Tag: Jussi Halla-aho

Perussuomalaiset a racist party? You bet!

Posted on by Migrant Tales

A racist is an individual, always an individual, who does not like people based on race – must be conscious – and who intentionally seems to be mean to them.

Robin DiAngelo, sociologist

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED

Using DiAngelo’s definition, the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* their politicians, their voters, and followers are racists because through such a party they consciously and intentionally aim to harass and bully people they don’t like based on their ethnic and/or religious background.

Disagree?

Take a look at the near-endless attacks against asylum seekers, Muslims, and terms used by the PS’ leader Jussi Halla-aho who calls such migrants “harmful.”

The PS would not exist and get support without its hateful Islamophobic message and rhetoric. Under Halla-aho’s leadership, the PS has forged close ties with neo-Nazis and ethnonationalists.

Finland needs pushback to such ludicrous rhetoric unless we want the next prime minister of Finland to be from an Islamophobic and extremist party like the PS.

Helsinki City Councilperson Abdirahim Husu Hussein’s tweet was just the pushback and wake up call this country needs. It is a long-overdue and honest discussion required in Finland about racism.

The fact that racism, discrimination, hate speech, and hate crime have worsened in Finland is proof that the present debate, which is mostly carried out by white Finns, is ineffective and intended to maintain the present system and change matters very little for people of color and other minorities.

“Was yesterdays tweet too much for you? Let me be more concrete. All of the Perussuomalaiset and their voters/supporters are racists. Yes i said it. Do you need proof? Look at your history and how you were elected as Finland’s second-biggest party [in parliament].”
“Finland is a racist country. This has to be said out loud and not look for excuses why matters are this way. Only this way we can find a solution. Let’s admit the problem and maybe then we can find solutions to some things.”

So what does Hussein’s tweet reveal?

  • Finland is inflicted by white fragility;
  • Mostly white Finns, who are the least affected by racism, debate and give their opinions about the social ill;
  • Contrary to what Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government claimed, Finland’s integration program is not a failure. What failed and made matters worse was the tightening of immigration policy and fueling the hostile environment against migrants and minorities;
  • Too many people who work with migrants are incompetent, even hostile to groups like Muslims and have racism issues. Since there is little follow up of their work by competent people, the same mistakes persist;
  • Our society speaks of two-way adaption but in reality, it is one way;
  • Such officials offer too often simplistic solutions to complex matters like integration. Their usual advice to migrants is: “learn the language” and/or get a job, which will solve your integration problems;
  • Such advice by the authorities is deceptive and do not help address labor discrimination and social exclusion in general;
  • To conclude: The aim of Finland’s integration program is to adapt people to a white Finnish society that has no idea or wish to share public spaces with other cultures.

So why make such a big deal about Hussein’s tweet and racism in general?

To save Finland from a lot of social problems and headaches today and in the future.

We need to wake up from our denial.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. 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.

Ethnonationalism, racist soundbites, and arguments to justify and promote white Finnish supremacy

Posted on by Migrant Tales

In Finland, there are parties and groups whose sole aim is to defend Finnish white supremacy, a concocted lie to justify one’s racism and oppress and exclude people of color.

The Association of Finnish Culture and Identity (Suomalaisuuden liitto), responsible for whitewashing cultural diversity in Finland, and Suomen Sisu are prime examples. The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo), Finnish Criminal Police (KRP), academics, and the Council for the Mass Media (JSN), labeled Suomen Sisu a “Nazi spirited” association.

“The traditional role of the Association of Finnish Culture and Identity is to awaken and strengthen knowledge and the way of thinking as well as in every way promote Finnishness, especially Finnish-language based culture. ” The statement should, however, read: “The traditional role of the Association of Finnish Culture and Identity is to whitewash diversity in Finland by promoting Finnish white culture.”

Finland’s second-biggest party in parliament, the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* is where these far-right ethnonationalist groups have found a platform and springboard to expand and normalize their ideology.

