Tag: Jussi Halla-aho

Jussi Halla-aho gets cold feet – another lie exposed

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Jussi Halla-aho announced that he will not take part in a live A2 televised debate on Islam, reports YLE. The MP, who has been convicted for ethnic agitation, said that the debate doesn’t serve the issue. He would, however, be ready to take part in a debate with fewer people.

Kuvankaappaus 2013-10-15 kello 11.08.00Read full story (in Finnish) here.

Just like Helsingin Sanomat helped senior lecturer Kyösti Tarvainen to spread fear about Muslim birth rates, another important fabricated story of the far right and anti-immigration groups is that they are not allowed to speak openly about Islam.

Kuvankaappaus 2013-10-15 kello 11.40.55

See Facebook wall here.

The A2 program gave Halla-aho an opportunity to speak his heart out if he wished about Islam but he turned it down.

Why?

Because the arguments used by anti-immigration groups and personalities like Halla-aho hinge on prejudice and gross exaggerations. There’s very little truth in them.

Politicians like Halla-aho and anti-immigration groups live in bubbles.  Their biggest fear is that their constantly changing arguments, which say the same thing, hate group x and y, will be exposed.

National Coalition Party city councilman, Mohammad Azizi, wasn’t surprised by Halla-aho’s decision.

”It’s easy to speak behind [the vail] of a blog and screen about anything, but he doesn’t dare to take part in a face-to-face debate,” he said. ”I am ready to talk about everything related to Islam, including the most difficult issues like circumcision.”

Even if it will take some time for Finland and Europe to wake up from its present far-right anti-immigration menace, it’s unlikely that Halla-aho’s arguments will be revered 20-30 years from now. 

These code words of hate used to attack immigrants and visible minorities will be remembered with shame. They will look just like the arguments used by white racists in Southern United States to justify Jim Crow Laws during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

 

Jussi Halla-aho appointed as vice member of Finland’s delegation to the Council of Europe

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The anti-immigration and anti-EU Perussuomalaiset party nominated MP Jussi Halla-aho as vice member of Finland’s delegation to the Council of Europe, reports YLE in English. The controversial nomination of Halla-aho, who was sentenced for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion, prompted the parliamentary leaders of seven parties to express regret in a joint statement for the appointment. 

Kuvankaappaus 2013-10-10 kello 22.04.58

Read full story here.

“We find it regrettable that the Finns Party named as their representative a MP convicted of breaching the sanctity of religion and for inciting ethnic hatred,” the joint statement said. “Despite repeated appeals, the Finns Party did not want to change their candidate for delegation vice member.”

Halla-aho was quoted as saying on Lahti-based Etelä-Suomen Sanomat that picking on one MP by “demonizing and humiliating” him year after year was “personally unpleasant and embarrassing from the point of view of parliament.”

One of the roles of the Council of Europe is to watch over and promote human rights. The parliamentary group leaders that signed the joint statement correctly felt that Halla-aho’s appointment was in conflict with his ethnic agitation sentences he got last year.

Not only do his sentences cast a question mark over his appointment, but his far-right, racist and Islamophobic views.

Migrant Tales associate editor Justice Demon believes, however, that the appointment may be good for Halla-aho.

”The Council of Europe represents the progressive values and culture that Halal-höpö publicly despises,” he wrote in an email, “but this did not stop him from running to the Court of Human Rights [a Council of Europe organ] when he felt that it would be in his interests to do so.”

Why does the Finnish media give so much attention to anti-immigration politicians and parties?

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I was invited on Tuesday to speak at a seminar on immigration* for YLE journalists. One of the questions I asked was why do Finnish journalists give so much space and attention to far-right anti-immigration politicians? Why do some give racists inflated respectability and importance?

A recent story about Finland accepting 500 refugees from war-torn Syria is a good example. In my opinion, the story has been blown way out of proportion.

