Some claim that one should forgive some Finns for their outrageous statements on immigrants and refugees since they are fuelled by ignorance. If there are serious shortcomings in our immigration and integration policy it can be blamed on our lack of experience.
Tag: Immigration to Finland
Keskisuomalainen’s incredulous editorial on immigration
Here is a good example of an editorial in Jyäskylä-based Keskisuomalainen that shows how little the top editors of the newspaper understand immigration. If the editorial were written in the Washington Post, Financial Times or El País of Madrid, the editor would probably get the boot for making negligent statements and for practising lazy opinionated journalism.
Racism is a silent ogre
I have been an exchange student living in Finland from Belgium since February. One of the matters that caught my eye in Mikkeli is racism. I have met many immigrants and foreign students who have told me about their experiences.
EDITORIAL: Has racism inflicted Finland?
Taking into account the underwhelming size of the immigrant and refugee community, what have we done wrong and why are we the focus of daily insults, racism and abuse? Even the Social Democrats, the party that has championed for the rights of the working man, has aligned itself close to the True Finns in immigration policy.
EDITORIAL: Finnish immigration debate
Is the present one-sided and passionate debate on immigration in Finland going to turn ugly? Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb poured some needed cold water on the debate by stating that it “reeks of racism, nationalism, populism, and xenophobia.”
HS Suomen Gallup: 60% feel that Finland should not take more immigrants
A poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest-circulation daily, and conducted by Suomen Gallup showed that close to 60% of Finns now feel that the country should not increase the number of immigrants. The corresponding percentage three years ago was 36%.
An immigrant call to change and Finnish society
Some wrongfully accuse those of speaking up for cultural diversity in Finland of “whining” and being “ingrates.” Apart from exercising one’s democratic right of free speech, bigger steps will have to be taken by minorities in Finland to drive home their message of equality and fair treatment.
The Sello Mall killings in Finland reveal a lot about our views of outsiders
The tragic events that occurred at the Sello Mall in the suburb of Leppavaara right next door to Helsinki do not only shed light on a deranged man but continue to feed some of our highly polarized feelings on immigration and refugee policy.
Finland’s challenge in the new decade
The new decade will either make or break Finland. If we are not successful at attracting labor immigrants to our country to plug the ever-growing number of pensioners leaving the labor market during the 2010s, the first one to feel the impact will be the economy.
Finland’s New Identity in the New Century
What will our new identity be like in the present century as our society becomes more ethnically and culturally diverse? Will immigrants be clumped into one group and called New Finns, or will they prefer a hyphenated identity such as Iraqi-Finn?