One matter that unites them ideologically is that they live in a cultural time warp where culture remains near-stagnant and is under threat by migration and minorities.

Suomen Sisu’s mission statement reads: “Finnishness cannot be redefined, it can only be maintained and developed, or it will be displaced.”

While Suomen Sisu, an association that is openly against Finns marrying and hostile to non-Finns, has caused little outrage and is a source of concern.

Whenever you talk about your group as “a tribe” you start to flirt or flirt with racism. The PS Youth, which had their funds cut this year due to a racist tweet, is a prime example.

The logo of the association gives the impression that Finnish women walked around in ethnic costumes at a time where many people could not afford proper clothing.

The PS Youth’s logo. White women and romanticism for a period where most Finns could not afford to have Finnish costumes. Source: Perussuomalaiset nuoret.

The PS held on Saturday its annual congress where it reelected Jussi Halla-aho as their chairperson and three vice presidents, Arja Juvonen, Riikka Purra, and Juha Eerola.

While Halla-aho and all of the vice presidents of the party have built their political careers on the anti-immigration message, its newly elected party secretary, Simo Gönroos, is a member of the ethnonationalist Suomen Sisu and the Association of Finnish Culture and Identity.

Apart from his anti-immigration stance, Grönroos is the executive director of the Suomen Perusta Foundation, whose aim is to “prove” that immigration is costly and harmful to Finland.

Grönroos, an ethnonationalist to the core, was quoted in Helsingin Sanomat by giving his views of Finnishness and Finnish identity. He stated that “the starting point is that one is born a Finn.”

Then he offers a typical Halla-aho interpretation to justify the latter claim.

“If a Finn moved to Somalia, he will not become a Somali,” he reasoned. “If a Somali moves to Finland, he will not become a Finn even if he could be a Finnish citizen.”

This is exactly the same copy-and-paste response that Halla-aho gave in a YLE interview in February. “If I would for some reason go to Somalia and become a Somali citizen would that make me a Somali,” he asked.

In the search for terms to maintain white Finnish supremacy, Halla-aho, like Grönroos, want to separate so-called “ethnic” or white Finn from Finn just like the terms English from British.

“The question who is a Finn is [an] interesting [question],” Halla-aho was quoted as saying in the YLE interview. “The problem is that in Finnish we don’t have a term that classifies who is an ethnic Finn and a Finnish citizen.”

If the above isn’t an example of white Finnish supremacy and relegating Other groups as second-class members of society living as eternal outsiders without history, nothing is.

A clarification to Halla-aho and Grönroos: None of us want to be white like you never mind hold the same racist views as you. That would be horrible. However, everyone, irrespective of their background, is an equal member of society that defines Finnishness in the way he or she wishes. Finnishness does not and never will mean being white.

In order to understand how misplaced Halla-aho’s and Grönroos’ views are, we could apply them to countries like the United States, Canada, Argentina, and others.

The result: Minorities and Other groups would be outraged because it is justifying the whitewashing of their history and white supremacist ideology.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. 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 nativistnationalism 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.

Päivän sitaatti (Old No. 7/Scripta-blogi 2008): Rasismi on osa suomalaista kulttuuria

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Kommenti, joka kirjoitettiin Jussi Halla-ahon Scripta-blogissa syyskuussa 2008, on muistututs kuinka rasismia hysätään Suomessa.

Sama sävel valitettavissa jatkaa tänään.

Nimimerkki “Old No. 7” kirjoittaa :

“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?”

12. syyskuuta 2008 16:53:35

The media does Jussi Halla-aho’s campaigning for free. The alternative media can stop it.

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Ever wonder why there is an obsessive interest by the Finnish media of Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Halla-aho? Most of his views are centered on anti-immigration rhetoric and white supremacy (fear of becoming a minority) as well as conservative views on topics like economic policy and the environment.

