Islamophobia Archives - Page 60 of 72

Danish elections: Right-wing anti-immigration populism chalks up another victory in the Nordic region

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Migrant Tales

The Danish elections are the latest example of what happens to mainstream parties when they parrot populist and xenophobic rhetoric. In the sad case of Denmark, all of the parties attempted to match the Danish People’s Party (DPP) anti-immigration message.

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman and foreign minister, Timo Soini, was elated by the Danish election result. He wrote in his blog that the PS are no longer alone in the Nordic region and Europe thanks to the good showing of the DPP.

Read full story here.

Not everyone was happy about the result, especially Muslims and anti-racism activists like Bashy Quraishy, who wrote on Facebook: “A truly dark day in modern Danish history that will throw out the humanism and inclusiveness out of the window and replace it with fear, shear greed and restrictions.”
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Does it pay to be a racist in Finland? You bet your sweet behind it does!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Some may ask why Islamophobia and racism have raised their ugly heads in Finland. Let’s take Persussuomalaiset MP and the recently elected speaker of parliament, Maria Lohela, as an example. By writing Islamophobic and racist opinion pieces that label and victimize migrants and minorities, Lohela not only ended up getting elected twice to parliament but now as the new speaker of parliament has at her disposal a 140,000-euro Audi with driver included.

Somebody who knew Lohela told Migrant Tales that she appears to be a sensible person until you slip the term Muslim or Islam in the conversation. She then turns into a Ms Hyde.

Lohela got her anti-immigration and Islamophobic credentials through places like the Nuiva Manifesto, which relies heavily on one-way adaption, or assimilation. She was opposed to same-sex marriage as well.

Read full story here.

Just like many politicians who base their support on anti-immigration rhetoric and Islamophobia, Lohela is too much of a coward to stand by her writings. She will, however, give you wishy-washy statements why she doesn’t regret what she wrote.

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Facebook: PS MP Huuhtasaari wants less immigrants to come to Finland

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Migrant Tales

We’ve all read about Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Laura Huhtasaari, the conservative anti-immigration politician who believes that Muslims are a security risk for Finland. In a Facebook post below she’s at it again but this time she labels and attacks all migrants.

But before we get to the story, I want to confess that when I write these types of stories, and there have been many of them, I sometimes feel like one of the space travelers in the Alien movie below, who is eating with his buddies and then a baby monster bursts rudely from his chest. The monster that I carry is similar and comes in the form of a racist insult or xenophobic comment by a politician. Like the baby Alien, the statement enters my mind as I write and then bursts out when I click the publish button.

I feel as well that these stories play an important role since they are published in English, which means that lots of people in Europe, like politicians, policy-makers and journalists, can read about the sad things going on in Finland today.

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Perussuomalaiset Maria Lohela: Inte min talman, or not my speaker of parliament

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Maria Lohela got elected Friday as speaker of parliament. Lohela is no ordinary MP but one who doesn’t believe in religious freedom, migrant and homosexual rights. As a politician she is the antithesis of Nordic values unless you believe that those values are supposed to advance bigotry and racism.

The picture below was found on the internet and means in English: Not my speaker of parliament.

The famous saying, Inte min talman, or you’re not my speaker of parliament, comes from Swedish MP Rossana Dinamarca of the Left Party. In the video below, Dinamarca goes to the podium and addresses the Swedish Riksdag (parliament). When Sweden Democrat deputy speaker of parliament Björn Söder tells her to address him as “honorable speaker” she refuses and states, Inte min talman.

Source: Internet

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Xenophobia and Islamophobia get to first base in Finland: And now, what?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Living in Finland after the April 19 parliamentary elections is like witnessing a coup where xenophobia and Islamophobia have strengthened their stranglehold on our country with the blessings of the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP). With the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* in government and the election of PS MP Maria Lohela as the new speaker of parliament send a disturbing signal to many Finns and especially to our ever-growing culturally diverse community.

Finland is already a culturally diverse society. If parties like the PS would have wanted to shut our borders to visible migrants they’re too late. Cultural diversity in Finland is unstoppable and will grow in the years and decades ahead.

The rise of a hostile party like the PS, yes hostile to migrants and minorities let there be no questions about that, hasn’t been clearer and more disturbing than after the elections. Their message in coded language couldn’t be clearer: We want Finland to remain white.

A good source of inspiration for social equality and change in Finland is the Civil Rights Movement (1955-68) of the United States. In some cases what MLK said is applicable to Finland. In 1982 we marched in Helsinki to parliament to speed up passage of the country’s first aliens act. Foreigners weren’t allowed back then to organize marches or participate in demonstrations.

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Emanuela Daniel tells about the historic protest they organized in front of parliament against the new speaker of parliament

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Emanuela Daniel is an exemplary woman for organizing Friday a historic protest outside of parliament against Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Maria Lohela, who was elected as the new speaker of parliament. Daniel told Migrant Tales about that day and when she spoke to PS MP Teuvo Hakkarainen, who has also made many racist and Islmophobic statements against Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse community.

Social Democrat MP Timo Harakka tweeted below that the protest was “a modest” show of force but “historic” nevertheless.

Daniel said that she had to organize the protest against Lohela because it was important.

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Facebook: Thumbs down to Maria Lohela and hurray for our side!

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

When big mainstream parties play along with populist and anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, which base their campaign on one part hot air and two parts xenophobia and nationalism, you get the government we have today and a speaker of parliament called Maria Lohela.

Christian Thibault has been a tireless activist for migrant and human rights in Finland. Here he is below with a group of activists holding up signs to MPs going to vote for the new speaker of parliament.

Good for you! I take my hat off for you Christian and those other brave activists that were with you holding signs that read: Don’t vote for Lohela and Stand up against racism.

In one picture below there is Green Party MP Jani Toivola standing together with the activists.

And that is what Lohela’s questionable track record is: She has said some pretty racist and horrible things about migrants and Muslims. Her whole political message is based on xenophobia.

Those terrible things she has said are the skeletons in her closet that will creep behind her for the rest of her political career, which I and many hope will be short.

* The Finnish name of the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names 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.

New speaker of parliament Maria Lohela: Islamophobic skeletons in the closet

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Migrant Tales

One of the surprise appointments that popped up was Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Maria Lohela, who was nominated Friday as the new speaker of parliament. Lohela is no common MP since she has taken a very strong stand against immigration in general and Muslims in particular.

Somebody who knew Lohela told Migrant Tales that she appears to be a sensible person until you slip the term Muslim in the conversation. She then turns into a Ms Hyde.

Lohela has got her anti-immigration and Islamophobic credentials through the Nuiva Manifesto, which relies heavily on one-way adaption, or assimilation. She was opposed to same-sex marriage as well.

He xenophobic writings about Muslims are like skeletons that follow her like murky shadows.

Some of the most outrageous aims of the Nuiva Manifesto include:

The state should not finance immigrant groups’ culture, language, identity and religion;
They believe that neighborhoods are turning into ghettos;
Deport convicted migrants from Finland;
Conditional citizenship for ten years;
Finland should stop so-called humanitarian immigration and accept as few refugees as possible.

Just like Lohela’s opinions, the Nuiva Manifesto’s aim is to disempower migrants and minorities in Finland. Even if Finland officially supports integration, or two-way adaption, the Nuiva Manifesto favors one-way adaption, or assimilation.

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UPDATED Helsingin Sanomat: PS Helsinki substitute councilman wants forced sterilization of new African refugees in Finland

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Helsinki substitute councilman Olli Sademies of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party stated on Facebook that Finland should carry out forced sterilization of new African refugees that move to the country, reports Helsingin Sanomat. Such a racist statement by a member of the PS is nothing new. A PS politician wrote in 2013 that groups like African refugees, which are prone to commit rape according to him, should be chemically castrated.

Writes Sademies: “When Africans arrive as ‘refugees’ to Finland, they continue to reproduce at the same rate [as in their home countries] even if they would do with less children. In order to force [high birth rates] to plummet we should limit the amount of children immigrants can have. Three [children] would be the maximum.”

While such statements are outrageous and reinforce that the PS is a hostile party to immigrants, minorities and to our ever-growing culturally diverse society, it’s the reaction of the party secretary, Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, which is even more incredible.

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Facebook: Islamophobia and Danish Justice Minister Mette Frederiksen

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Migrant Tales

Islamophobia is big in Denmark, very big and ugly. The Perussuomalaiset (PS)* have a special relationship with the Islamophobic Danish People’s Party (DPP). Don’t be surprised if Finland we’ll have one day ministers like Mette Frederiksen who spread Islamophobia as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Frederiksen isn’t a member of the DPP but of the Social Democratic Party.

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