Tag: nationalism

Timo Soini’s fall from grace and the legacy of planting the political seeds of bigotry and racism in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

One lesson we could learn from former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman Timo Soini is that the right balance between flattery and speaking in code will get you everywhere, well, almost everywhere. You can win big elections like in 2011 and ride, albeit momentarily, the crest of the popularity wave until you hit the wall in disgrace with your fingers badly burned. 

Treatment by politicians and the media of Soini, who ruled the PS for twenty years (1997-2017) and who gave nationalist bigots and the far right a political platform, is odd. The fact that some cannot see that fascism is flirting with them is worrying.

Soini’s rise and fall from power were possible thanks to the media and politicians who were afraid to challenge his populist anti-immigration ideas. His political program, if he ever had one, was nothing more than hot air. It all had to do with Soini grabbing power.

The fact that other political parties like the National Coalition Party and Center Party helped fuel the rise of the PS reveals a lot about these parties’ moral fiber. We are seeing this today in the government’s stiffening immigration policy, deportations, and the ever-growing inequality of our society.

Soini gained his place in Finnish politics this decade thanks to the political establishment and the media. Some naively still believe that you can have a quaint chat with bigots, fascists, and racists.

A proverb by William Blake highlights this predicament:

“The eagle never lost so much time, as when he submitted to learn of the crow.”

The only reason why some believe that you can have a sensible chat about cultural diversity with racists can happen is because they are white and not affected by the debate. Racism doesn’t affect white people directly because they benefit from it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl5PviXNRyk

 

Soini speaking at a UKIP rally in 2012. It was his third visit to such a gathering where he said he admired the UKIP because they could state that they hate the EU and love their country “without shame and guilt.”

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage was/is a close political ally of Soini. Farage now speaks at far-right rallies.

Soini and his cast of eerie and odd political bedfellows throughout the years would make a great horror show. If you want to know and connect the dots, like in the video above and Farage at a far-right rally below, Soini has left a trail of lies, deceit, and contempt for our Nordic values.

Continue reading “Timo Soini’s fall from grace and the legacy of planting the political seeds of bigotry and racism in Finland”

Finland’s government to tighten again immigration and asylum policy

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The desperation of New Alternative* or Blue Reform (BR) party, the faction that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in June to keep their jobs as ministers, must be overbearing. BR Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho announced Thursday that the government plans to tighten immigration and asylum policy laws in the face of the Turku attack, according to YLE News. 

Interior Minister Paula Risikko, as well as other government officials, announced after Turku plans to tighten immigration policy and give greater surveillance powers to the police and the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO).

Just like the good old days when the PS was one party before it imploded on June 13, BR’s Minister Terho is the one giving statements about tougher immigration policy.

Apart from making it a crime to help undocumented migrants, Terho said that the nationality would see modifications so that suspected terrorists who are dual nationals can have their Finnish citizenship revoked.

While these points are nothing new since they have the clear stamp of PS Chairman Jussi Halla-aho, it is sad to watch how short-sighted and opportunistic the government is and how it wants to punish the migrant and minority community. No matter how much they tighten immigration and asylum policy, it will never make Finland safe from terrorism.

Nour Gamal, a #righttolife activist, told Migrant Tales by phone that government aims to tighten immigration and asylum policy is part of a long-range plan to make life as miserable as possible for asylum seekers in Finland.

Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho is as much an Islamophobe as Jussi Halla-aho.

“They [the government] are not only making life difficult for asylum seekers but for Finns that want to help undocumented migrants as well,” he said. “It’s a systematic plan to make the lives of asylum seekers as miserable as possible, so they’ll leave the country and so that no new refugees will come here.”

Gamal said that the parliamentary elections in 2019 are the only hope left to asylum seekers.

While not mentioned, plans to change the nationality act may also have dire consequences for dual citizen rights in Finland.

As long as BR remains in government the worse matters will get for migrants and minorities in this country.

* After the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 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.  One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic. 

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.

Why Migrant Tales will continue to call the “Finns Party” the Perussuomalaiset

Posted on by Migrant Tales

At the end of our stories we have published a short footnote explaining why we don’t call the Perussuomalaiset (PS) its official English-language name. We have changed the footnote to take into account that the PS comprises of two factions. Are these blocs any different from the old PS? If so, how?

An overriding matter that Tuesday’s implosion revealed and reinforced is that both blocs are a huge like. The “old” PS exploited racism, anti-EU and nationalist sentiment to grab and maintain political power.

Fortunately, their political power and credibility has diminished considerably since early this week.

The new logo of Uusi Vaihtoehto, or New Alternative, seen by Kasper Diem. The joke is in the V, which suggests v***u, or c**t.

The logo of the Perussuomalaiset party.