The media’s interest in Halla-aho is one reason why he got the most votes (30,527) than any other politician in the parliamentary elections. His campaign budget was only 308 euros.

In Finland, the media played a critical role in the rise of the PS and politicians like Halla-aho. It’s clear that whenever the media writes about such parties and its leaders, it is because such stories sell well to their readers. Another culprit is the near-silence – and incompetence – of most of Finland’s political class to challenge the far-right threat.

In short, Finland lacks politicians with a vision to defend our institutions and reinforce the rule of law, which are under threat today thanks to parties like the PS.

Read original story (in Finnish) here.

Social activist Joacine Moreira of Portugal was asked Friday if she feared the rise of the far right in Europe. The PS is in our opinion a far-right party. Her response was the following: “I am not afraid of the far right. I’m afraid of the mainstream parties [which should know better] but don’t do anything to change the situation.”

The political situation of Europe today could be compared with the rise of fascism in the 1930s. How many of those that supported Nazi Germany in the 1930s ever thought they would end up defeated and in ruins in 1945? Instead of facing justice, many of their leaders preferred the easy way out by taking a cyanide capsule.

Brazilian LGTB activist Jean Wyllys said that “The alternative media is the answer [to the traditional media for oppressed voices to be heard and construct their narratives].”

I could not agree more.

It is clear from the reporting by Finland’s and Europe’s mainstream media that alternative media is needed more than ever. That media, which gives a voice to minorities, must also adhere to ethical journalistic standards and fair reporting practices just like the mainstream media should.

The faster we act to elevate that voice, the better.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017, into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. In the last parliamentary election, Blue Reform has wiped off the Finnish political map when they saw their numbers in parliament plummet from 18 MPs to none. 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.

We will not forget who is Halla-aho, Huhtasaari, Salvini, Le Pen, Farage and other past and present far-right politicians

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Even if far-right parties made some gains in the European elections on Sunday, their project to disrupt and destroy the EU was crashed by the Green wave that swept Europe. 

To Halla-aho, Huhtasaari, Salvini, Le Pen, Farage I have a simple message: Your brand of fear-mongering and scapegoating is going down. We will make sure that your attacks on our democratic institutions and racism are remembered by future generations, our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We will not forget what you said, what you did, and who you are/were.

We will not also forget the near-silent mainstream politicians throughout Europe and the white media, nearly toothless when migrants and minorities are attacked and scapegoated, that allowed the far right to raise its ugly head.

And that is what they exactly did in the 1930s that sparked World War 2. My Bostonian uncle Alexander Cherkassky, who lived part of his childhood in Mikkeli, Finland, died on April 24, 1945, a day before victory was proclaimed in Italy against fascism and Nazi Germany.

Continue reading “We will not forget who is Halla-aho, Huhtasaari, Salvini, Le Pen, Farage and other past and present far-right politicians”

Case Perussuomalaiset Youth: The worst enemy of the far right is the far right

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED.

The scandal that blew up in FPÖ leader’s Heinz-Christian Strache’s face and which brought down a government in Austria, Perussuomalaiset (PS)*Vice President Laura Huhtasaari’s participation in a meeting organized by Salvini in Milano with far-right leader Matteo Salvini, and the racist tweet below by the PS Youth are just one of many political setbacks. 

But that’s not all: PS’ Olli Kotro was quoted as saying in a Moscow-Putin friendly publication that the EU should do away with the Schengen agreement and end visa restrictions for Russia. Moreover, Marine Le Pen was pictured taking a selfie making a white power sign with a far-right Estonian EKRE member.

And let’s not forget newly elected MP Ano Turtiainen, who said that a conviction “in this group [the PS]” for inciting others to commit a crime was “a feather in one’s cap.”

And after all these setbacks for Finland’s far-right party, it’s youth wing lets its racism all hang out with the following tweet with a black couple smiling happily at their newborn child.

It tweets (see ad below): “Vote for the Perussuomalaiset so that Finland won’t look like this.”

The PS Youth have gained notoriety for their ethnonationalist and Islamophobic tweets:

 

The EU ad encouraging people to vote is the same one used by the PS Youth.

That tweet may end up costing the PS Youth dearly. Apart from possibly being guilty of ethnic agitation, the ministry of education and culture is considering axing the youth group’s annual 115,000 euros of state aid.

The tweet is just one example out of many of Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.

Continue reading “Case Perussuomalaiset Youth: The worst enemy of the far right is the far right”

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

Posted on by Migrant Tales

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?

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

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.

Continue reading “The Perussuomalaiset of Finland’s hubris and arrogance are their political soft spot”

Jussi Halla-aho reinforced in today’s Yle interview why the Perussuomalaiset is a xenophobic populist far right party

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Thursday evening Yle interviewed Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson Jussi Hallo-aho, a candidate for MP in next month’s elections and who built his political career on racism and Islamophobia. His performance was poor but it proved once  again why the PS is a far-right party. 

Even if Halla-aho didn’t directly admit it, the PS supports and gets followers from its white nationalist message.

One of the main arguments and foundations of white nationalism is demographic replacement, which is a common theme used by many PS politicians like Laura Huhtasaari, Olli Immonen and others.

It explains as well why Halla-aho sees immigration, especially from non-EU countries, as a threat. The PS leader did not have any concrete solutions on how to raise low childbirth rates in Finland but still saw immigration as a threat.

It’s been almost forty years when the first Somalis arrived to Finland. Since then, our media and politicians have fed the public with xenophobia and Islamophobia for a very long time.

In Finland, it is a recurring theme and explains why there is today such a surge in Islamophobia.

Below are some comments about tonight’s interview with Halla-aho.

 

 

Ozan Yanar, who is a Green League MP, questioned Halla-aho’s statement that the PS isn’t an anti-immigration party. He asks in his tweet where such a notion has come from. 

In the following tweet by academic researcher Oula Silvennoinen, who is running for parliament for the same party as Yanar, responded sarcastically that he had no idea why anyone would call the PS an anti-immigration party. 

Continue reading “Jussi Halla-aho reinforced in today’s Yle interview why the Perussuomalaiset is a xenophobic populist far right party”

Atte Kaleva is a populist who spreads and dwells in Islamophobic soundbites

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Politicians who spread fear and suspicion of migrants are those that will never give power and a voice to migrants. Some good examples of groups that are Islamophobic are parties like the Perussuomalaiset* and leading Islamophobes like Jussi Halla-aho and Atte Kaleva. 

National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) MP candidate Atte Kaleva, who has overtaken Wille Rydman as the Halla-aho of his party, held a talk on March 15 in East Helsinki on “why multiculturalism doesn’t work.”

The timing of the talk was not the most appropriate since on the same day we learned about the atrocities in New Zealand when a far-right Australian extremist killed in cold blood 50 Muslims and wounded others in two mosques of Christchurch.

For anyone familiar with the topic of multiculturalism, Kaleva’s topic choice exposes who he is: a populist giving soundbites to the media and followers at the cost of minorities and groups like Muslims.

Some of Kaleva’s acquaintances include Jussi Halla-aho, convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion. Kaleva appears proud of this picture. I think it is shameful. Thank you Christin Bergström for helping me find this Instagram posting with Kaleva and Halla-aho.

When the National Coalition Party candidate claims that multiculturalism does not work, we have no idea what he actually means.

Is he implying that cultural diversity is not possible because it always fails? Does he mean that white Finnish society is “perfect” while culturally diverse societies are flawed? Is he saying that countries like Canada, Australia, Argentina, the United States, and others are good examples where multiculturalism has failed?

Is he denying European history, which is and was historically always culturally and ethnically diverse?

Continue reading “Atte Kaleva is a populist who spreads and dwells in Islamophobic soundbites”