Comment: An editorial by Helsingin Sanomat follows up a pole published on Saturday, which showed that 51% of Perussuomalaiset (PS) supporters believed that some ethnicities and cultures were so backward that they could never live among us.
The affirmation, that because they are so different from us, is not only a racist view as Helsingin Sanomat points out but an old excuse by anti-immigration parties to justify racism.
It is an encouraging sign that Finland’s biggest daily knows how to call racism for what it is: unacceptable and shameful in our society.
It’s pretty incredible that PS head Timo Soini, who tries to portray himself as a good cop to the public, has nothing intelligent to say about the poll except that publishing it was proof of how biased the media is to his party.
Racism, like any type of social illness, must be challenged. There are certain values in our societies that are inalienable. One of these are inclusion, social equality and justice. Racism is a destructive force that eats away at our values and society. It impoverishes us in many ways.
The fact that the PS does not want to debate these polls and racism within its ranks is highly revealing. The party’s silence speaks a thousand volumes.
Migrant Tales gives a big thumbs up to Helsingin Sanomat and a big thumbs down to the PS.
As a follow up, check out the opinion piece by Seppo Kononen on Savon Sanomat. Good analysis except for the last sentence, where he asks Halla-aho who would clean the streets of Helsinki if there were no foreigners. Don’t Finns clean streets as well? Are immigrants all seen as cheap labor doing menial jobs?
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Keskustelu suomalaisten rasismista ja sen heijastumisesta politiikkaan on lukkiintunut toistuvaan kaavaan. Muiden puheenvuoroissa arvioidaan, että rasismi ja muukalaispelko ovat lisänneet perussuomalaisen puolueen kannatusta.
