Finland Archives - Page 186 of 359

YLE A-studio: The PS reveals its anti-democratic credentials and loathing of press freedom

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Watching Thursday’s A-Studio talk show gave a very disturbing picture of what the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* think about democracy and the role of the media in society. Researcher Markku Jokisipilä exposed, however, with a diplomatic statement what’s wrong with this country and why a party like the PS has grown to become one of the biggest in Finland.

Even if the party’s third vice president Sebastian Tynkkynen row continued to dominate a part of the program, there were a number of comments that caught my eye.

One of these was how the press officer of the PS, Matti Putkonen, tried to dominate and tell the host what should be debated on the show. Putkonen claimed as well that MEP Jussi Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation, is “one of Finland’s best authorities on migration.”

Even if Putkonen’s two-minute exit from the talk show surprised a lot of viewers, it was researcher Jokisipilä who shed light on why politicians, the media and public opinion in the country continue to give the benefit of the doubt to a party that is anti-EU, anti-cultural diversity and especially anti-Islam.

“I’m obliged to congratulate the PS for their [historic] election victory of 2011,” he said, “that was an excellent matter from the point of view of Finnish politics and Finnish democracy.”

For whom was the rise of a party that bases its support on labeling and victimizing migrants and minorities as well as fueling nationalist sentiment a good matter? I doubt that many people of our ever-culturally and ethnically diverse Finland would agree that the rise of the PS is a “good” matter.

Is the rise of the Danish People’s Party, Front National of France and other nationalist populist anti-immigration parties a good thing for Europe?

I doubt it.

Watch full A-studio talk show here.

Continue reading “YLE A-studio: The PS reveals its anti-democratic credentials and loathing of press freedom”

Timo Soini’s Tynkkynen problem or Sebastian Tynkkynen’s Soini problem

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Sebastian Tynkkynen is third vice president of the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and chairman of its youth wing. Recently he’s been in the national spotlight and a thick thorn in Timo Soini’s side and a threat to party unity.

The official reason why Tynkkynen’s party membership was revoked Friday was – according to PS party secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo – because he published a list of the party’s members online to call an emergency meeting to debate if the PS should remain in government.

The way Tynkkynen’s membership was revoked exposes once again that the PS’ real name is TS, or Timo Soini, who rules his party with a mixture of charisma and terror, especially against those who get out of line.

The way Soini keeps the party leadership and MPs on short leashes, coupled by its turncoat policies in government, are certain recipes for disaster. It is ironic that the very people Soini gave a political voice, the racists and far right, are threatening to destroy the party today.

Soini doesn’t accept criticism from within his ranks as the Tynkknynen row shows but he doesn’t have a problem with members who have issues with racism, ethnic agitation convictions, and ties with far right groups.

Even if the media and some politicians are following the row with keen interest, we mustn’t forget that many of Tynkkynen’s opinions of migrants, minorities, cultural diversity and the EU are racist and ultranationalist. They are in the same league as far right parties like the Danish People’s Party and Sweden Democrats.

Should we then feel sorry for Tynkkynen as some media, politicians and law experts have expressed?

Not at all. How could you feel sorry for a member of a party that bases its popularity on xenophobia and victimizing migrants and petty provincialism?

We should, however, thank Tynkkynen for speeding up the eventual demise of the PS that is not only a huge disappointment to those that voted for it but for unmasking the political paper tiger the party is.

*The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.

Helsingin Sanomat article on refugees is an exercise in stereotyping

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Migrant Tales

One matter has always surprised me about Finnish journalists is how some of them paint migrants with a single brush and allow their own prejudices get in the way of facts, especially when they write about migrants and minorities. A good example of the latter is a story by Jukka Harju, who not only mistakenly claims that the first refugees came to Finland over 40 years ago, but which national group adapted the best in Finland.

Most of this type of writing is, unfortunately, an exercise in assimilation and the writers prejudices about certain national groups.

As mentioned in an earlier posting, the first large group of refugees numbering 6,500 came from Russia in 1921, not over 40 years ago as the Helsingin Sanomat article incorrectly claims.

Read full story (in Finnish) here.

The journalist cites a teacher and school psychologist, Liisa Kosonen, to vouch that the Vietnamese who came in the late 1970s were well-adapted to Finland.

“It worked out well,” she is quoted as saying. “It had in part to do with the Far Eastern character. The Vietnamese adapted well to such a situation, they were cordial. They valued education and their children got a lot of support.”

Continue reading “Helsingin Sanomat article on refugees is an exercise in stereotyping”

UPDATE (October 25): Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism will be updated separately. To see other examples of opinionated journalism in Finland about cultural diversity, please go to this link.

October 25

Ensimmäiset pakolaiset olleet Suomessa jo yli 40 vuotta – vietnamilaiset sopeutuivat, somalit kohtaisivat ennakkoluuloja (Helsingin Sanomat)

What’s wrong with this story? For one the headline suggests that the first refugees that came to Finland was over 40 years. Wrong. The first big group of refugees that came to Finland was about 94 years ago in 1921, when some 6,500 Russians fled the Soviet Union from the island fortification of Kronstadt, located near St Petersburg. By not investigating enough the reporter, Jukka Harju, reinforces some of the myths about Finland like so few have come here and so recently. What about during World War 2? Where the Ingrians that fled the former Soviet Union to Finland refugees like the 420,000 Karelians that were forced to abandon their homes after their lands were ceded to the USSR?

The Vietnamese, Chileans and Somalis that came here as refugees were just one out of many groups that moved to Finland after independence. They’re not the first. Another careless claim and generalization that the reporter claims is that the Vietnamese “adapted” while the Somalis faced “prejudices.” If the reporter would have done his work more carefully, he’d discover pretty rapidly that it wasn’t only prejudice that the Somalis faced (and still do) hostile endemic racism. Prejudice is, in my opinion, a too light word to describe the Somali experience in Finland. Didn’t the Vietnamese face any “prejudice?” What about the Chileans? A little digging would revealed that these groups faced racism in Finland as well.

Kenyan insulted by racist Finnish woman: “You’re a f***ing African woman…”

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Migrant Tales

How would you feel if a total stranger approached you in public and started to insult you in public? Has it ever happened to you? When something like that happens you feel that you’ve been violated and torn into little shreds.

Those who still claim that there are only isolated cases of racism in Finland should watch this video recorded by a Kenyan woman and published in tabloid Iltalehti. One should ask why was this only published in a tabloid. Why wasn’t it published in Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest circulation daily?

One of the incredible assumptions that the racist woman makes is that she believes the Kenyan, who is a nurse, lives off welfare. Of all the African groups, Kenyans are probably the best integrated in Finland. Unemployment in this national group is only a few percentage points higher than the national average, or at 12.36%, according to the latest 2013 official figures.

When I watched the video my blood started to boil and I thought about all the opportunist racist politicians and those who turn a blind eye.

Those people have issues with cultural diversity have received a lot of encouragement for years from racist politicians mainly belonging to the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party as well as others that watch silently.

Silence is a political decision.

Continue reading “Kenyan insulted by racist Finnish woman: “You’re a f***ing African woman…””

Why are racists in Finland racists?

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Migrant Tales

It’s clear that racism derives also from low self-esteem apart from being a sinister tool to exclude other groups from gaining access to political, social and economic capital. Ever thought why those who are vocal about their racist views are such an active group?

The answer is simple:

In order to climb up a few miserable notches up the ladder of acceptance, racism is a way of showing your distorted allegiance and a way to get (re)accepted as a member of society. Society is racist to begin with so some of your racist views will connect with society’s.

Being accepted and finding a way out of your social exclusion is one matter you strive for as a racist. The other could be a lucrative political career with power and media attention.

All of these matters were impossible to attain as an outsider, a recluse.

Politicians that come to mind are mostly from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. They are former MPs like James Hirvisaari and present ones like Juho Eerola, Olli Immonen, MEP Jussi Halla-aho and a long list of others.

Racism gives them attention, meaning and importantly a career. They would never renounce their racism because that would mean killing your career.

What is sad is that our society offers racists such opportunities instead of naming and shaming them.

A note to asylum seekers coming here: Welcome to Finland!