Even if we’re speaking of a tiny number of refugees, 500 souls, who are in danger of dying, some media appears to think that the number one story is what Perussuomalaiset (PS) MPs Jussi Halla-aho and Vesa-Matti Saarakkala think about the matter.

Both MPs are radical anti-immigration politicians who have made their political careers by spreading intolerance against immigrants and minorities. Halla-aho was sentenced for ethnic agitation.

A journalist who writes about immigration must spot the red herrings when writing the news.

Let’s take the news concerning the small number of refugees from Syria and ask what could be the top news:

  • Is it Halla-aho telling us once again that he loathes Muslim refugees?
  • Is it his argument, that saving a few from the clutches of war and destruction is useless?
  • Is it the parliamentary question which he sent with Vesa-Matti Saarakkala that has no chance of passing?
  • Is it that we are taking too few refugees when compared with Sweden, which has given asylum to 15,000 Syrians?
  • None of the above.

In the same way that Halla-aho and Saarakkala argue that it makes no difference to accept a few hundred from war-ravaged Syria, we could ask why Raoul Wallenberg or Oscar Schindler saved tens of thousands of Jews if millions were murdered in Nazi concentration camps?

Uusi Suomi is one disgraceful example of how bigotry has spread in Finland and helped politicians like James Hirvisaari to become household names. The Finnish media is definitely part of the problem when it comes to racism in Finland.

Even if parties like the PS and groups like the Youth League of the National Coalition Party believe it’s fine to take shots at immigrants and minorities, in many cases with the help of the media, the question we should ask is why we give so much attention and space to racism and intolerance?

Does it reveal something about our own attitudes?

Migrant Tales has grown rapidly thanks to the one-sided coverage by the media of immigrant and cultural diversity affairs in this country. The Finnish media leaves a lot of news out of the picture because it rarely takes into account the opinion of immigrants and members of the visible minority community.

In order to become a good beat reporter, an authority in a particular area, you need to be well-informed and know the issues. Patronizing and publishing anti-immigration sound bites won’t help your career but spells mediocre and shoddy journalism.

If journalists did their jobs when covering the news by taking into account the views of immigrants and members of the visible minority community, we would deal a fatal blow to one-sided journalism on cultural diversity.

Finland’s media plays an important role in preserving our Nordic values and everyone’s right, irrespective of his or her background, to be treated equally and with respect.  

If we lose sight of these values because the media is lazy and racist as those spreading intolerance in our country, we’ll lose more as a society than we ever imagined in our most dreadful nightmares.

*The seminar was hosted by Abdirahim Hussein of YLE and attended by Nora Kajantie, Camila Haavisto, Maryan Abdulkarim, Hanna Kautto and Iken Iduozee.

Why doesn’t Timo Soini make a clear split with its PS racists? Answer: political hara-kiri

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Columnist Yrjö Rautio of Apu magazine writes that if Perussuomalaiset (PS) chairman Timo Soini doesn’t make a clear split with PS MP racists like Jussi Halla-aho and his followers, the party should make official that it supports the following values: “paranoia, hatred and human evil.” 

Kuvankaappaus 2013-9-28 kello 12.06.43

Read full story (in Finnish) here.

Rautio makes a valid point. The real question, I believe, is why Soini hasn’t rid its party of its racists, especially those that have been sentenced for ethnic agitation.

The answer to the latter question is self-evident and clear: The PS would commit political hara-kiri if it rid its party of its racists.

We all know that intolerance is learned and based on ignorance, lies and prejudice.

Another PS MP, James Hirvisaari, who was convicted for ethnic agitation like Halla-aho, posts a story written by Aalto University lecturer Kyösti Tarvainen. He’s the person, who using a pocket calculator, predicted that the Muslims would become a majority in Finland due to their high birth rates.

Since many of these type of arguments are exaggerated lies whose aim is to fuel hatred against certain groups like Muslims, it’s not clear when Tarvainen posted the blog entry. Hirvisaari doesn’t give us a clue either because his aim may be to show something that was written last year is still topical and new.

