in government, I have noticed that the party has gone in the closet like the NCP with its hostile racist views. The PS, like the NCP, can claim with a poker face that the migration policy of the government isn’t racist because it is in line with other Nordic countries.

If this is the case, we could then conclude that all the Nordic countries’ migration policy is racist.

Despite the latter, the PS continues to be one of the most important facilitators for Finland’s Islamophobic, far-right network. It is Hungarian Trojan Horse making its presence felt in all circles. Like the NCP, it uses the cover of institutional racism to hide its vile racism.

The PS continues to have close ties with groups that are hostile to Muslim groups like Suomen Sisu, Soldiers of Odin, Hommaforum, Kansallismielisten liitouma (National Alliance), Sinimusta Liike (Black-and-Blue Movement), the banned neo-Nazi Pohjoismainen vastarintaliike, and others.

All the 39 MPs of the PS elected to parliament based their campaign on the party’s anti-immigration theme.

The main PS ministers of government, Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, Justice Minister Leena Meri, Minister for Development Cooperation Ville Tavio, present and former Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman and Vilhelm Junnla, Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, maintain the hostile environment against migrants and minorities.

The European Islamophobia Report 2023 will come out in the summer.

EU election – Perussuomalaiset Mari Rntanen article inciting ethnic hatred in 1930s fascist progaganda

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Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and her far-right follower of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* like to copy and paste. Apart from inciting memories of the 1930s, when fascism and anti-Semitism were the order of the day, the PS continues to spread its Islamophobia and fascism.

The analogy that the PS makes in their EU election brochure should be condemned for being disgusting, racist, and inciting hatred.

An official complaint would be in place that the picture incites ethnic agitation.

How similar are the two pictures? The one on the left could not be found online. Nigel Farage scaring people before the Brexit vote. Source: Independent

The government’s anti-racism program stops racism on paper

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The Finnish government has called for comment on its proposed six-million-euro action program against racism by June 10th. The program’s development began last year when then President Sauli Niinistö was questioned at an international press conference about racist remarks made by ministers in the Petteri Orpo government.

Announced in May, the program calls for anti-racist programs in ministries, schools, and volunteer organizations. It highlights the adoption of a national holocaust remembrance day and promises to make holocaust denial illegal. Other welcome issues, though modest in substance, is a reference to Islamophobia, but nothing on specific measures.

There is also no mention of intended legal reforms in response to charges against Finland by the EU Commission (ECRI) regarding weak legal protections against racism. It would be a systemic
change isf such measures were adopted but there is little in the program outline of that nature.

That is likely because such changes could get ministers like Riikka Purra- who recently reiterated her view that there was a conspiracy to replace white Europeans with immigrants- in trouble.

Her social media remarks about fantasizing shooting immigrant kids on a commuter train, as well as Minister for Economic Affairs Wille Rydman’s emails about wanting to ban Muslim women rather than their hijabs, was what got the government in trouble to begin with.

There is no specific mention of Africans, although an EU study recently found that group to be more discriminated against in Finland than in any country in Western Europe. Finland’s largest
immigrant minority, its Russian community, is also totally ignored although in other recent legislation, their travel and relations with families in their home country have been seriously hampered.

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Pushback law: A day that will live in infamy, a day when the government attempts to legalize illegality

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THE STORY WAS UPDATED

The Finnish government announced Tuesday a day that will live in infamy when it introduced to parliament Tuesday the  Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law.

In a nutshell, researcher Milka Sormunen sums up in a good essay what the law is all about: legalizing illegality.

Moreover, would you trust a government and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen to spearhead such a law? Rantanen is an Islamophobe that sees Muslims even under her bed.

In an editorial, Helsingin Sanomat hit it right on the dot: “The stage is now being set for how easily another government in another situation could also violate the constitution and international treaties.”

Two questions arise from the draft pushback law:
– Will it be effective in stopping what the government calls the instrumentalization of migrants at the Finnish-Russian border?
– If Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government is ready to go as far as to trash Human Rights, international agreements, and the rule of law, what will he do next? Which minorities will be targetted? Russian-Finnish dual citizens?