Continue reading “Why Migrant Tales will continue to call the “Finns Party” the Perussuomalaiset”

Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset party?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? If you ask Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister Petteri Orpo there is. But if you are a migrant, asylum seeker or minority in Finland, it’s doubtful that you would make such a difference. 

Here’s the question: Why was Sampo Terho, who holds the same ideas about migrants like Jussi Halla-aho, is more “acceptable?” Why Soini versus Halla-aho?

We have called this phenomenon at Migrant Tales the good-cop, bad-cop syndrome.

If we are candid with ourselves, Halla-aho, Soini and Terho are bonded by the same goal: To keep Finland white and Christian. Migration and cultural diversity, especially from non-EU countries, are seen as threats.

 

From left to right: Jussi Halla-aho, Timo Soini and Sampo Terho. Source: YLE.

If their brand of politics is toxic especially towards migrants and cultural diversity, does it come down to how you market yourself as a populist politician and how the media interprets and wants to see you?

It’s clear that one of the biggest challenges of countries like Finland is challenging its denial of racism, bigotry and discrimination. The fine balance of being an “acceptable” anti-immigration politician in Finland is by mastering code.

Continue reading “Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset party?”

Defining white Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Social Democrat MP Satu Taavitsainen found herself in a lot of hot water this week after she published a picture of herself in Instagram wearing a fake Sámi dress. While this is a no-no because minorities like the Sámi may see it as cultural appropriation, an MP like Taavitsainen should know better. 

But she didn’t, and hasn’t.

She claims that the Sámi dress she published a picture of in Instragram was made by a tailor for her mother and wanted to show it off. However, this is not the first time that the MP from Mikkeli has dressed up in Sámi attire. In the 2015 parliamentary elections, she was pictured wearing a four winds Sámi hat, called ?iehgahpir.

That picture above can no longer be found on her website.

While this whole affair raises a lot of question, why did Taavitsainen want to show off to her many Intagram followers her fake, or feikkigáktien, Sámi dress?

What’s wrong with what she did anyway?

If the SDP MP would have taken a little time to study the history of the Sámi and what they think in today’s Finland, she’d understand why it’s advisable not to do what she did. The reaction against what she did is one of many eamples.

Another problem that should be highlighted is not the physical dress per se but the message it sends about a minority like the Sámi.

For one, Taavitsainen, a white Finn, has the privilege and power to be “a Sámi” for a day if she wishes without carrying the burden of history of these people, which they must endure 365 days of the year.

Continue reading “Defining white Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism”

How racism and suspicion have ruined Finland’s centenary celebrations of 2017

Posted on by Migrant Tales

If there is a party pooper in this year’s centenary celebrations it’ll be ourselves: the politicians, the urban tales, prejudices, racism and suspicion that has raised its head with ease in Finland as of late.

The names and the parties of these killjoys are well known to us: President Sauli Niinistö, the Jussi Halla-aho crowd of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, ministers like Paula Risikko, Center Party Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, white Social Democrats and socialists, Migri (Finnish Immigration Service), bigoted groups like Suomi Ensin, Suomen Sisu and a long list of others.

Like the United States under Donald Trump and post-Brexit Europe, Finland too has seen the rise of a hostile political force called populism. Like a cancer, it spreads scapegoating migrants and minorities. Populism always fails and ends in disaster because it offers simple unworkable solutions to complex problems. It’s like offering a terminally ill cancer patient aspirin to relieve the pain.

One of the official logos of Finland’s centenary celebrations.

What happens when a government and country starts to believe in its own prejudices? For one, it causes unneeded suffering on people.

Take for instance one of the government’s favorite justification for tightening immigration policy: pull factors like social welfare. But is that the real reason why asylum seekers come to Europe?

Studies have shown that it’s not the main cause. Many asylum seekers come from countries where there is no social welfare and therefore don’t have a clear idea what it is. If social welfare was the main pull factor, why do some migrants go to the United Kingdom, where there is lower social welfare than France which is more generous?

Want to know what real factors bring a fraction, yes a fraction, of asylum seekers to Europe. Check this video out by Migration Matters.

One of the most ignorant and populist claims parroted by some politicians is that asylum seekers should be taken care of in camps near their home countries. Interior Minister Risikko, who should know better, reinforced this misconception when she visited a Suomi Ensi gathering last week.

Continue reading “How racism and suspicion have ruined Finland’s centenary celebrations of 2017”

Che’s corner: Don’t turn into a racist!

Posted on by Migrant Tales

There is a fine line that separates patriotism from racism. Patriotism is love and devotion to one’s country. A sense of patriotism is any affiliation to the homeland and to work for its best interests of its people. Every person cares for his home and does everything possible to live and enjoy a decent life with his family.

The home is like a miniature nation where its inhabitants share with other people of his community and nation the same interests and suffering, crises that impact the whole country.