Tarvainen expressed concern in February 2011 by sending an email to prominent Green Party politicians protesting Hussein Muhammed’s candidacy. He said that the Greens have made a mistake by allowing Muslims to stand as candidates in the Green Party.

Just because a person has a PhD or is a lecturer at a university doesn’t mean that he doesn’t house racist ideas.

If you disagree, check out the academics that were member of the Nazi party and SS.

 

 

Saving one life, one refugee from Syria, IS important

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Arguing that accepting a few hundred refugees from Syria is not important because it is a drop in the bucket, is an outrageous statement made by Jussi Halla-aho, Vesa-Matti Saarakkala and others. The other point they are trying to drive home, that these people will be a burden on Finland, exposes their loathing and ignorance.

How many refugees can you name in history that fled to other countries and became model members of their new home countries? One of these was Albert Einstein, who fled Nazi Germany, a racist regime that rose to power by scapegoating minorities like Jews.

The argument, that refugees are a burden, is an insult to all the refugees of the world. Only an extreme egoist, who lacks feelings for the suffering of others, can make such a point.

These types of intolerant arguments are the same as those made constantly by anti-immigration and far-right politicians to drive home their point.

If you dissect their arguments, they are nothing more than typical anti-immigration sound bites spread with the help of the Finnish media, which gives them inflated respectability and importance.

Using such arguments to influence refugee and immigration policy, we could similarly ask why did Raoul Wallenberg or Oscar Schindler save tens of thousands of Jews if millions were murdered in Nazi concentration camps?

Stating that saving lives is futile because there are so many and makes no difference is similar to a racist trying to convince you that it is useless to oppose intolerance because nothing can be done.

If you accept that ludicrous argument, you have lost the war.

Saving one person is valuable and important.

If you disagree, why not ask the victims fleeing war and death.

PS MP Jussi Halla-aho put on the hot chair after his ridiculous arguments against Syrian refugees are exposed

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Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Jussi Halla-aho was put on the hot chair on A-Studio, when he was asked about his and PS MP Vesa-Matti Saarakkala’s written question to parliament opposing government plans to give asylum to 500 refugees from Syria. 

A good question to ask is why accepting 500 refugees from Syria is in the national spotlight? Sweden plans to accept around 16,000 Syrian refugees. Moreover, why do we give airtime to an MP who has been convicted for ethnic agitation? Why are Halla-aho’s anti-immigration views important?

If we had answers to these questions, we’d understand the nature of the xenophobic beast that has inflicted Finland.

Kuvankaappaus 2013-9-26 kello 1.06.47

Halla-aho and his band of PS anti-immigration followers have gotten this far in their political careers thanks to journalists and officials who have done little to nothing to question their inflated exaggerations and outright xenophobia.

Finnish Red Cross manager Kalle Löövi showed that we don’t need to sit back in silence and can question and expose Halla-aho’s ideas.  He calmly but firmly told Halla-aho that his stance was wrong and said that Finland was accepting 500 needy refugees that are in danger of dying.

And  what’s wrong with helping people fleeing war? We should be proud that our country has the opportunity to help others who may repay us one day in kind.

Arguing that accepting a few hundred refugees doesn’t mean anything is probably the most outrageous statement made by Halla-aho and Saarakkala. Saving one person from a terrible conflict like in Syria is valuable and important.

Why then does Halla-aho oppose bringing Syrian refugees to Finland?

If we uncover the red herrings, the real reason lies in the fact that Halla-aho loathes Muslims, is vehemently against cultural diversity and is running for Euro MP.

 

Susanna Koski and the National Coalition Party’s youth wing: The language of barbarians

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The more I think about the proposals put forth by the president of the Youth League of the National Coalition Party, Susanna Koski, the more I wonder where this country is heading. Would her suggestion to scrap the Ombudsman for Minorities and laws that govern ethnic agitation constitute barbarism?

