Tag: Islamophobia

The Finnish media should refer to the Perussuomalaiset as a far-right party

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Helsingin Sanomat goes to some length in a story about the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* being referred to by the chairperson of the Social Democratic Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez,  as a “far-right”[1]  party. We could not agree more with Sánchez’ description of the PS as a far-right party. 

Sánchez was quoted as saying in El País: “Look what happened in Finland [on April 14], where an opinion poll predicted as a given fact that the Social Democrats would win by a wide margin and the far right [PS] would come in fifth. They won by 6,000 votes the far right!”

Spain’s Social Democratic leader Pedro Sánchez called the PS a far-right party. Read the full story (in Spanish) here.

Spain holds snap parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Is only Sánchez and El País the only ones who call the PS a far-right party?

It is not the first time. Others that have referred the PS as a far-right party are: the Financial Times of London, The Guardian, Politico, Spiegel Online, EUObserver,The Local SE, and others.

If the PS is seen as a far-right party by the media in Europe, why isn’t it called that in Finland by Helsingin Sanomat and others?

For one, the national media rarely uses in Finland such a term of a party that has members in parliament. Considering that over a half a million Finns vote for the PS, newspapers like Helsingin Sanomat are dependent on subscribers and ads.

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Finnish President Sauli Niinistö’s disinformation bubble about racism and Others

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Is it surprising that whenever President Sauli Niinistö comments on asylum seekers, Muslims, and the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, he sticks his foot in his mouth?

The latest gaffe comes on Wednesday at a new session of parliament, where President Niinistö was quoted as saying about he hasn’t heard similar comments about migrants made by the Islamophobic PS as in 2017.

“At the time in in 2017, the Perussuomalaiset were electing a new chairperson and in the debates on television migrants were not just framed as an aesthetic disadvantage,” he was quoted as saying in Uusi Suomi. “That caught my attention. Now I have not heard any comments of the kind.”

One matter that caught my attention about this story is that it was only reported in Uusi Suomi.

Mr. President, when you make such incredulous claims, aren’t you normalizing racism in this country, which runs contrary to the Finnish values you want migrants to embrace?

Have you heard of the Oulu sexual assault cases and how parties like the PS, and the National Coalition Party with equal gusto, have used it to spread fear and attract voters? Do you remember what you said about these cases in your New Year’s speech?

Does President Niinistö recall a PS campaign video that encourages people to violence against asylum seekers and migrants? Here is the link.

President Niinistö’s prejudices and apparent ignorance about racism is one source that feeds Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.

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Actions of the Finnish police and Yle reveal multicultural incompetence in coverage of Oulu sexual assault cases

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It is odd how little Yle takes the blame for being the facilitator of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment in regards to the sexual assault cases of Oulu. Migrant Tales documented 77 stories published between November 27 and February 13. On January 14, Yle published in one day 13 stories about the topic!  

When compared with a similar sexual abuse case of minors involving white Finns, there was a different reaction. The story about the pedophile ring accused of sexually abusing 6-15-year-old boys lasted only a week in the news with 7 stories published by Yle.

Are attacks against Muslims more common today due to the hostile environment against migrants and minorities? As far as we know, the picture above is of a 10-year-old Muslim girl who was attacked by a classmate. It reads: “What do they teach [children] at Finnish homes? That Muslims are terrorists? The little girl [in the picture above] is spending a normal day at school when four boys [classmates] tried to rip off her hijab from her head and kicked her unconscious. We are not talking now about a migrant but about a victim. @iltalehti [tabloid] I want you to write out loud that racism must stop once for all, this girl is an angel!” Read the full story here.

Typically, the police are tightlipped about giving statements about sexual abuses against minors, but in the case involving people of migrant backgrounds, there is an exception.

Writes Yle: “Police have faced criticism for quickly publicizing the case and other similar ones in Oulu. Their response is that grooming on social media seemed to be a phenomenon at the time, and it was necessary to inform and warn the public. Authorities stress that online grooming cases have included both Finnish and foreign suspects.”

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The Finnish media’s ongoing fascination with Islamophobes and racists like Jussi Halla-aho

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What has surprised me about Finland is how the media and others seem fascinated by Islamophobes making racist statements. It gets media attention and helps you win elections. Why does racism and fascism appeal to us? Is it because their racist views resonate with some of us? 

By the way, where are those powerful editorials by dailies like Helsingin Sanomat that speak out against Islamophobia and racism? Where are those editorials encouraging a Finland that is more inclusive and condemning negative narratives about migrants and minorities?

Instead, our media prefers debating  Perussuomalaiset* (PS) chairperson Jussi Halla-aho’s past toxic and racist blog posts in the face of government talks. In these posts, he wishes left-green women get raped by foreigners, he insults and threatens to shoot gays, near-constantly insults Somalis and Islam.

Considering what he wrote, and we should never forget this type of open hostility, should the PS even be considered a candidate in a new government?

An apology or renouncing what he said will not do. Just like a virus, the place of his writings is either put in quarantine or destroyed altogether. 

One of the problems with challenging toxic people like Halla-aho and his extremist ideology is that it is done mostly by white Finns who may have good intentions but don’t have first-hand experience with racism, discrimination and being scapegoated. As long as Finland sits on the fence on racism and fascism and only white people speak for migrants and minorities, the problem will worsen.

Exaggerating?

Remember when Léo Custódio made the following observation below?

See original posting here.

What about adding a new line?

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The Perussuomalaiset of Finland’s hubris and arrogance are their political soft spot

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The election success of the Islamophobic and xenophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, reveals a party blinded, even more, today by hubris and hatred for migrants, especially Muslims. Their hubris and arrogance are their political vulnerability. 