The sense of belonging to a group, to its geographic location, caring for its people and its interests ensure a better life for all of its inhabitants. We run into problems when some of these “patriots” put their personal and political interests before the interests of its people and deny others fleeing war from having a home in a secure country. At this moment, these “patriots” hide their racism and their extremist political views behind the mask of nationalism. Some go as far as to proclaim themselves as God’s chosen people.

These people, who are nothing more than “chosen” racists, endanger the lives and interests of all of their countrymen. In 2015, we saw a refugee crisis that worried and concerned all of us. We, along with other patriots, seriously seek credible solutions to the challenge before us. In doing so we can never forget our humanity for others.

The violence and wars that these displaced refugees face outside our borders affect all humanity as a whole. It is wrong to deny them shelter in our country. There are better solutions to resolving this challenge than turning into a racist.

 

 

Brexit: Stoke the fires of natonalism and you’ll get burned

Posted on by Migrant Tales

After the United Kingdom decided Thursday to exit from the European Union, the question remains: why?

In many respects, the answer to that question is a similar one that you hear in some European countries why such-and-such country has seen the political rise of populist anti-immigration party.

Finland is a good example of the latter. The populist anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* won 5 seats in the 2007 parliamentary elections. Four years later that number rose to 39 seats.

Nationalism and ultranatonalism, is one of the worst social ills inflicting Europe today. Speech that divides and incites nationalism has its consequences as we saw Thursday in the United Kingdom.

One of the questions we should be asking today is what is the United Kingdom’s and the Tory party’s end game after Brexit. It shouldn’t surprise us that they are probably in the dark about where their nationalism will take them.

Are they going to eat their imagined take-Britain-back nationalism at the table or what?

There is one matter for certain this week: Thursday’s referendum will not only impact Europe but especially the United Kingdom economically. It will fuel as well social ills like Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia and many other social ills that socially exclude minorities.

And for what? So that Prime Minister David Cameron gambled to unite his party and lost big time?

What can we learn one important lesson from Brexit? Don’t stoke the fires of nationalism because you’ll get burned.

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party 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. The direct translation of “Perussuomalaiset” is “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” 

YLE poll: Support for PS of Finland takes another dip to 9.8%

Posted on by Migrant Tales

A poll commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) revealed more pain for the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which saw its support plummet below 10% to 9.8%. The party that gained the most in the poll were the Social Democrats, which saw their support rise by 2.4 percentage points to 20.7%. 

Trying to become a “mainstream” party in government has been like digesting poison for the PS, which has based its support on nationalism and anti-immigration rhetoric.

For Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse society the poll is the best news yet in a long time.

It’s naive to believe that the PS could ever abandon its racism and nationalism since that would mean committing political hara-kiri. Being a member of government has apparently a swifter hara-kiri for the party.

Näyttökuva 2015-11-4 kello 13.05.50

Read full story here.

While some have waited for the populist party to face the same fate as its predecessor the Rural Party in the 1970s, when the party imploded due to internal bickering, it is the voters that are giving the thumbs down today to the PS.

One diplomatic source told Migrant Tales recently that the PS appears like the sinking Titanic. The orchestra is playing and that distracts people from their doom.

I have written before that the even if the PS may implode or return back to the minor leagues, it’s what is coming after them that could be scarier.

Support for the PS will be tested in April 2017, when Finland will hold municipal elections.

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

Perussuomalaiset woes deepen as Sebastian Tynkkynen reelected chairman of the Finnish party’s youth league

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The problems of the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party got worse Sunday after its third vice president, Sebastian Tynkkynen, got reelected by a clear majority to head the party’s youth league. 

Näyttökuva 2015-11-1 kello 15.48.16

Read full story here.

Tynkkynen got elected with 42 votes against 22 for Sami Vuotila, the PS youth league’s vice president, according to Iltalehti.

Tynkkynen got his membership revoked over a week a go after he unsuccessfully challenged the PS’ leadership demanding that a special congress be convened to debate whether the party should continue in government, according to YLE News.

Considering the sloppy manner in which the PS board revoked Tynkkynen’s membership and that it may have been against the law, it’s clear that the third vice president’s reelection as chairman of the PS’ youth league means more trouble and internal bickering for the anti-immigration party, which has seen its poll ratings nosedive recently.

If Soini and the PS leadership don’t watch out, Tynkkynen may threaten them with their very own Stalingrad, a decisive battle that became a turning point in the war Nazi Germany waged in Russia. If, however, they do succeed in purging Tynkkynen from the party it may well turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory. Soini and the PS leadership face a lose-lose situation.

Tynkkynen, who is demanding that Finland close its northern border with Sweden like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did with Serbia and Romania, has built ties with far right groups like the Sweden Democrats.

It’s clear that if the party adopted some of Tynkkynen’s demands it could well mean an early exit from government.

Continue reading “Perussuomalaiset woes deepen as Sebastian Tynkkynen reelected chairman of the Finnish party’s youth league”