The dismantling of the rule of law, like what happened in countries like Hungary or Argentina during the 1970s, usually starts with convincing arguments and threat scenarios.

If the parliament approves the pushback law, it will put Finland on a slippery slope, where xenophobic and racist politicians will “Instrumentalize” migrants and minorities to dismantle the rule of law.

Prime Minister Orpo and his cronies in government speak of paradigm changes in migration, labor, and social welfare sectors. Such actions have a price and may create paradigm changes to our democracy.

Here we go again with the great replacement theory and the government’s zero tolerance of racism

Posted on by Migrant Tales

With the Perussuomalaiset (PS) sinking in the polls, it’s clear that the Islamophobic party is pulling as many old tricks out of its racist hat. One of these is the great replacement theory, a white supremacist claim that Europe is white and not diverse

Tweets Purra: It is not a conspiracy theory to look at the statistics of what is happening to many countries in Europe at a rapid pace. You know it, I know it. Many people get upset when we talk about the change in population base as a result of mass immigration, but we just need to talk about it more. Source: Twitter

What’s the deal now, Purra? Polls not to friendly to your budget cuts and hateful hubris towards Finland’s most vulnerable? Oh I see, you are a “visionary” staring into the sunset breathing life to the same far-rght conspiracy theories that you denounced a while back. You are a fake and an opportunist..

Before being appointed interior minister in June 2023, Mari Rantanen, had posted and hashtagged far-right conspiracy theories like the great replacement. After removing such post on her socal media platforms, Rantanen wrote: “Let me be clear: I do not believe in conspiracies. Nor do I believe in the Great Replacement theory.”

MP Heikki Vestman and the government replace human rights and the rule of law with bravado and hubris

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National Coaaliton Party MP and chairperson of the constitutional committee, Heikki Vestman, has made a name for himself for his xenophobic statements and for flaunting human rights and the rule of law. His parliamentary committee has given the green light to the  Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law that will be introduced to parliament next week.

Vestman likes to spread macho bravado by portraying himself as a true “patriot” by throwing human rights and the rule of law under the bus, and bullying vulnerable groups like asylum seekers.

Rarely, if ever, will he and the media tell you what his behind the pushback law.

“As a Finnish Member of Parliament, I believe Finland and the Finns must be able to safeguard their security in every situation. It is a core task of the state.” said MP Vestman. What you are saying if we cut through your nationalistic bravado is: legalizing illegality.

Some ask why are the hundreds of people seeking asylum such a threat to national security if 32,360 asylum seekers came to Finland in 2015 and now tens of thousands fleeing war from Ukraine?

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Finnish government to move ahead with pushback law

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Prime Minister Orpo announced today that it will give next week to parliament the Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, or the so-called pushback law. In our opinion, the new law will not solve the problem at the border but will worsen it.

Disagree? Just take a look at other EU borders, and you will come to a startling reality: suffering and death.

Milka Sormunen called in her comprehensive piece on the draft law appropriately “Legalizing illegality.”

Prime Minister Orpo and his National Coalition Party, who have given the radical-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* a free hand on migration issues, did not mention a word about the four crucial factors undermining the draft law: breaching international agreements, the Constitution, Human Rights, and in general the rule of law.

Said Orpo: “I think that this law is drafted in such a way that it fulfills all the essentials [issues] simultaneously: First, the law works in such a way that we are not subject to instrumentalization [by Russia]. Secondly, it is written in such a way that it can be approved [by parliament].”

Source: Yle

Orpo said that the above two factors, which do not mention breaching Human Rights, the constitution, and international agreements, have a good chance of passing in parliament.

Some say that the PS’ policy of “zero asylum seekers” is one factor why the government, especially the PS, wants to close the Finnih-Russian border and deny asylum. Is it a coincidence that the majority of asylum seekers at the Finnish-Russian border come from Muslim-majority countries?

After this draft law gets approved, what other steps will the government take to undermine Human Rights and the rule of law?

The whole Fnnsh-Russian border conflict has a bitter taste of politics.