Even if barbarians are considered “uncivilized,” in this day of age a person can be simultaneously so-called civilized and barbaric.

The Center Party newspaper Suomenmaa quoted the party’s youth league president, Jirka Hakala, as saying that “the fascist world view [of the Youth League of the National Coalition Party] shouldn’t get a foothold in Finnish politics.”

Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Jussi Halla-aho, who was convicted for ethnic agitation, says he will draft a law to scrap Finland’s hate speech laws, according to MTV3.

Green Party Helsinki politician Husein Muhammed makes it clear to Koski on his Facebook page that ethnic agitation in Finland is permitted.

Because Koski’s and the National Coalition Party’s youth league suggestions lack refinement, education and are based on ignorant greed with a heavy drop of narcism, could we claim that some of their proposals are barbaric?

What would happen if Finland did away with the Ombudsman for Minorities and ethnic agitation laws? Would it unleash a tide of racist hostility, awaken the primitive barbaric spirit of hate and survival, against all those that are different from Koski and members of the Youth League of the National Coalition Party?

Some of the proposals put forth by the National Coalition Party’s youth wing are barbaric because they would bolster and reinforce our prejudice, discrimination and outright hostility to people who are different from us.

Isn’t that type of behavior barbaric?

 

 

 

Terveisiä Scriptablogista 12 syyskuuta 2008

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Yksi monista tuhansista Migrant Tales:ia vastaan kohdistetuista viesteistä, jonka muistan hyvin oli hyökkäys Jussi Halla-ahon Scriptablogista. Alla olevaa viestiä en unohda koskaan. Noin neljän tunnin sisällä, Migrant Talesin blogiin hyökättiin. Hyökkäys torjuttiin ja tänään olemme yksi luetuimpia anti-rasistisia blogeja Suomessa.

Nimi :Old No. 7Mitä teen :Kommentoin    Viesti :Mikäs mies tuo Enriikke Tessieeri on olevinaan? En oikein tykästynyt miehen teksteihin, tuntui vähän siltä että näppäimistöön kajotessaan Enriquella on alkanut pyryttää pahemman kerran.

Eipä sillä, varmasti Suomessa on syrjintää, ryssävihaa, sovinismia ynnämuuta, mutta mitä sitten? Eikö niitä voitaisi jo laskea suomalaiseen kulttuuriin, on niistä niin kauan valitettu. Ja kun ne olisivat virallisesti meidän kulttuuriamme, voisimme vedota silmät vetistäen tiedostaviin tahoihin että meidän kulttuuriamme on suojeltava maahanmuuttajien vastaavalta. Se luultavasti toimisi….Ai ei? Ainiin, unohdin ihan: Ennenkö voimme aloittaa kitisemisen, täytyy joka iikan käydä pyörimässä avotakassa tai hiilikellarissa. Jos ei sellaista ole lähellä, joku voi tulla hakemaan kauan paikallaan maanneen kahden euron kolikon sänkyni alta, ajanee saman asian.

Josta tulikin mieleeni että voisinkin siivota talouteni, tämä alkaa näyttää afgaanin majalta. Jatkakaa.     

12. syyskuuta 2008 16:53:35

 

YLE ensures that opinion pieces and news will be easily identifiable in the future

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YLE emailed a Migrant Tales reader, who expressed concern Friday about an opinion piece written as news by Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Olli Immonen. It was an odd coincidence that Immonen’s opinion piece was published in such a manner, considering that the PS MP is the new chairman of Suomen Sisu, a far right anti-immigration association. 

The email sent by Teijo Valtanen, the regional and  radio current affairs director, states: “Because in your opinion it wasn’t easily enough to distinguish that [what Immonen wrote] was an opinion piece, we will check these columns written [weekly on Fridays by Oulu region] MPs to ensure that they stand out sufficiently from news and are easily identifiable as opinion pieces.”