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Dear prospective Asylum Seeker,

We want to welcome you to Finland!

The Finnish foreign ministry and the government have launched a controversial social media campaign to deter refugees. The aim of the campaign is to tighten conditions for refugees in order to stem the influx of people seeking asylum in Finland.

The reason is simple: The Finns Party (PS), which saw it’s support dive in the recnt opinion poll, has broken every campaign promise and those that voted for the party are riling mad.

Continue reading “A note to asylum seekers coming here: Welcome to Finland!”

Finland copies Islamophobic Danish anti-refugee campaign

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Migrant Tales

The Finnish foreign ministry has launched a social media campaign aiming to discourage Iraqi asylum seekers from coming to Finland, according to YLE News.

Writes YLE News: “The thrust of the Ministry’s Facebook campaign is to persuade young men coming from conflict-ridden areas that it’s not work the risk and expense to come to Finland,” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP, Sampo Terho, was quoted as saying.

Considering that Finland’s foreign minister is none other than the chairman of the PS, Timo Soini, it’s clear that this idea came from Denmark and the Islamophobic Danish People’s Party, which is a close ideological ally of the PS.

Continue reading “Finland copies Islamophobic Danish anti-refugee campaign”

How the PS of Finland would want to create an unequal society

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Migrant Tales

It’s clear that the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party has become more hostile to migrants, minorities and our ever-growing cultural diverse community after their poll ratings took a beating recently.

Remember when PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen said that international agreements and our constitution didn’t permit the populist party from carrying out their policies?

We read a while back how Social and Health Minister Hanna Mäntylä, who would do everything possible to water down migrants’ rights in Finland, seeks to change the social welfare system on the basis of nationality and ethnicity.

Certainly with most of the party’s campaign promises broken and poll rating flirting with the single-digit league, the PS has one important trump card left to muster support: suspicion of migrants and refugees.

Mäntylä believes that if we lowered social welfare to migrants and refugees but kept it the same for Finns it would discourage people from coming here. Her logic is based on the idea that people of the Middle East aren’t fleeing war but flocking to Finland to live off social welfare.

The plan, to create a two-tier system for social welfare is unconstitutional because it would make non-Finnish citizens unequal before the law. Section 6 of the constitution clearly states that everyone in Finland is equal before the law.

Continue reading “How the PS of Finland would want to create an unequal society”

The Hieno: Finland is not for the ambitious

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Wan Wei

[Edits: This is a personal blog. A rant post like the following, in all its raw honesty, IS emotionally charged. So here is a non-provocative version. For concrete evidence on why I lack faith in the current Finnish economy for the next 1-5 years, read “Why Finland is not for the ambitious: A Macroeconomic Perspective”.Fundamentally, I am against mediocrity because I know Finns are smart and more of them can become world leaders should the system support and reward ambition–Read My Open Reply: In Praise of Ambition, Slush 2015 and Vision for Finland.

Clearly, this post is about the Finnish SYSTEM, not Finns. Logic: I am a NOBODY in Finland, I can’t change the system, so if I’m in the system I’d just expect the average, logical result, which is unemployment/partial employment for me as a foreigner in the next 1-5 years. Neither can I change the prevailing attitudes towards “ambition”. And guess what–Two days ago, Helsinki Sanomat reports thatAmbitious Finnish academics are choosing to leave the country too! ]

Read full opinion piece here.

—–

Hey guys! Today I am going to blog an opinion piece on why ambitious foreigners/Finns should just leave Finland if they are unhappy. This is as opposed to the alternative of trying to stay on to “fight for change”. You are hearing from a foreigner who heard many, many stories of other ambitious foreigners whofought, fought and fought but failed every single time, due to injustice or otherwise. I fought too, far less battles, but got really tired eventually.

Let’s start with a question: Have you ever seen any ambitious foreigner or Finn who are doing their own thing in Finland, and are wildly successful? Of course there are! But can these people be considered the norm, or the exception? And as exceptions, are these people constantly recycled as poster ambassadors to sell the concept, to both Finns and foreigners, of “Oh look, we are so international as One Finland?”

Continue reading “The Hieno: Finland is not for the ambitious”