London Mayor Sadiq Khan took a proactive approach to discrimination in the Metropolitan Police. We need the same in Finland to deal with a problematic issue in the Finnish police force. “Last week I made it clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Cressida Dick) the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to…
Tag: homophobia
PS chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee resigns after “careless” Ukraine tweet
Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP and head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Mika Nikko, resigned today after he tweeted that come Western leader should assure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine must not join Nato. The tweet, which was in conflict with Finland’s foreign policy, was deleted. Even so, it had created quite a stir and…
QUOTE OF THE DAY Jean Wyllys: Alternative media is the answer to the traditional media
THIS POSTING WAS UPDATED. Jean Wyllys is a Brazilian LGTB politician who gave up his seat in congress due to death threats he received. He is an outspoken critic of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government and a fierce advocate of gay rights in Brazil. He is presently on “vacation” abroad and does not plan to…
Migrant Tales (December 27, 2011): Immigration laws reveal what kind of society we are
Tell me what your immigration laws are and I will tell you what kind of society you live in. Show me how those laws defend minorities and encourage cultural diversity and I will show you hypocrisy.
Same-sex marriage bill approved by Finnish parliament
Parliament has approved 105-92 a bill that will pave the way for same-sex marriage, according to YLE in English. The vote in favor of same-sex marriage is the first-ever citizens’ initiative that has been approved by the Eduskunta, or parliament. The vote was a big setback for Timo Soini and the Perussuomalasiet (PS)* party, which had spent a lot of political…
Same-sex marriage bill vote Friday will be a cliff hanger
Finland will vote Friday on the long-overdue bill that would make marriage legal between same-sex couples. A lot rides on tomorrow’s vote. In many respects, the outcome of Friday’s vote shows Finland to be at an important crossroads. Some analysts see the passage of the same-sex marriage bill not only as a victory for gays but for…
Homophobic Finland? Thank the Perussuomalaiset
Some weren’t too worried when the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* won their historic parliamentary election victory in 2011 by raising the number of MPs to 39 from 5. “They’ll implode like the Rural Party did in the 1970s,” and “This is only a passing [political] fad” was what one heard. One matter is clear after almost four…
Let the ballot boxes speak in 2015 and send the PS back to the minor political leagues
I’m certain that when historians and political observers study the present parliamentary term 2011-15, they will come to a conclusion: Never since the 1950s have our Nordic institutions and values come under such a threat. Who will they name as the culprit? Wrong, not the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* but our indifference and lack of leadership. How can…
Another red herring about gays and Jews by Finnish PS MP Juho Eerola
I’m always amazed by these anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset MPs like Juho Eerola, sent a written question to parliament demanding that Muslims in Finland renounce publicly their anti-gay and anti-Semitic stances, according to Kotka-based Kymen Sanomat. Here’s a very good opinion piece (in Finnish) by Sakari Timonen that exposes Eerola for what he is:…
Internal investigation reveals Helsinki Court of Appeal judges use racist and sexist language
What are we to make of a classified internal investigation into the behavior of the Helsinki Court of Appeals, which revealed some judges sexually harassed women at parties, used racist and sexist language during recesses and in meetings outside of the courtroom? If this occurs in our judicial system, how common is it among the…