Thank you YLE. Even if Valtanen states that the broadcaster will take special care so that this mistake doesn’t happen again, this is exactly what should be always done. It’s the readers right to know if he or she is reading an opinion piece or a news story. Opinion is opinion and news stories are supposed to be fairly written without editorializing the topic.

In countries where the media is controlled by autocratic governments that have little respect for human rights, a strongman’s opinion can be presented as “news.”

Since the media plays an important role in our Western society to ensure Montesquieu’s checks and balances, the newsroom should be always off limits to representatives of the judiciary, legislative and executive.

Taking into account the attitude of some politicians especially from the PS, some of them would be more than happy to control what the media says.  This became self-evident right after the PS’ historic victory in 2011. Both MPs Jussi Halla-aho and James Hirvisaari, who have been sentenced for ethnic agitation, tried to tell the media how they should write about the populist party.

Hirvisaari, who wanted the media to stop nicknaming the PS persu, which could be seen coming from the word perse, meaning anus, claimed in 2011 that YLE should be made redundant because it brainwashes the public.

Why shouldn’t we be worried if an opinion piece written by a party member who loathes the media appears as news?

Our reaction to such a mistake clearly showed that that we want politicians, especially like Immonen, to stay out of the newsroom.

The media does its job when it places politicians under scrutiny, especially those who want to undermine its role and compromise its independence.

Cultural diversity: The key question that should have been asked on YLE’s A-Studio talk show

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YLE A-Studio had an interesting debate with Perussuomalaisiet (PS) MPs Olli Immonen, Jussi Halla-aho, Left Alliance Helsinki city councilman Dan Koivulaakso and Swedish-language daily HBL journalist Marianne Lydén. Despite assurances by Immonen, Suomen Sisu’s new president, that  the extremist anti-immigration association is against racism, they should their same colors by reinforcing over and over again their loathing for cultural diversity. 

No matter how much Immonen wants to “renew” Suomen Sisu, it will always be an association that has its roots in racism, which they won’t admit, but in their strong opposition to cultural diversity, which he admitted a number of times on the show. In plain English this means demonizing immigrants and visible immigrants.

Far right researcher Jussi Jalonen was interviewed at the start of the program. He made it very clear that Suomen Sisu is an extremist association that is no different from other European extremist groups.

Such groups, like Suomen Sisu, point out that certain ethnic groups  are incompatible with our culture and therefore should not  be allowed to live in Western Europe. It is an old argument used over and over again by those who oppose immigration and cultural diversity.

Kuvankaappaus 2013-3-15 kello 8.39.44

Watch full program here.

While few believe that Suomen Sisu is going to champion for more social equality in Finland, their agenda and their new program will be based on undermining cultural diversity and especially limiting immigration from outside Europe. This reinforces the association’s stand on diversity. What they are saying is that few “dark” people should move to Finland. They are, however, willing to accept white European immigrants because they believe they can integrate faster into our society.

The way that Halla-aho and Immonen spoke about how cultures must not mix (multiculturalism) hinges on myths. People have always moved and mixed with people from other groups.

When I hear what people like Immonen and Halla-aho say about diversity, their deep hatred and disregard shows for who I am and how I identify with Finland. According to them, my father, an Argentinean, should have never married my mother. My Jewish ancestors should have stayed where they came from instead of come to Finland in 1799.

In their Nazi- or far right spirited world, we are the so-called Rheinland bastards.

Finland has tens of thousands of so-called multicultural Finns that Suomen Sisu would like to wipe off the map.

Suomen Sisu’s ideology in a Finnish context is very much like the Ku Klux Klan’s and that of the American Nazi Party. They have the same opinions about cultural diversity as the extremist association headed by Immonen. One of the people Suomen Sisu recommends reading is by by Nazi war criminal Alfred Rosenberg.

Immonen and Halla-aho believe that the Garden of Eden was actually in Finland. According to them, people evolved and never mixed with anyone outside their group.

In their minds there is no such thing as black Finns or Finns from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds.