How can a country like Finland, which saw over 1.2 million people emigrate during 1860-1999 and resettled 420,000 Karelian refugees after the Continuation War (1941-44) with the former Soviet Union, loathe migrants and speak contemptuously against refugees? How do you explain the rise of an anti-immigration party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) that grew from a mere…
Tag: Karelia
Are parties like the True Finns a threat to national security?
As the April election approaches, parties like the True Finns and other ones like Muutos 2011 are going to increase their nationalistic and xenophobic rhetoric to new hights. Would it be fair to ask that the land-ownership row in Russia could be motivated by the rise of the True Finns and demands among some groups that Karelia should be returned to Finland?
Finland’s multicultural challenge in the 21st century
Just like when Finland won its independence from the former Soviet Union in the last century, the country will face new challenges to its cultural identity. In the 20th century, after December 6, 1917, when Finland gained its cherished independence, there was a lot of work done to exert Finnish culture and wipe out the…