Some Finns have put off the PS as a fringe phenomenon, something that will disappear in time.

The 2019 elections showed that they haven’t vanished.

Below are some sensible demands we should be asking European MEP candidates now and especially our MP candidates before the May elections.

A comprehensive list of demands by the European Network Against Racism, Europe’s biggest anti-racism NGO.

Yle, for one, searches for explanations why people vote for the PS. Even if they claim that it may have to do with limited education and low socioeconomic status, their conclusions are only excuses and denials of racism in our society.

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The election result in Finland was what it was. Stop acting surprised.

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Don’t be surprised by what you see. It is real and dangerous. 

Sunday’s election results should not come to any surprise. Far-right parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* and white supremacist groups like Suomen Sisu have worked tirelessly to promote Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.

One clear and irrefutable outcome of Sunday’s parliamentary election is that Finland will become an ever-hostile place for migrants, minorities and especially Muslims.

The election result will encourage greater microaggressions and bullying at the work place and at school. It will embolden many people who have issues with racism. Why? Because words and actions have direct consequences.

Seventeen-and-a-half percent, or 538,731 voters, gave their blessings to the PS and hardline Islamophobes and fascists. These politicians speak of “migrants” near-constantly but forget to tell you that they are only targeting about 10% of them.

The election results also reinforced the need for migrants and minorities to raise their voices against the hostile environment being promoted by parties like the PS.

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STATEMENT ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN FINLAND: Muslims work tirelessly to make Oulu a better city

Posted on by Migrant Tales

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN FINLAND

POHJOIS SUOMEN ISLAMILAINEN YHDYSKUNTA

Linnankatu 23-25, 90100. Puh: 0500582371

 

STATEMENT

The Muslim community of Oulu has done a lot and will continue to work tirelessly to make our city a better place to live for everyone.

A report came from Secret police on 22nd March, 2019 about the security of the country. Nothing was mentioned about us in this regard. The Nation should know that we also contributed our efforts for the safety and security of this country.

In 2016, a white Finnish person was plotting to plant a bomb at a concert in Oulu that would have killed and injured a lot of people. The person, who was known by some of our women members, was reported to the police, which put a swift end to that evil plans.

“The Muslim community of Oulu acted and did its civic duty by turning to the police to help avert a tragedy,”  “It was not our job to inform the media about this plot. That was the police’s job. But unfortunately people dont know about our contribution.”

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Junes Lokka’s “racist” and “Nazi clown” case: Court sends clear message who has racist immunity in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

When white people decide what is racism and what the boundaries are, they mess up and make matters worse for migrants, minorities and Others.

What are we supposed to make out of this? A well-known anti-immigration activist with ties to neo-Nazi and Islamophobic groups is called in a closed Facebook group by a journalist “a racist” and “Nazi clown.”

A district court of Oulu, where some sexual assault cases by migrants has turned the city on the fringe of hysteria, rules in favor of the Islamophobe and wins the case against the journalist for defamation. Is this another example of how people like Lokka have kidnapped common sense in Oulu?

Johanna Vehkoo’s lawyer Martina Kronström told Yle that “her client was stunned by the outcome and intended to appeal the verdict.”

And so are we at Migrant Tales.

Not only does the ruling show how much out of touch was the district court of Oulu about racism and hate speech, it sends a clear message who has racist immunity in Finland.

If you are a white male in the police service it is ok to make racist remarks. If you are a white woman calling somebody a racist and Nazi, then it is not ok even if that person was convicted for ethnic agitation.

Read the full story here.

Disagree?

Remember a closed Facebook group with 2,800 members who were police that openly insulted non-white Finns and asylum seekers? When Longplay exposed the Facebook page last year, where Vehkoo writes, no charges were eventually brought against the group because the prosecutor stated that the many racist messages were not intended to be publshed outside the group.

What about Johanna Vestola’s comment?

 

 

 

Yle poll: The PS becomes the second-biggest party. Thank mainstream parties like Kokoomus, the Center Party and the media.

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Some were surprised to see in a poll published by Yle Thursday that the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* became the second-most popular part in Sunday’s parliamentary elections after the Social Democrats. If we are honest with ourselves, the poll result should not have come as a surprise.

The party that the PS knocked to third place from second is the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), which had tried – apparently unsuccessfully – to mimic that party’s Islamophobic and anti-immigration rhetoric.

If I were the head of the PS, I’d thank as well the Finnish media, especially Yle, for spreading the party’s anti-immigration rhetoric and making racism and fascism appear normal. If you want an answer to the latter question, take a look at Yle PS members on the board.

The greatest threat to Finland today? Terrorism? Yes, white Finnish supremacist parties like the PS. If Finland doesn’t watch out, it will turn into a Denmark, a country that is Islamophobic but on steroids.

The mainstream parties like the National Coalition Party, Center Party, Blue Reform, Christian Democrats should thank themselves as well for their efforts to make racism normal in Finland.

They have lacked the leadership to challenge racism in our society because they have issues with such a social ill among their ranks.

If I hated migrants and asylum seekers, I would vote for the real thing instead of an imitator.

Wouldn’t you?

Read the full story here.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity never mind Muslims and other visible minorities. One is more open about it while the other says it in a different way.

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The police’s and media’s double standards and racial baises

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“We read about two cases involving 10-year-old girls who were attacked and were not white and Muslims. In the case of Oulu, where the police were especially active together with Yle and other media in racializing the sexual assault cases, should we be surprised that this way of looking at things is a one-way street? 

The actions of the police and the media expose double standards that show in turn their racial and ethnic biases.” 

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